The boutique three-day B2B event, Try Before You Buy Budva, took place between 30 September and 2 October 2026, and was organised by Conventa and the Tourist Organisation of Budva, in partnership with Montenegro Stars Hotel Group and Talas Montenegro DMC. The meeting took place at Hotel Splendid, where over 180 pre-arranged meetings were held.

Twenty handpicked hosted buyers, who represent event agencies and companies from 15 European countries, experienced the best of Budva, drenched in sunlight. Participants explored some of the city’s most exclusive event venues, discovered Montenegro’s history and culture, and enjoyed sweeping views from panoramic roads. A highlight of the experience was the ride in legendary Yugo cars from the Kuk Mountains to Cetinje. Another memory that will doubtless linger in the attendees’ minds is the lunch at the Rađenović family, where they savoured local cuisine made with an abundance of love and copious homegrown ingredients.

“It was great to discover the destination on a deeper level and gain such a personal experience of everything Montenegro has to offer. The places we visited were beautiful, and I especially enjoyed the food, culture, art and the overall atmosphere.”

Feedback from hosted buyers overwhelmingly points to the event’s success. Attendees were amazed by the locals’ hospitality, openness, and the diversity of Budva’s event offerings. Commenting on the experience, Jitka Hřebíková from BOHO Travel said: “I truly enjoyed every moment, and it was great to discover the destination on a deeper level and gain such a personal experience of everything Montenegro has to offer. The places we visited were beautiful, and I especially enjoyed the food, culture, art and the overall atmosphere.”

Elliot Stroud from EFS Sports UK likewise extolled the destination and the quality of meetings: “What an absolutely incredible time we’ve had! Montenegro and Budva have totally blown me away. Thank you to the team for making the last few days so special, and giving us such an amazing experience. The meetings today were also superb. Everything has been just perfect. There is so much potential here, and I am already very excited about coming back.”

Gorazd Čad, the co-founder of Conventa, said this about the event format: “The greatest advantage of such boutique events is the close partnership with destinations that truly wish to showcase the best they have. As we prioritise a boutique group, the approach is incredibly personal and relaxed. Guests can undoubtedly tell whether an experience is authentic and genuine, and this can be the greatest impetus for the start of a successful cooperation and for fostering new business opportunities.”

Try Before You Buy by Conventa is a curated boutique hosted buyer programme and networking event series that lets international event planners experience regional MICE destinations before hosting their next event.

Learn more about the event programme here: https://conventa.si/events/explore-budva/.

In total, 45 awards were handed out to agencies and individuals from 12 countries. The audience award went to two winners with identical scores: Think Bigger by Portuguese agency Desafio Global and Diamond Mall by Limak DOO Skopje / Diamond Mall. The event agency of the year went to Italian agency Ninetynine.

The title of the best Slovenian event in 2026 went to Creative Pro Adriatic for the Launch of the Quatrac Pro 2 tyre for Vredestein, followed by the Opening of the Homestread Pr’ Mraku and Slavko Oblak Gallery by Zavod za kulturo Bled in second place and Spontanzo agency’s KARNEVAL, an open-air concert celebrating the 10th anniversary of Joker Out, in third. Among 105 finalists from 24 countries, ten Slovenian projects took part, representing nearly one-tenth of all finalists. This growing representation attests to the competitiveness of the Slovenian events industry internationally.

THE STATISTICS BEHIND THE AWARD IN 2026 

SLOVENIAN RESULTS IN THE BROADER EUROPEAN CONTEXT 

The ten Slovenian finalists represented 9.5% of all finalists. The special main category “Best Slovenian Event” enables benchmarking of local projects. Projects that ranked high in international categories also show how competitive Slovenian production is in the European context. The final results are a key reference for competing agencies, their clients, destinations and future international bidding. 

The recipients were selected using a unique 80:20 model that combined assessments by an international expert jury and live audience votes.

The jury assessed the projects according to 12 qualitative criteria, while the finalists pitched their projects live at Ljubljana Castle. Three award recipients were named in the main categories: B2B, B2C, B2E and Crossover, while one winner was announced in each eligible subcategory. Special awards highlighted events that stand out for their creativity, technology, sustainability, strategic communication, community building, and other aspects of excellence. 

“The Unicorn Awards are not merely recognition for a peerless project. The real value is that award-winning projects become visible to a broad international community and foster new opportunities. This year, 200 guests from 103 organisations and 27 countries watched the finalists’ presentations in Ljubljana, including more than 80 client representatives. In other words, an excellent project can become a reference point for a new brief, novel partnership or the basis for organising the project in another market. The success of Slovenian finalists is just as important, as it shows that local expertise, know-how, creativity and excellence in delivery can rival the best European projects. That is the purpose of the Unicorn Awards: not only to reward excellence, but to make it visible, relevant and useful for the development of the entire industry,” said Gorazd Čad, the founder of the Unicorn Awards.

Below is an overview of the awards and recipients.

MAIN CATEGORIES 

B2B EVENTS

1ST PLACE: Ferrari Capital Markets Day 2025 & Technology & Innovation Workshop
Ninetynine, Italy

2ND PLACE: Deloitte IRGA Awards (37th Edition of the Investor Relations and Governance Awards)
Desafio Global, Portugal

3RD PLACE: Think Bigger
Desafio Global, Portugal

B2C EVENTS

1ST PLACE: Planet Budapest
Unger & Partners, Hungary

2ND PLACE: The Breathing Space
NOSLEEPTILLBROOKLYN, Norway

3RD PLACE: Paralympic Opening Ceremony Milano Cortina 2026
Filmmaster S.p.a, Italy

B2E EVENTS

1ST PLACE: This Is Eiendom
Just Cruzin’Production AS, Norway

2ND PLACE: Deloitte Portugal Christmas Party
iMotion Events, Portugal

3RD PLACE: The Birthday Party: A Moment Once in Two Centuries
Event Arena, s.r.o., Czech Republic

CROSSOVER EVENTS

1ST PLACE: Nespresso Capsule on the Vienna Giant Ferris Wheel Promotion
KESCH Live Marketing AG, Austria

2ND PLACE: Ferrari Luce World Premiere
Ninetynine, Italy

3RD PLACE: Mediterranean Phase of the Amerigo Vespucci
World Tour and Closing Events
Ninetynine, Italy

BEST SLOVENIAN EVENTS

1ST PLACE: Launch of the Quatrac Pro 2 by Vredestein Tyres
Creative Pro, Slovenia

2ND PLACE: Opening of the Pr’ Mrako Heritage Homestead & Gallery Slavko Oblak
Zavod za kulturo Bled, Slovenia

3RD PLACE: KARNEVAL – Concert Celebrating Joker Out’s 10th Anniversary
SPONTANZO, Slovenia

SUBCATEGORIES

SC1: BEST CONFERENCE, CONGRESS, CONVENTION
Ferrari Capital Markets Day 2025 & Technology & Innovation
Workshop
Ninetynine, Italy

SC2: TRADE SHOW / EXHIBITION / FAIR
Lords of the Fallen
Jack Morton, Germany

SC3: PRODUCT OR SERVICE LAUNCH
Ferrari Luce World Premiere
Ninetynine, Italy

SC4: CEREMONY
Deloitte IRGA Awards (37th Edition of the Investor Relations and Governance Awards)
Desafio Global, Portugal

SC5: PRESS EVENT
Ferrari Capital Markets Day 2025 & Technology & Innovation Workshop
Ninetynine, Italy

