Director of the Government Communication Office, Petra Bezjak Cirman, on the promotion of Slovenia at the forthcoming Olympic Games
Based on the successful concept used in the past Olympics in PyeongChang and Paris, the Slovenia House is designed as a hub for sports, business, culture and science. As a presentation and networking hub, it will enable a unified presence under the national brand I feel Slovenia. As the Director of the Government Communication Office, Petra Bezjak Cirman, said to the host of Bloomberg Adria's programme Spotlight, Martin Tomažin, Slovenia will deliver a wide range of content aimed at various groups of the public – visitors, the expert community, businesspeople, tourism service providers and the media.
The Slovenia House will be designed as a multi-purpose space where various forms of presentations and meetings can be held. The programme will include events related to sports, such as receptions for medal recipients and mingling with the members of the Olympic team, presentations of companies and their innovations, business meetings and networking events, cultural and tourism content and a media centre. Events for the business community will be organised by SPIRIT Slovenia, the programme for tourism stakeholders by the Slovenian Tourist Board, and the cultural content by the Ministry of Culture. The aim is to create a space connecting sports stories with business opportunities and the cultural identity of Slovenia.
The Ministry of the Economy, Tourism and Sport has allocated €1 million to the Slovenia House. Slovenia's investment is strategic, as it provides access to one of the strongest global platforms for a country’s promotion. Petra Bezjak Cirman explains how the success of the event will not be measured in direct financial effect but in the visibility of Slovenia and the media exposure it receives: "We measure the number of foreign media reports and social media reach, the number of visitors to the Slovenia House, the number of business meetings held and their partnerships, and so on." She added that the media exposure would also depend on the successes of the Slovenian athletes.
An important focus of the presentation will be sustainability, which is one of the main values of the I feel Slovenia national brand. This orientation towards sustainability will be reflected in the use of sustainable materials for furnishings and decoration, energy-efficient design of the space, local and seasonal culinary offerings and programme content presenting good practices in Slovenian businesses, tourism and sport.
You are invited to watch the full episode of Spotlight: Promotion of Slovenia at the Olympics, in which host Martin Tomažin was joined by the Director of the Government Communication Office, Petra Bezjak Cirman, and the Managing Director of the Olympic Committee of Slovenia, Matic Švab.