After successfully containing the spread of the virus, Slovakia has now reopened its borders with Austria, Hungary and the Czech Republic. Schools and institutions are operating under special conditions, and hotels and restaurants have opened again, under strict protocols laid down by public health authorities.
One of the most memorable projects that we organized this year was Bratislava Art and Wine. It was an inspiring activity for a multinational air conditioning manufacturing company, which chartered a Danube cruise for its associates.
A leading heating system manufacturer chose a springtime Danube cruise as its annual event. Our guests’ stopover in Bratislava lasted one day, during which we had a chance to make their time in Slovakia memorable. The program consisted of three parts. In the morning, our Royal Bratislava Walk took the delegates to all four corners of the city’s beautifully restored Old Town and included a visit to the Gothic St Martin’s Cathedral, coronation site of Hungarian kings for 250 years.
The Hall of Mirrors is the main reception hall of the Primate’s Palace, a grand neo-Classical palace in Bratislava’s Old Town. The palace was built as the winter residence of Cardinal Prince Batthyány and has witnessed many dramatic moments. On December 26, 1805, the French and Austrian foreign ministers, Talleyrand and Liechtenstein, signed the Peace of Pressburg between their two countries in the hall. The palace interiors are famous for their English tapestries, dating from the 17th century, and other art works.
Even during the winter period, you can enjoy interesting outdoor activities in Bratislava. In February, we organized our Bratislava Treasure Hunt for 140 delegates. A multinational logistics company chose our city for their meeting and wished to have a team-building activity that involved interacting with the local environment.
The Slovak Presidency of the Council of the European Union was a big moment for Bratislava, and the many associated conferences and events have been a great experience for the whole MICE professional community in Slovakia. The city hosted the SME Assembly, the premier European event for small and medium-sized enterprises, in November. The conference takes place once a year during European SME Week. The role of Enjoy Slovakia DMC was to provide complete logistics for the event. A total of 650 delegates were staying at eight hotels during the assembly, and we provided constant support, including transportation and staffing, 24 hours a day throughout its three-day duration.
The automotive industry, which is a pillar of the Slovak economy, generates many great events for our destination. In May we hosted a conference for the best dealers from the Asian market, who were invited by a global automotive supplier. The conference, organized with careful attention to detail at one of Bratislava’s five-star hotels, was a big success. The highlight was a daytime excursion to the manufacturer’s plant, located outside of Bratislava.
A global distributor of medical supplies with a broad portfolio of activities in Slovakia chose Bratislava as the location for its annual top management conference. The conference venue was a riverfront five-star hotel and we therefore modeled the event activities around a Danubian theme.
Ten teams from a multinational IT firm enjoyed our newly developed digital Bratislava Treasure Hunt in October. Wandering around the charming Old Town, they encountered hints and memories of the musical geniuses who once frequented the city, and photographed the cannonballs which recall the French army’s bombardment of 1809.
At Enjoy Slovakia DMC we also organize small special events for VIP guests. In mid summer we arranged a special program for a business magnate who chose Slovakia as the destination to celebrate his birthday with a private circle of his closest friends. We exclusively booked the whole of a newly opened boutique hotel outside Bratislava.