SC6: FESTIVAL
Trådi Rīga, SIA
“SponsorKing”, Latvia

SC7: SPORTS EVENT
Olympic Closing Ceremony Milano Cortina 2026
Filmmaster S.p.a, Italy

SC8: CULTURAL / MUSIC EVENT
Paralympic Opening Ceremony Milano Cortina 2026
Filmmaster S.p.a, Italy

SC9: ROADSHOW
The Breathing Space
NOSLEEPTILLBROOKLYN, Norway

SC10: INTERNAL TRAINING / EDUCATION EVENT
THIS IS EIENDOM
Just Cruzin’ Production AS Norway

SC11: TEAMBUILDING EVENT
THIS IS EIENDOM
Just Cruzin’ Production AS Norway

SC12: INTERNAL CELEBRATION
Deloitte Portugal – Christmas Party
iMotion Events, Portugal

SC13: POP-UP EVENT
IKEA Sleepover Bag – A Night You’ll Never Forget
KESCH Live Marketing AG, Austria

SC14: BRAND ACTIVATION
The Entry Room, by SpareBank1 Østlandet and Retail Factory
Retail Factory AS, Norway

SC15: CSR / NON-PROFIT EVENT
Diamond Mall
Limak DOO Skopje / Diamond Mall

SC16: INCENTIVE/REWARD TRIP
Launch of the Quatrac Pro 2 by Vredestein Tyres
CREATIVE PRO, Slovenia

SC17: LUXURY/LIFESTYLE EVENT
Ferrari Luce World Premiere
Ninetynine, Italy

SC19: PUBLIC INSTITUTION / GOVERNMENT EVENT
Mediterranean Phase of the Amerigo Vespucci World Tour and Closing Events
Ninetynine, Italy

SC20: GRAND SHOW / SPECTACLE CEREMONY
Olympic Closing Ceremony Milano Cortina 2026
Filmmaster S.p.a, Italy

SPECIAL AWARDS

SA1: GRAND PRIX AWARD
Paralympic Opening Ceremony

SA2: AUDIENCE Award
Think Bigger, Desafio Global, Portugal
Diamond Mall, Limak DOO Skopje / Diamond Mall

SA3: Best EVENT AGENCY
Ninetynine, Italy

SA4: Best in CREATIVITY
Škoda Auto – Ooooh That’s Epiq!
Gattinoni & Co srl, Italy

SA5: Best in CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY
The Breathing Space
NOSLEEPTILLBROOKLYN, Norway

SA6: Best USE OF TECHNOLOGY
PPC 1st Energy Management Meetings
Magna Events, Greece

SA7: Best IN COMMUNITY BUILDING AND ENGAGEMENT
Lords of the Fallen
Jack Morton, Germany

SA8: Best SUSTAINABLE EVENT / PLANET POSITIVE EVENT AWARD
HERE CES 2026
Jack Morton, Germany

SA9: Best IN STRATEGIC COMMUNICATION
Škoda Auto – Ooooh, taht‘s Epiq!
Gattinoni & Co srl Italy

SA10: RISING STAR AWARD
Tea Čapko
ALERT, Croatia

SA11: Best EVENT FORMAT INNOVATION
Future Unfold 2025
Magna Events, Greece

Toleranca Marketing and Conventa organise the festival in partnership with Ljubljana Tourism, the Slovenian Tourist Board, and the Slovenian Convention Bureau.

Learn more about the event, festival, and competition here. 

The finalists will compete live in front of the audience and jury across four main categories. In 2026, most events will compete in the B2C category (43.8%), targeting the general public and clients. This is followed by B2B events (27.6%), dedicated to business-to-business events. Crossover events (16.2%) connect both target audiences, while B2E events (12.4%) address employees and focus on internal communication, connections, and motivation.

The diversity of this year’s grand finale is further underlined by the fact that finalists will compete in 19 of the 20 available subcategories. Most projects will compete in the following subcategories: best conference and congress, best brand activation and best product launch. Other events will compete to receive the titles of best cultural and music event, best festival, best sports event, best ceremony, best trade show, best internal event, and best spectacle.

This year’s finalists hail from 24 countries, underscoring the increasingly international scope of the competition. Among the most represented countries are Poland, Italy, Slovenia, Greece, Portugal, Austria, Norway and Hungary. Numerous projects from New Europe are among the finalists.

The central part of the event programme is the live pitching of finalists in front of an audience and expert jury at Ljubljana Castle. On Monday, 7 September 2026, presentations of the best projects will take place throughout the day. According to the organisers, the live pitching provides an exclusive insider look behind the scenes of the European events industry, its creative approaches, production challenges, and latest trends.

Further confirming the quality and influence of the participating agencies is that over 48% of competing agencies made the list of the most influential event agencies in Europe, compiled by Kongres Magazine in partnership with the Unicorn Awards.

The meeting of the expert jury will take place on Tuesday, 8 September 2026. The jury will convene to reach a final decision, and symbolic white smoke will waft over Ljubljana Castle, announcing that the winners have been selected. The winners will then claim their deserved awards at the stately evening ceremony. Regulated and rigorous jury guidelines represent one of the key pillars of the event’s trustworthiness and one of the reasons events from across Europe participate. Further information regarding the jury work is available at the following link.

The awards for the best Slovenian event will also be given out in 2026. This year, 10 Slovenian projects reached the grand finale, nearly a tenth of all finalists. These projects show Slovenia’s presence in the events industry amid international competition.

“To organise an event for people who organise the industry’s largest events is no simple feat, with expectations set truly high.”

Commenting on this year’s tremendous response, Gorazd Čad, the project founder, emphasised: “If you develop something for fifteen years, you must be on to something. We kept thinking outside the box, tried and tested new ideas, and dared to provoke the industry. That is why I see the positive feedback on our rebranding and evolution from the international events community as a milestone kudos. At the same time, this great interest brings a great responsibility. To organise an event for people who organise the industry’s largest events is no simple feat, with expectations set truly high. I am particularly proud of our dedicated, diligent and creative team, with whom we have been crafting a project that goes beyond Slovenia’s borders. I am eager for this year’s event to start and look forward to future years of development and new ideas.”

The final day of the event preceding the evening award ceremony will be dedicated to a knowledge-sharing, content-driven conference. Over the years, the festival has gained fame for hosting renowned speakers. In 2026, the Unicorns stage will feature speakers from the marketing world, festival scene, music realm, and live experience industry who will discuss staying abreast of and co-creating trends. You can see the event programme at the following link.

The festival is organised by Toleranca marketing and Conventa trade show in partnership with Ljubljana Tourism, the Slovenian Tourist Board and the Slovenian Convention Bureau.

Learn more about the event here. 

Amidst a sweltering summer, one half of the industry pretends to be on vacation, while the other half is already concluding their autumn sales plans. One of the most salient rituals of the year occurs at this time: the allocation of marketing and sales budgets.

Which trade show is worth attending? Which B2B events should we pay for? Who should we send on a sales trip? How many meetings do we need to justify our costs and spending? Most importantly, how much will one lead cost us? This question is nearly blasphemous in our industry. We tend to hash over trust, personal chemistry and face-to-face magic, but we are less keen on discussing why every coffee has its price, every meeting has its potential loss and every smile on a sales trip has its figure in an Excel spreadsheet.

2026 is no longer an era for doing sales without numbers. If digital marketing measures every click, every open rate and every conversion, then the events industry must finally measure its most sacred sales ritual: personal meetings.

