Enjoy Slovakia DMC: “Bratislava’s advantage lies in its rare combination of qualities”

All photos courtesy of Visit Bratislava

This summer, we visited the sparkling city of Bratislava, the capital of Slovakia, for an extensive site inspection that took us to several of its hotspots for incentives, outdoor activities and countryside locations. From speedboat crossings of the Danube, wine tastings in the dark to the magnificent collection of the Danubiana, Bratislava has laid on the table the many assets it can boast for conference-goers beyond its city events and urban lifestyle. Our Magazine Manager, Manuel Fernandes spoke to Marek Farkas (on the right below), Managing Director of DMC ENJOY SLOVAKIA about these incentive activities for conference and congress participants in various categories.
 

1) What added value does Bratislava offer in the European incentive market? As a travel professional and incentive expert, what does Slovakia offer planners and associations that you would be hard pressed to find in any other destination?

Bratislava’s advantage in the European incentive market lies in its rare combination of qualities. First, it has an attractive, car-free Old Town full of historical buildings and characterful venues. Second, the wider city is compact and suffers from very little traffic congestion, meaning the centre is walkable and uncrowded, while transfers to other locations, including in the nearby wine country, are quick and hassle-free. Third, as a smaller but extremely well-connected destination, Bratislava offers excellent value for money. Combined, these factors mean that guests get to experience something new, enjoyable and memorable, while organizers benefit from lower costs and minimal planning complications.

2) The citizens of Bratislava place the River Danube at the centre of their lives and their interaction with the city. How can visitors do the same? How do you promote the city's recreational activities on the Danube?

The River Danube has played a crucial part in Bratislava’s history and continues to shape its character. The historical Old Town is built along the river, and the city’s most modern accommodation and entertainment facilities also take advantage of the riverfront. The river provides transport ties – guests can transfer to and from nearby Vienna via riverboat – and is also a trading link, supporting a significant port. Enjoy Slovakia DMC uses a range of dining and event venues by and on the river, with spectacular views of the Old Town and the castle. The city’s extensive, purpose-built riverside cycling paths offer leisure opportunities and the chance to experience the unique surrounding landscape. Adventurous visitors can bike to the championship-standard rafting and watersports centre at Čunovo, where we often organise incentive activities, or visit the internationally renowned Danubiana Meulensteen Art Museum, which is located on a peninsula in the Danube just south of the city.
 

3) The cultural and heritage legacy of the city of Bratislava, exemplified by the national theatre and the philharmonic, is joined in these current times by new artistic waves of sculpture, contemporary and urban art, punctuated by spaces such as the Danubiana and various galleries around the city. How do you, as a destination management professional, manage to tell the city's story from these two angles? How do you bridge the gap between old and new, past and future, in a destination that clearly has both?

As a destination management company, we can take advantage of Bratislava’s capital-city status to offer national-quality arts including, as you mention, opera, ballet, classical music and visual arts. As well as the Slovak National Gallery, whose historical base in the city centre has recently undergone a major renovation, creating a new cultural venue that combines its Habsburg-era historical building with a starkly modern gallery space overlooking the Danube. Meanwhile, the Danubiana art gallery is a regionally significant venue for contemporary art – and also offers a unique, scenic location in the middle of the Danube River just outside the centre.

Bratislava was for centuries the coronation capital of Habsburg Hungary, and that historical legacy marks the city to this day. One of our most popular activities is an historical treasure hunt around the narrow lanes, atmospheric courtyards and hidden attractions of the Old Town. The palaces and ancient cellars of the city are also available for use as unique heritage venues for events. Alternatively, on the edge of the Old Town lies Bratislava’s new city centre and its emerging forest of high-rise towers, including a distinctive signature development by Zaha Hadid Architects, combining cutting-edge design and preserved industrial architecture that houses galleries and dining venues.
 

4) One of the most surprising attractions of the Lower Carpathian region and wider Bratislava is its vineyards and grape varieties, which make the capital a favourite place for oenologists, winemakers and aficionados. However, I would venture to say that if you ask an average European who isn't involved in the industry, they would never imagine that Slovakia is a country of fine wines and wine tradition. How can the MICE industry help change this perception of the country? How could a structured incentive programme change the image of this industry abroad?

As you note, Bratislava and the surrounding area is actually a centuries-old wine region named after the Small Carpathian hills that spread north-east of the city. Wine is a superb incentive product, allowing visitors to indulge their love of the product, explore a new range of distinct local flavours and varietals, and visit some of our charming local wine towns and vineyards, all of which are within a short drive. Enjoy Slovakia DMC has long and fruitful experience of cooperating with leading local winemakers to create innovative incentive activities, including wine tasting in the dark – which really does heighten your sense of smell and taste! – and demonstrations of winemaking including the opportunity for visitors to blend their own vintage. Of course, we also offer more traditional MICE events at which experts describe how to pair food and award-winning Slovak wine – and demonstrate by example during the course of multi-course gourmet meals. For these events, and others like them, we take advantage of the many atmospheric cellar and vineyard venues both in the neighbouring countryside and within Bratislava’s historical Old Town.