Communication and Marketing ideas exchanged at biennial Forum in Slovenia

19 participants from 8 National Federations joined us in Slovenia for the 6^th edition of the ‘Communication and Marketing Forum’, previously called ‘Communication Seminar’.

This forum is held every two years and aims to connect the Comms, Media and Marketing staff of our 50 member Federations for an exchange of ideas, best practices, and also fails. In addition, the participants take this opportunity to build a supportive network.

On day 1, we met on the shore of beautiful lake Bled for a brainstorming session on Crisis Communication led by Riikka Hopiavaara of the Finnish Gymnastics Federation followed by a presentation by PR expert Katja Krasko Stebljaj about athlete-media relations. In the spirit of cooperation and exchange, the participants talked about their own experience: how situations were handled, what could have been done better and what went well.

On day 2, we travelled to Planica to witness the famous Thursday morning qualification event at the Ski Jumping World Cup. Every year, thousands of kids are invited on this day to enjoy the breathtaking performances. Armed with flags, and buying literally anything that makes noise, the kids sang, danced, clapped to the arena beats, clearly having a great time in the snow. After that wonderful display of building livelong fans and engagement, we sat down for several interesting talks. First, Jozko Krizan of the Ski Association of Slovenia talked about the event’s partnership with Mastercard. From the early days of a budding cooperation to the organisation of car share and inclusion of people with a disability, this is an excellent example of true brand commitment. Then, we were joined by former ski jumper and athletes’ commission expert Jernej Damjan who discussed a wide range of topics, including the evolution of event organisation and the importance of athletes’ involvement. Masa Puklavec of the Slovenian Tourist Board was up next, explaining the attraction of Slovenia to sports enthusiasts and the help of their national sporting heroes in promoting the country. Last but not least, Sara Vehovec spoke of the long-lasting partnership between Planica and Triglav insurance. Partners since 1968, this combination has delivered some iconic results like the commercial announcing the start of the Planica event every year and the kids day.

A big thank you goes to Spela Hus and her team at the Slovenian Gymnastics Federation for the invitation and the organisation!