Let’s clear the air: a lead is not a business card

In sales, three distinct concepts are often treated as interchangeable: a contact, a conversation and a business opportunity. A contact is an email address or a business card. A conversation is an exchange of information. A business opportunity only emerges when there is a genuine need, a defined timeframe, an available budget, a decision maker and enough trust for the relationship to move forward. Without these elements, every coffee meeting becomes a contact.

If every coffee meeting is a contact, then the sales funnel is no longer a funnel but a well-stocked hotel buffet.

This is precisely where the challenge of measuring the cost of a lead begins. Academic literature and industry benchmarks do not offer a single universal figure because they measure different things. Some define a lead as a scanned badge; others as a scheduled meeting; others as a marketing-qualified lead; and others count only sales-qualified opportunities. Direct comparisons are therefore inherently risky. Yet they are also essential.

What does the benchmark data show?

The comparison below brings together current B2B benchmarks, industry research and a model adapted to the commercial realities of the events industry. The figures should be viewed as comparative rather than absolute, and the lead definitions behind them are intentionally narrow and consistent.

Comparative benchmark of the cost per qualified lead in the events industry

The benchmark uses narrowed working ranges derived from publicly available B2B benchmarks, CEIR industry reports, and our own events-industry calculations for B2B workshops and traditional sales visits. Its purpose is not accounting precision but a like-for-like comparison of sales channels based on a single metric: the cost of generating one qualified sales lead or meeting. To keep the comparison consistent, the lead definition is kept narrow across all channels. Extremely high and low benchmark values have been excluded, as they often reflect different definitions of a lead, different industries, and incomparable sales cycles.

Once these statistical outliers are removed, the picture becomes much clearer. Digital channels are less expensive but tend to generate weaker or earlier-stage leads. Traditional sales visits offer valuable face-to-face interaction but come at a high cost and are logistically inefficient. This is why B2B workshops occupy a unique position in the events industry. They are not the cheapest channel, but they offer one of the strongest balances among cost, personal engagement, and buyer relevance. Their real value lies not in the number of meetings they generate, but in their ability to reduce the element of chance in the sales process.

When sales appeal meets Excel

Consider a very practical example. Two sales representatives from the region decide to visit Ljubljana. The trip lasts three days. Once travel, local logistics and the inevitable downtime are taken into account, only two full working days remain for meetings. At first glance, the plan seems perfectly rational. The region is compact, Ljubljana is nearby, and everyone knows everyone. Why not schedule ten meetings with potential partners?

The direct cost of such a trip can quickly rise to around 970 EUR per person. In a less restrained scenario, with higher accommodation costs, flights, client hospitality and local transport, the figure can easily rise to 1,500 EUR per person. But this is only the visible part of the equation.

The second component is the opportunity cost. During those three days, the salesperson is not in the office preparing proposals, closing active opportunities, conducting follow-up activities, or managing existing client relationships. Using a conservative estimate of 250-350 EUR in daily value creation, the opportunity cost amounts to between 750 and 1,050 EUR per person.

The total economic cost of a three-day sales trip is therefore not 970 EUR. A more realistic range is between 1,700 EUR and 2,400 EUR per person.

Even if ten meetings are completed over two days, which is already an optimistic assumption, the cost per contact is between 170 EUR and 240 EUR.

And that is before ever asking whether the person across the table was the right decision maker. Before establishing whether there was a budget. Before confirming whether they had the authority to make the purchase. Before knowing whether the meeting would lead to a proposal. And before finding out whether that proposal would ever be signed.

Why B2B workshops have become new business development teams

Once upon a time, salespeople went from door to door. Today, a well-organised B2B workshop brings those doors together in one place. Its core promise is simple: instead of sales professionals searching for buyers across cities, hotels, agencies and fragmented calendars, the organiser creates an environment where buyers, suppliers, meeting schedules and commercial intent are structured in advance.

Academic research has supported this model for decades. In the Journal of Marketing, Gopalakrishna, Lilien, Williams and Sequeira demonstrated that participation in trade shows should not be viewed merely as a marketing expense but as an activity capable of generating measurable economic returns. Subsequent studies have added another important dimension: B2B trade shows and workshops are not simply platforms for generating leads. They are environments for building trust, validating relevance and developing long-term business relationships.

Research by Mora Cortez, Johnston and Gopalakrishna on investment decisions in B2B trade shows further concludes that the decision to participate is driven by expected performance and the exhibitor’s strategic objectives. In other words, a successful event is not one where you simply show up, but one where you know in advance why you are there, whom you want to meet and how you will measure the outcome.

The mathematics of a B2B trade show

A high-quality B2B trade show in the events industry typically delivers between 26 and 45 pre-scheduled meetings over two days. Taking a median, this amounts to 36 meetings. Adding participation fees, which typically range from 2,000 to 3,000 EUR, to the direct travel and opportunity costs estimated at between 1,700 and 2,400 EUR per person, the total cost of participation falls between 3,700 and 5,400 EUR, with an average of approximately 4,550 EUR. This range is used to align the trade show example with the benchmark logic above.

Based on 36 meetings, this equates to an average cost of around 126 EUR per contact.

This figure should be interpreted carefully. It does not suggest that every contact represents a genuine business opportunity. However, it demonstrates that the cost of a structured, pre-arranged meeting with a contextually relevant buyer can be lower than that of an unstructured sales visit, using the same benchmark logic as above.

The real difference is not simply one of cost; it lies in relevance density. During a traditional sales trip, a significant proportion of a salesperson’s time is consumed by logistics: coordinating schedules, travelling across a city, dealing with cancellations, waiting between appointments and meeting people who are often nowhere near an active buying decision. At a B2B trade show, that filtering process has already taken place. The buyer and supplier are there with a clear purpose. The meeting has a defined framework. Both sides understand the rules of the game.

The industry continues to believe in structured meetings

Kongres Barometer: the industry continues to believe in structured meetings

The findings of the Kongres Barometer 2025, based on responses from 265 event organisers, confirm that B2B workshops and trade shows remain a vital component of the sales funnel in the events industry.

When asked whether participation in B2B trade shows would continue to play an important role in their sales activities in 2025, 90.8 per cent of respondents answered yes. A further 4.6 per cent believe their importance will increase. Together, this represents an overwhelmingly positive sentiment of 95.4 per cent.

This is far from banal. Event organisers, by nature sceptical, operationally focused and resistant to empty promises, continue to place their confidence in structured business meetings. Not because they are perfect, but because they offer something that an ad hoc sales trip cannot: predictability.

The science says the real value lies in the relationship, not just the meeting.

Research by Sarmento, Simões and Farhangmehr on relationship marketing at B2B trade shows found that such events play a significant role in strengthening relationships between buyers and suppliers. For the events industry, this is particularly important. Our product often remains intangible until the moment it is delivered. Buyers cannot fully assess the quality of an event before purchasing. What they are really buying is trust, credibility, confidence and the assurance that the supplier understands the complexity of their requirements.

In this environment, a lead is not an email address. A lead is the beginning of trust. And trust is not created simply because someone happened to visit a city. It is built when the right people meet in the right context, with the right reason to have a meaningful conversation.

This is why the future of sales lies less in unstructured sales visits and more in an integrated commercial ecosystem, one that combines editorial content, data-driven insights, podcasts, expert articles, newsletters, B2B workshops and a well-planned follow-up strategy.

The best lead is rarely one that emerges out of nowhere. The best lead is created when the buyer already knows your point of view, has heard your arguments, tested your credibility and arrives at the meeting with just one question left to answer: whether the chemistry is right.

The most expensive lead is not necessarily the best lead

In the events industry, we often misunderstand what cost means. An expensive lead is not automatically a poor lead. If it develops into a long-term client, a strategic partnership or a flagship reference project, even a 500 EUR lead can prove to be an outstanding investment. The truly costly lead is a different kind altogether. It is the one that is never measured. The one reported as a meeting when, in reality, it was nothing more than a polite conversation. The one that fills the calendar, consumes the team’s time and energy, generates travel expenses and never progresses through the sales funnel.

That is why every events industry organisation should ask itself five simple questions after every trade show, B2B workshop or sales trip. What was the total cost? How many genuinely qualified leads were generated? How many proposals were submitted? How many deals were won? And what was the value of those deals over the following twelve months?

Without answering these questions, you are not managing sales, but a calendar.

In closing: the doors have not closed; they have simply moved

Door-to-door selling is the vinyl record of the streaming era. It has character and history. On occasions, it still sounds remarkably good. But if you want to build a modern sales funnel, you need a better distribution model. When they are well curated, credible and professionally organised, B2B trade shows are not a cost. They are a filter that accelerates trust. They create the environment where intent, timing and relevance come together.

This does not mean sales teams should stop travelling. It means they should stop travelling without a clear commercial rationale.

Every client visit, every event, every B2B workshop and even every coffee meeting should have a defined place within the sales funnel. If the choice is between knocking on ten random doors or walking into a marketplace where those doors are already open, the answer is more obvious than many of us are willing to admit.

Read more articles from our editor-in-chief here. 

The European events industry has entered a new era. Events are no longer mere logistically peerless exhibitions, but strategic tools used to instil trust, increase visibility, build culture, drive sales, and create a sense of belonging. In an era of artificial intelligence, sustainability demands, economic insecurity, and increasingly demanding clients, live communication shows the merit of brands, organisations and institutions.

That is why we created the European Top 100 event agency leaders in 2026, an editorial selection of Kongres Magazine in partnership with the Unicorn Awards. The list includes the top 100 agency leaders who co-create the future of Europe’s events and live experience industry through their work, influence, and results.

The selection includes 819 vetted agencies from 41 European markets, among which we carefully selected the 100 most visible leaders. Far from a popularity ranking, a public vote, or a self-promotion stunt, the list is an editorial, methodology-based map of influence. It recognises leaders with a proven track record, creative touch, business relevance, and pan-European reach.

European unicorns of live communication

Fifteen years ago, the idea of the Unicorn Awards sprang up from a simple yet powerful conviction: the best event organisers need a trustworthy European platform to showcase their work, benchmark against others, get inspired and learn from one another. This platform should not be reserved for London, Amsterdam, Barcelona or Berlin. It should be available across Europe, in different languages, for different budgets, cultures and creative environments.

Today, the most famed live experience agencies operate more multidisciplinary than ever. They help build trust, improve visibility, strengthen brand culture and reputation, and create strategies that people understand.

The name is not coincidental. Truly extraordinary events are few and look like unicorns. Everyone talks about them, few search for them, but a handful actually encounter them. An event only becomes exceptional when it eclipses its production perfection. It changes behaviour, creates value and leaves a trace long after it finishes. Today, the most famed live experience agencies operate more multidisciplinary than ever. They help build trust, improve visibility, strengthen brand culture and reputation, and create strategies that people understand. That is the core of the modern experience economy: a brand is not what it says about itself, but what it makes people feel.

The ranking as a portrait of leadership

The Top 100 is more than a list of affluent agencies. It is a portrait of the many faces of leadership across the European meetings and events industry. Among those recognised are founders, group CEOs, creative leaders, operational experts, builders of international networks, and regional specialists. They show that influence is not determined solely by market size. As such, the ranking is both an accolade and a snapshot in time. The former, because every profile is based on a measurable position within Europe’s competitive landscape, and the latter, because it captures a moment when events are moving from the margins of marketing plans to the centre of business, cultural and public life.

The final ranking and the accompanying PDF publication will be officially released on 17 July 2026. Until then, two finalists will be revealed each day on the official Leaders List website: https://www.unicornawards.eu/leaderslist2026.

Which facets does the Power Index 2026 measure?

The essence of the ranking is the Power Index 2026, a score measured on a 100-point scale. It goes far beyond revenue, headcount or industry awards. Instead, it asks a broader question: how strongly do a leader and their agency demonstrate influence within the European meetings and events industry?

The index combines eight evaluation areas: the alignment between the leader and the agency, the agency’s scale and business performance measured through revenue and number of employees, awards and market recognition, personal visibility and influence, professional networks and ecosystem, creativity and innovation, sustainability and responsibility, and the quality of publicly available data.

For the 2026 edition, the Unicorn threshold was set at 60.51 Power Index points, representing the minimum score required to be included in the Top 100. The threshold was established following the assessment of 819 agencies across 41 European markets.

A high score does not imply that there is a single ideal agency model. It does, however, indicate that the combined profile of the leader and the agency shows a compelling blend of market presence, external recognition, creative relevance and measurable industry influence.

A methodology that takes the industry seriously

The ranking is underpinned by a structured editorial methodology that builds on Kongres Magazine’s long-standing work tracking influential figures in the meetings and events industry, dating back to 2014. The purpose is not to reduce leadership to a formula, but to ensure that recognition is based on measurable achievements rather than visibility, personal networks or the size of a domestic market.

Truly exceptional events are rare. Everyone talks about them, everyone seeks them, but only a select few ever create them.

The assessment draws exclusively on publicly available sources, including industry awards, reference rankings, agency data, business performance indicators, participation in professional ecosystems, market records and verified leadership roles. Sustainability is also an integral part of the methodology through the Planet Positive Event framework, which evaluates responsible event production, carbon-conscious planning, supplier selection, accessibility, inclusion, waste management, and wider social impact. Most importantly, the ranking rewards evidence rather than promises. In an industry where reliable data are often fragmented and unevenly available, transparency and traceability have become essential markers of professional excellence.

Why does a ranking like this matter at all?

The European events industry is international in its ambitions but often local in its visibility. Many outstanding agencies operate far beyond the continent’s best-known outposts, in markets that are creatively vibrant yet receive little international attention. The ranking addresses this imbalance while providing a common point of reference for clients, media, institutions and the industry itself. It identifies those who are setting new standards, delivering exceptional work and shaping the next chapter of the European events industry.

Many outstanding agencies operate far beyond the continent’s best-known outposts, in markets that are creatively vibrant yet receive little international attention.

The 2026 edition represents agencies from 41 countries and markets, which together generate annual revenues of 2.11 billion EUR and employ approximately 27,600 people. The ranking also includes 26 agencies from New Europe, showing that the continent’s creative strength is no longer concentrated solely in its traditional centres and established markets.

Find out more about the competition here. 

At the advent of the events industry in Slovenia as we know it today, Kongres Magazine was one of the pioneering media outlets, bringing regular news on industry happenings. First started as a print magazine dedicated predominantly to Slovenian readers, the magazine’s founder soon began looking beyond Slovenia’s borders.

Only a few hours away from Frankfurt or London, half of Europe had its doors wide open and awaited us to discover it.

As Gorazd Čad puts it, he and his team wanted to report on “New Europe, a swath of land that many wrongly refer to as Eastern Europe”. Gorazd adds: “Despite numerous stereotypes, the region boasts exceptional conditions for the events industry: stunning natural landscapes, rich cultural and historical heritage, excellent transport infrastructure, affordability, numerous new congress centres, hotels, and creativity. Only a few hours away from Frankfurt or London, half of Europe had its doors wide open and awaited us to discover it.”

Nearing the 1 million mark in 2026

Having charted the region and reported on the first stories in New Europe, Kongres Magazine soon became international, piquing the interest of emerging destinations and properties seeking to gain a foothold abroad. Thus, Kongres Magazine began flirting with the digital realm of publishing. Soon, the online version of the magazine proved to resonate most with the growing international readership, so much so that in 2025, our website was visited by more than half a million readers (661,088, to be precise). Given the trends, we anticipate surpassing the 1 million mark in 2026.*

The voyage to becoming an established international media house, synonymous with independent, exhaustive journalism, was often peppered with setbacks. From the panic that the printed press (and its digital derivatives) might die out, to the COVID-19 pandemic, which acted as a reset button and pushed everyone online, the path was rather winding and uncertain. Still, Kongres Magazine persisted. Below, we present how our media evolved alongside the shifts, fads, and crazes that permeated the events industry over the past twenty years.

1. The infancy era and the first printed magazines

The first printed issues were characterised by editorials that illuminated industry trends, local and global. This, in turn, helped Kongres Magazine reach a specialised readership comprising corporate planners, association leaders, and governmental stakeholders. The editorial philosophy we still follow today was already future-facing, emphasising interactivity, multimedia integration, and media convergence.

2. The definitive media outlet for New Europe’s events industry

Soon, the magazine became a credible source of information for the events industry in New Europe. As the events industry matured, Kongres Magazine became a key instrument in positioning New Europe within the global events landscape. “While not trying to sound pretentious, I believe our magazine helped debunk myths and shape a healthy perception of cities, venues, and professionals in our region,” once wrote Gorazd Čad. Slowly moving away from established formats, this era also saw a rise in more personal interviews, analytical editorials, and specialised formats such as destination evaluations and industry awards. This was also a growing number of issues, surpassing 70 editions and reflecting a consistent publication cadence.

3. Pivoting to a digital-only realm

Undoubtedly, the most profound change in media has been the shift to digital. This evolution was not merely technological; like other media outlets, we had to change our approach. Immediacy, accessibility, and multimedia storytelling became the norms. But it also presented an opportunity. We introduced diverse formats, including video interviews, editorial series, and thematic portals dedicated to destinations, venues, and industry trends. Kongres Magazine’s online presence now encompasses thousands of articles.

* Data from Google Analytics

Looking ahead

Today, Kongres Magazine stands as one of Europe’s leading media outlets for the events industry, delivering vivid coverage of trends, destinations, and professional innovation. Our digital platform functions as a dynamic repository of knowledge, continuously updated and globally accessible. Of course, our magazine could not have endured without the support of our partners. Their positive feedback on our collaboration attests to the success of our joint media campaigns. In the words of Bohdana Jelemenska, “Bratislava Convention Bureau is a proud long-term partner of Kongres Magazine. The professional content delivered by Kongres Magazine also helps us feed our LinkedIn channel, and we are gaining more and more followers every day. Great writers and extraordinary professionals in the meetings industry – that is Kongres Magazine.“

We wish to extend our sincere gratitude to all our readers who have been trusting us since our inception. Our promise is simple: to provide you with credible news and authentic stories you cannot find anywhere else. Thank you for your trust – here is to the upcoming two decades of Kongres Magazine!

A part of the story about Kongres Magazine’s evolution will be on showcase at IMEX Frankfurt, where Gorazd Čad will present how the media has evolved over the years. You can meet him at the Ljubljana Talks stand, where he and Jan Oršič will be recording conversations with creative minds, opinion-makers, and CEOs.

About Kongres Magazine

Kongres Magazine is the brainchild of Gorazd Čad, whose influence extends far beyond journalism. As a geographer and historian, he set aside his academic career and spent over three decades shaping the events industry in New Europe. Today, the magazine also reflects his personal zeal for sustainably transforming the events industry. With over 3,000 daily readers, the media has become a referential point for the latest happenings in the events industry across Europe.

Peruse more news on our homepage. 

When your own mother kindly reminds you that she still does not know how to explain to her friends what her son does for a living after thirty years in a profession, one cannot but reflect on why that is.

Formally, I am a professor of geography and history. Alas, without a single lesson in an actual classroom, for which I studied. My mother still sees this profession as fancier than that of an event manager. She simply cannot explain what an event manager does. Truth be told, sometimes, I struggle, too.

I thus wonder if I am to blame for not explaining what I do in the simplest terms. Or is this a symptom of a broader problem? Perhaps the reason is that we live in an industry that everyone is part of, many comment on, but few understand holistically. Events are not only the stage, the lighting, the coffee breaks, and the name badges. Events are spaces for meeting, building trust, sharing ideas, and fostering change. Our industry is a geography of relationships and a history of moments that often linger longer than any title in a coursebook. I may not have chosen the wrong profession after all. I simply switched the classroom for the meeting hall.

The question of the professionalisation of the events industry has been a perennial problem since the industry’s modern origins. This coincided symbolically with the opening of Cankarjev dom in 1983. Needless to say, event organisers existed before.

When I joined the team of Cankarjev dom in the nineties, our team came from all walks of life – we had economists, linguists, art historians, journalists, culturologists, tourism workers, marketing experts and many others who were pushed into the realm of events by chance or a combination of curiosity, organisational talent and a pinch of craziness.

Yet it was only with the creation of a professional congress department within Cankarjev dom that our profession began to emerge more prominently in conversations and with greater ambition. When I joined the team of Cankarjev dom in the nineties, our team came from all walks of life – we had economists, linguists, art historians, journalists, culturologists, tourism workers, marketing experts and many others who were pushed into the realm of events by chance or a combination of curiosity, organisational talent and a pinch of craziness. No one among us had a diploma in event management. At the time, such a degree simply did not exist, though there was an unofficial degree within the industry. It was called the IAPCO Seminar and was hosted in Wolfsberg, Switzerland. Whoever acquired this degree belonged to an exclusive circle of people who began to understand that congresses are not organised solely with goodwill and a voluminous schedule planner, but with a thorough methodology, standards, and know-how. Nearly all project leaders in Cankarjev dom attended this seminar. We learned much of what is today considered professional event management then and there.

From improvisation to a profession

This remains one of the greatest paradoxes in our industry. Unlike law, medicine or architecture, event organising in Slovenia never developed a formally regulated system for entering the profession. There are no foreseen educational requirements or a licence, let alone a final exam. In addition, no chamber would set requirements for who can and cannot organise events. Anyone can enter the industry if they are brave enough, socially intelligent, empathetic, competent at solving crises at three in the morning and have thick skin. For a long time, this was one of the greatest advantages of the industry – the diversity of outlooks, know-how and personal stories fostered an unrivalled energy. The nineties were also an era when teams comprised individuals who could see the broader picture, work efficiently, and improvise in situations where handbooks would offer little support.

Event organising was a school of life, not an academic discipline.

Many of the most prominent Slovenian event organisers thus did not come out of a formal educational system but earned their stripes in practice, through mentorship, mistakes, and sleepless nights. They cut their teeth on projects where everything fell apart five minutes before the opening, yet the audience still lauded the event as if everything had been planned to the last second.

If anyone can organise an event, who then sets standards? Who safeguards quality? Who is in charge of knowledge transfer to younger generations? Who explains the difference between logistics and the dramaturgy of the event, between protocol and hospitality, programme and experience?

Today, event organising is considerably more demanding than it was in an epoch when we had to use analogue phones, send offers via fax machines, and do headcounts with a pen and paper. Conversely, a modern event manager must be adept at production, finances, digital tools, sustainability, security, data, marketing, psychology, audiences, sponsorships, technology and AI. While mastering all this, they still need to know how to look someone in the eye. Hence, the question is no longer whether event organising is a profession. Of course it is. The real question is whether we are prepared to see it as its own sector.

a modern event manager must be adept at production, finances, digital tools, sustainability, security, data, marketing, psychology, audiences, sponsorships, technology and AI.

The first major step towards the professionalisation of the industry was taken in Slovenia as late as 2018, when it introduced the national vocational qualification “Organiser of business events”. Yet even this milestone reveals the peculiarities of our profession. For the aforementioned job, there are no restrictions on who can organise events. It predominantly sets out the know-how and competencies individuals often gain through practice: at venues, on organising committees, in event offices, in agencies, and in countless situations no coursebook can foresee.

With this step, our country indirectly acknowledged something the industry has long been aware of: in Slovenia, event managers are not born in lecture halls, but on the field – whilst thumbing through schedule sheets, offers, attending technical rehearsals, dealing with speaker cancellations, delays by subcontractors and during moments when everything must seem flawless on the outside, even if a tiny organisational fallout is taking place backstage.

The German model is vastly different. The vocation “Veranstaltungskaufmann/-frau” is a government-recognised qualification in the events industry. Its description includes all that we know from organising events: event design, organisation, execution and evaluation, preparing marketing concepts, making calculations, assessing risk, advising clients, preparing offers and coordinating the execution.

If we approach this from a broader European framework, we can see the whole picture. Slovenia recognises this job primarily as a national vocational qualification, which, a priori, attests to one’s competencies without requiring much proof. Austria, on the other hand, clearly classifies event management as an economic activity. Germany went the furthest, adding industry to a nationally recognised system of professional education.

The difference is paramount. In Slovenia, the system largely recognises knowledge gained in practice. In Germany, au contraire, they systematically develop, transfer and evaluate this knowledge. This is where professionalisation plays a key role: do we wish to remain an industry of enthusiasts who rely on talent, improvisation and personal experience, who learned the ropes from peers, or do we begin to build a system that transfers knowledge systematically, creates clear standards and helps emerging generations to see a professionalised path into the profession?

Who will teach the next generation of event managers?

Undoubtedly, this remains one of the key tasks of the Slovenian Convention Bureau. Its new strategy is ambitiously designed to attract new talent, but a long road lies ahead before the story becomes a reality. This requires more persistence and institutional bravery. The end goal should be clear: we should have a consistently operating international event academy that would not only educate classic event managers but also all the new profiles without whom the events industry can no longer function. In the nineties, the profile of an event organiser was relatively simple. Today, the picture is completely different – we have growth managers, AI specialists, data experts, influencer marketing managers, sustainability experts, professionals in sustainability, digital production and attendee experience. None of these job titles existed back then. Today, companies desperately need them.

the problem arises when we ask whether we can talk about a profession without a unified educational system and a single certification system.

The industry finds itself in a situation where universities and colleges are scrambling to keep pace with change. An overwhelming number of employees gain knowledge on their own: through online courses, certificates issued by tech platforms, mentorship programmes, and, above all, practical work. This can be an advantage in terms of curiosity, resilience and entrepreneurship. Still, the problem arises when we ask whether we can talk about a profession without a unified educational system and a single certification system.

Classic theories on vocation emphasise three elements: specialised knowledge, formalised knowledge transfer and control over entry into a profession. The events industry in Slovenia meets the first criterion – we have know-how, talents and experiences. We are terrible at the other two criteria. Even today, we do not transfer knowledge systematically enough, and entering the profession often involves a combination of serendipity, personal resourcefulness, and meeting the right mentor. Hence, the challenge that lies ahead for the Slovenian Convention Bureau is clear: if we want the events industry to become a mature profession, organising events alone will not cut it. We must organise knowledge and its transfer.

Instead of a conclusion

When the next time a colleague (or my mother) asks me, a bit horrified, what an event manager is, I will have an austere reply ready. More importantly, I will be able to say that we still have much work ahead in promoting and establishing our own profession.

What must also be noted is that not everyone deserves this title. If someone orders sandwiches, books a venue or event hall, and hires an AV team for sound, that does not make them an event manager.

Buying a camera does not make someone a photographer. Writing a post on LinkedIn does not make someone a communications strategist.

That is why I tend to draw parallels with the theatre. If we examine the theatre and the events industry, an absurd paradox is at play. The theatre has considerably more formally defined professions, standards, and national job qualifications than the events industry, even though it employs far fewer people and has an incomparably smaller economic impact. Numerous staff members who are renowned in our industry today began their professional paths in the theatre. There, jobs are clearly defined. We know who the producer, the dramaturg, and the lighting manager are. Not least, we know who the stage manager is.

The latter role is particularly intriguing and relevant for this story. There is an official national vocational qualification for a stage manager in Slovenia. Their task is to coordinate all elements of a show: production, technical aspects, light, sound, performers and the timeline. A stage manager is in charge of transforming a creative vision into seamless execution. Sounds familiar? In truth, a stage manager in a theatre is the closest approximation to an event manager on stage. Yet, there is a key difference. A stage manager is not a producer. They never have been and never will be.

That is why I become cautious when I encounter individuals who claim they “produced” an event. In our jargon, the word “producer” has a very clear meaning and typically requires a very specialised education. Many individuals who use the term “event producer” are, by and large, responsible for tasks that more closely resemble those of a stage manager or project leader. The difference is not only semantic. There is also a professional, responsibility-related and price difference. All these elements create confusion, especially in the public sector, where clients can hardly distinguish between producing, executing, and coordinating an event. P

Public institutions thus purchase services from self-proclaimed event producers rather than hiring professional event agencies that provide references, teams, and accountability.

A professional event agency is not one person with a good idea and a phone in hand. It is a well-coordinated orchestra of people with diverse know-how, from producers, project managers, and scriptwriters to technical directors, light designers and engineers, sound engineers, protocol managers, communication experts, sustainability advisors, and finance experts. An excellent event is not the direct effect of an inspired individual but a carefully coordinated effort by numerous professionals. The worst thing to do is to encapsulate all this into a catchy job title, sell it for more and pretend we bought the sector. In reality, clients who fall for this dupe often buy fog along with an adjoining receipt.

There is still only one national vocational qualification for someone who leads an international conference for thousands of attendees, tens of suppliers, an international team, demanding logistics, and a multi-million budget.

Finally, we reach the essence of the problem. Years ago, our country recognised the need to formally identify the job title of a stage manager coordinating a theatre play. Yet there is still only one national vocational qualification for someone who leads an international conference for thousands of attendees, tens of suppliers, an international team, demanding logistics, and a multi-million budget. If that suffices, then the question I posed in the title needs no answer. If, conversely, we believe the events industry represents one of the most complex project activities in the modern economy, it is time we begin thinking about our standards, competencies and professional identity.

The greatest issue in our industry is that we have had to prove for too long that we are competent at everything. Now we must prove who we are. The quality of a vocation is not measured in technology, but by the people creating it.

Today, fifteen years later, I can say with certainty that the idea has succeeded. The Unicorn Awards have become one of the most recognisable expert events within the European events industry. Since the beginning, Ljubljana has hosted representatives of virtually every event agency considered to be in the European and even global elite. The registered projects include events of nearly all global brands, while the jury members are among the industry’s most influential experts.

The names are not the biggest recognition, though. The fact that Unicorn Awards is known and respected by people who co-create the future of events is the greatest feat.

This acclaim was not gained overnight. The competition grew and changed over the years. First, it was known as the Unicorn Awards, then as the Best Event Award, later as the Conventa Best Event Award. Today, it is once again the Unicorn Awards.

One of the unique features of the Unicorn Awards is its pan-European dimension. It is one of the few international competitions dedicated exclusively to the finest European events, enabling a comparison of projects from various markets, cultures and creative environments on a unified expert platform.

Why the unicorn?

Because world-class events are a lot like unicorns: everyone talks about them. Everyone looks for them. Few encounter them, though. An event only becomes a unicorn when it exceeds expectations. A unicorn event is not only perfectly organised, but changes the way people think, creates value and leaves a mark long after the curtains fall and the stage props go into the wardrobe. Such projects are rare, and that is why we wish to recognise them.

In an era when the events industry is increasingly pressured by AI, economic insecurity, sustainability demands, and ever-higher client expectations, it is vital, perhaps more than ever, to be adept at distinguishing between great and exceptional. The Unicorn Awards competition was created precisely because of this. Not to award unicorn-shaped prizes, but to set standards.

Personally, I am most proud of something else. Over the years, I have heard numerous comments about the competition, but one is truly recurring. Attendees consistently say the Unicorn Awards are one of the most trustworthy and credible event competitions. To me, that is the highest recognition. A competition has no value if the industry does not trust it. No jury is great if their decision are not objective and based on expertise. Finally, no festival can serve as a reference case if it does not remain independent, transparent, and focused on quality.

We hope to remain a platform of excellence in the future

Our goal is not merely to continue the story of the past fifteen years. We aim to rewrite it every year. We want to open topics that will mark the future of events. Our goal is to connect the best creative minds from Europe and the world. We want to create experiences that make people return to Ljubljana, not because they have to, but because they wish to be part of something extraordinary.

in the event world, there is a simple rule of thumb: the size of a city never determines the size of a city’s ideas.

Perhaps the most exciting part of the event is that it takes place in Ljubljana, a city that some still search for on Europe’s map, much longer than they do for Paris or London. But, in the event world, there is a simple rule of thumb: the size of a city never determines the size of a city’s ideas. If our competition proves anything, it proves this rule. A smaller destination can create an event the whole of Europe talks about. A tiny community can beat big budgets. Trust can outdo marketing. Often, the best stories are written where no one expects them.

Do you believe in unicorns?

After fifteen years, the question in the title is no longer rhetorical: do you believe in unicorns? Of course we do. We have been diligently searching for them among the best European events for fifteen years. Every year, we find a few.

Unicorns are rare. That is why it is worth finding them. That is why the Unicorn Awards remain a space where the European events industry annually showcases its best, boldest and most unforgettable stories.

If you believe your event is among them, enter it in the Unicorn Awards 2026 and shine on the European stage. Find out more here.

Holy innocence

One of the most recurring phenomena in the events industry is sancta simplicitas, or holy innocence: naive, uncritical, gullible, and often ignorant commentary on our industry. It often appears in the conviction that everyone knows everything about event organising. This dangerous thinking is not as harmless as it seems, as it can lead to flawed planning, wrong decisions, and, ultimately, poor, ineffective, or even harmful outcomes.

Even more problematic is the situation in which individuals, whether deliberately or out of ignorance, fail to distinguish among the symbolic, economic, and regenerative capital generated by the events industry. Such misunderstandings often reduce the value of events to catering, logistics, costs, and Instagrammable settings, rather than seeing events as spaces to build trust, share know-how, establish new ties, make changes, and foster positive change in the long run.

It is necessary to first define each type of capital.

SYMBOLIC CAPITAL is not generated by every event. It creates reputation, prestige, status, trust, credibility and a sense of belonging. Such events allow attendees, partners and event organisers access to influential people, relevant communities and networks. Their advantage lies not only in the programme or logistical execution, but also in what the event represents. Symbolic capital is constructed through reputation, high-quality content, speaker selection, community power, networking, and an event’s ability to serve as a reference case within its environment. You can probably name some examples by heart without difficulty. Such events can be easily spotted thanks to their longevity. An event that has existed and survived for twenty, thirty, or more years is most often neither a fad nor the product of excellent marketing. Its sustained relevance shows that it has managed to instil trust, build a healthy reputation and recognisable identity, the key components of symbolic capital.

Still, longevity, in and of itself, is not a guarantee of quality but a potent indicator that an event creates value for its stakeholders, prompting them to return again. In that sense, such an event hides the creative core of the events industry.

An additional facet of symbolic capital

Symbolic capital functions similarly to the reputation of an individual or brand. Once a reputation has been built and anchored, it starts to create new opportunities. People want to attend the event simply because other influential individuals are participating. Speakers want to give a keynote presentation because the event will enhance their credibility. Partners want to collaborate to improve their reputation. Destinations want to host the event because it strengthens their recognisability. In this sense, symbolic capital functions as a magnet. Its effect may not be directly financial, but it often creates the conditions for economic and social capital to be generated. Yet, without symbolic capital, it is challenging to invite and persuade the finest speakers, stakeholders, media representatives, or strategic partners to attend. Hence, symbolic capital is very often the invisible force separating an average event from a meeting with true impact. Pierre Bourdieu, who was the first to define and expound on the concept of symbolic capital systematically, saw it as a form of social recognition, prestige and legitimacy. In the event industry, this is a type of capital that turns some events into institutions, while others remain mere one-time occurrences.

The easiest way to test symbolic capital is to ask: would people want to be part of the event even if they did not know what this year’s programme would be like? If the answer is affirmative, the event likely has an enviable amount of symbolic capital.

Economic and regenerative capital

ECONOMIC CAPITAL is generated by most events. Everything that can be measured, organised, counted and, ultimately, monetised falls under this category: services, staff, logistics, execution, infrastructure, tech support, accommodation, catering, transfers and production. This is the most tangible part of the events industry. It is due to its economic capital that the events industry is often regarded as a branch of tourism or even as a service industry. Economic capital encompasses overnight stays, direct and indirect impacts, multiplicative effects, expenditures, hotel occupancy, and financial flows that an event triggers in a destination. Moreover, this category includes data on attendees’ expenditures, which are typically higher for business guests than for tourists. Yet, despite being the easiest to measure, economic capital usually never tells the whole story. It portrays the economic side of an event, but often omits its reputation, impact, meaning or long-term value.

REGENERATIVE OR SOCIAL CAPITAL is a more abstract category. It is based on the premise that an event leaves a destination, community, or individuals in a better state than before. This transformative function of events is the next evolutionary step in sustainability. It is no longer enough for an event to reduce its negative impact. Instead, the key question is what remains after the event: more knowledge, improved trust, stronger communities, new partnerships, better relationships, concrete changes and long-term value. Regenerative capital drives social capital and real value. Instead of superficial networking, it builds solid partnerships. Rather than one-time meetings, it encourages in-depth business talks. Instead of activities, it creates results, takes illusory value, and turns it into tangible capital. With this kind of capital, the events industry can move from event organising to creating positive changes.

This brings us to a key dilemma: should we evaluate events based on the numbers they create, the reputation they bring, or the positive changes they leave behind?

If we measure economic capital alone, we quickly overlook its social component. But if we lean on symbolic capital, we often sound elitist, self-centred, and exude hauteur. Finally, if we speak only of regenerative capital, we may be asked how to measure and credibly prove it.

The real dilemma is thus not which form of capital is most salient, but how to build the right balance among all three categories. The most successful events foster tangible economic effects, build reputation, and leave measurable positive changes behind.

I believe all this sounds rather straightforward and self-explanatory. The problem, however, is when theory is compared with practice. If the model of the three types of capital is so convincing, why is there a sea of events that fail to create even a single type of capital? Why do so many events create noise, but little value? Why do some still seem successful on the outside, despite not leaving any sustainable trace?

There are even more questions to be answered – who actually creates the prestige of an event? The event itself or the people attending it? Who borrows their reputation to whom? Do world-class speakers raise the reputation of an event, or does an event’s reputation increase their credibility? Not least: how to separate real value from illusory value?

Illusory value

Illusory value occurs when an event exudes the aura of success, influence, and importance without producing the corresponding amount of symbolic, economic, or regenerative capital. This is the difference between how an event looks and what value it actually creates. In an era of social media, likeable photos, impressive stages and statistics blown out of proportion, this difference is often larger than we dare admit.

Below is a breakdown of what illusory value means and why it has become one of the biggest pitfalls in the modern events industry.

Five recurring samples are prevalent with illusory event value:

• Packed event halls without measurable impact: high attendance is a key indicator, but it is not proof of long-term value alone.
• Recognised speakers without relevant content: a familiar name increases interest, but is no replacement for a curated programme.
• Networking without further follow-up: the number of new contacts does not entail new partnerships, business deals or future collaborations.
• Economic effects without development traces: overnight stays and expenditure matter, but they do not signal what remains to the community after the event ends.
• Sustainability as a communication add-on: taking individual “green” measures does not guarantee that the event has a sustainability or regenerative strategy.

Illusory value oozes the impression of success. Real value, though, is shown much later: what remains after the event, who the event helped, what perspectives it shifted and what kind of capital it generated.

We live in a time when almost every event seems professional, resounding and the spitting image of success. But image alone is no longer enough. Polished photos, full halls, resounding names, peerless production and likeable posts on social media can generate attention, but they cannot replace real value.

The events industry will thus need to answer a simple, but key question: do we create events that only look good or events that actually change something?

Now, we get to the essence of the Unicorn Awards competition. It does not seek to be executed perfectly, but to leave a real, convincing legacy. The competition does not award events with polished production values, but rather those that create measurable value, leave a lasting trace, and demonstrate their impact. It is not only about perfect execution but also about a perfect legacy.

I look forward to this year’s edition. Judging by the soaring demand, autumn will bring a wide range of projects, approaches and novel formats that will raise new questions about the industry’s future. Most of all, I look forward to seeing which events will go beyond good execution to show something more: a clear purpose, measurable impact, and a legacy that lingers long after a venue’s lights go dim.

If you wish to explore more about the Unicorn Awards, the categories, evaluation criteria and entry process, head over to the competition’s website. Perhaps this year’s projects will help us answer the question I posed at the beginning: what remains after an event concludes?

Conventa Meet 2026 has reinforced its position as one of the leading sustainable trade shows in New Europe’s events industry by once again introducing measurable sustainability practices, transparent impact assessment and regenerative event methodologies. This year’s edition marked an important step forward in Conventa’s long-term sustainability development, while also hosting the inaugural SWITCH, a new conference dedicated to climate action, ESG topics, and the future of sustainable event organising.

From 10 to 12 February 2026, Conventa transformed Ljubljana into a vibrant meeting point, weaving sustainable solutions into every step of the attendee experience. Using the Planet Positive Event methodology, organisers tracked both environmental and social impacts, and rolled out creative initiatives to reduce waste, promote eco-friendly travel, and deepen ties with local partners.

• The event’s total carbon footprint increased slightly from approximately 114.7 tonnes CO2 in 2025 to 118 tonnes of CO2 in 2026 (+2.9%).
• Attendee mobility remained the largest source of emissions in both editions, accounting for 56.9% of total emissions in 2026, excluding the SWITCH mobility.
• Conventa continued to shine as a frontrunner among sustainable boutique trade shows in New Europe, setting new standards for the region.

Sustainable mobility and reducing unnecessary waste

A key sustainability highlight at Conventa Meet 2026 was inspiring attendees to explore Ljubljana on foot. With the main venue set in the city’s heart, walking became the natural choice. Participants received handy guides with walking distances, step counts, and even estimated calories burned, turning each saunter between hotels and event spaces into an opportunity to discover the city while reducing their carbon footprint.

Mobility nevertheless remains one of the key sustainability challenges for international events, representing 56.94% of Conventa’s preliminary measured carbon footprint and 57.44% of SWITCH’s footprint.

Responsible catering and attendee wellbeing

Partnering with Grand Hotel Union, Conventa encouraged guests to refill reusable water bottles at dedicated stations, with glass bottles on hand for anyone without their own. The event championed responsible consumption and close collaboration with local suppliers. Nearly every material, product, and service was locally sourced, and event equipment like signage, stands, tablets, and computers found new life through reuse, reflecting the organisers’ commitment to a circular event philosophy.

Sustainability measures also extended to catering and food management. Food quantities were carefully planned to minimise unnecessary surplus, while Jezeršek Catering implemented food-waste monitoring during the Meetings Star award ceremony at Cankarjev Dom.

“At Conventa Meet 2026, sustainability felt like part of the event, not an extra topic.”

Conventa 2026 also put attendee well-being and inclusivity in the spotlight. In partnership with Calm Nest Collective, organisers created a tranquil corner at the main venue, offering participants a peaceful retreat to relax and recharge during the event.

“At Conventa Meet 2026, sustainability felt like part of the event, not an extra topic. From the choices made behind the scenes to the experience on site, it showed how events can be more responsible, thoughtful, and connected to the place they happen in,” said Francisca Flajs, Green Manager, Planet Positive Event.

SWITCH: a new platform for regenerative events

A standout feature of this year’s sustainability programme was SWITCH by Planet Positive Event, a brand-new conference that kicked off Conventa Meet 2026. SWITCH was dedicated to all things sustainability in event organising, from climate action and ESG to the future of regenerative gatherings. Through hands-on examples and lively discussions, SWITCH delved into carbon footprint tracking, circular event production, sustainable mobility, smart resource management, and honest sustainability communication.

SWITCH’s advent also brought sustainability to life with practical solutions: no single-use plastics, water in reusable cups, locally sourced products and services, and a fully vegan menu. Attendees explored the SWITCH Lab, where they compared the carbon footprints of various materials, connected with sustainable exhibitors, and calculated their own event footprint using an interactive touchscreen.

“It was inspiring to bring together people who see sustainability not as a trend, but as the future standard for how events should be organised.”

SWITCH also highlighted the social dimension of sustainability. The event featured a balanced speaker line-up of seven women and five men, while 90% of the organising team were women.

“The first edition of SWITCH showed that sustainability in the meetings and events industry is no longer just a conversation, but something that can be implemented through real actions, collaboration and shared responsibility. It was inspiring to bring together people who see sustainability not as a trend, but as the future standard for how events should be organised. We see SWITCH as just the beginning of a much broader movement towards more responsible and meaningful events,” commented Aleksandra Petrovska, Project Manager, Planet Positive Event.

Sustainability beyond Conventa Meet 2026

Conventa’s journey toward sustainability has gained remarkable momentum in recent years. Since 2022, organisers have tracked the event’s environmental impact with precision, all while expanding hands-on sustainability initiatives, forging new local partnerships, and pioneering regenerative event solutions.

Through initiatives such as SWITCH and the integration of measurable sustainability practices into the event itself, Conventa continues to strengthen its position as one of the leading platforms for the future development of sustainable meetings and events in the region.

Learn more about Planet Positive Event here.