Opatija at MEETEX 2026: new contacts, strengthening international visibility, and confirmation of its congress ambition
The Opatija Tourist Board participated in this year’s edition of MEETEX 2026, Croatia’s leading B2B meeting dedicated to the business events industry, which was held from 17 to 19 March at The Westin hotel in Zagreb. It is a specialised event where domestic service providers from the congress, incentive, and business tourism segments connect directly with international buyers, that is, organisers of conferences, corporate meetings, professional gatherings, and motivational travel. Opatija’s appearance at such a venue is not merely a protocol presence on yet another trade fair calendar, but part of a broader strategy of positioning the destination in a segment that brings higher added value, better occupancy outside the summer peak, and a stronger link between tourist traffic and business and professional content. For a city that has been building the image of an elegant, year-round destination for decades, congress tourism is precisely one of the natural areas for further growth.
According to the organisers’ official programme, MEETEX 2026 was held from 17 to 19 March, with the first day reserved for arrivals and introductory activities, while the central part of the programme included pre-arranged B2B meetings and networking content. The organisers emphasise that the event brings together leading Croatian MICE exhibitors and international buyers and that it is focused on creating long-term business relationships, rather than just short-term promotion. This is also where its importance lies for destinations such as Opatija: instead of broad, general tourism promotion, the emphasis is placed on concrete conversations with those who make decisions about future events, choose locations for professional congresses, suggest destinations to corporate clients, or plan association meetings. Such a format makes it possible to present a destination’s competitive advantages precisely, in line with the needs of each organiser, and in business tourism this is far more effective than a traditional appearance without previously defined contacts.
Why MEETEX is important for the Croatian congress sector
In recent years, MEETEX has profiled itself as the central domestic meeting place of international demand and Croatian congress supply. The organisers’ official announcements for the 2026 edition state that buyers and professionals from Europe, North America, South America, Asia, and Australia are coming to Zagreb, giving the event a distinctly international dimension. In practice, this means that Croatian destinations, hotels, convention bureaus, DMC agencies, and specialised event partners have the opportunity over several days to conduct a large number of targeted conversations with potential clients for future events within a relatively short period. For a country like Croatia, which in business tourism competes not only on price but also on a combination of accessibility, safety, infrastructure, and authentic experience, such a platform has both a promotional and a developmental function.
Additional weight to this year’s edition was also given by the message that the organisers strongly emphasise through the “human to human” concept, that is, an approach in which the emphasis is on the human dimension of business meetings. At a time when part of business communication and planning has moved into the digital space, the organisers of MEETEX remind us that trust, long-term partnerships, and more complex projects are still built most firmly through direct contact. That is precisely why trade fairs and business meeting exchanges have not lost their meaning, but in many segments have gained new value. In the congress industry, the decision on a destination is rarely reduced only to the number of halls or technical equipment; equally important are the sense of a partner’s reliability, the understanding of the client’s needs, and the ability to combine the business programme with an impressive stay experience. This is where Opatija sees its opportunity.
Opatija targets a market that seeks more than a hall and a hotel
By participating in MEETEX, Opatija further presented itself as one of the most recognisable domestic destinations for congresses, conferences, and other forms of business gatherings. The interest of international partners, according to information from the Opatija Tourist Board, was particularly focused on the combination of tradition and modern offer: on the one hand, the history of the destination, which has been associated with elite guests and organised social life since the Austro-Hungarian period, and on the other, the developed hotel and congress infrastructure that enables the hosting of events of various formats and sizes. For business buyers, this combination has practical value. Event organisers are increasingly looking for locations that can offer professional working conditions, but also additional content that raises the quality of the participants’ overall experience.
In that sense, Opatija is not selling only accommodation capacities and congress halls, but also the format of a destination where the business programme can be naturally complemented by gastronomy, seaside promenades, cultural heritage, wellness offer, and excursion content within a relatively small area. This is precisely one of the reasons why the business sector has long regarded it as a destination suitable for gatherings in the pre-season and post-season, but also for year-round programmes. On its official website, the Opatija Convention & Incentive Bureau points out that the city offers congress event organisers the advantages of a large congress destination, with the charm of a more intimate tourist destination. The Croatia Meetings portal states that Opatija has more than 50 meeting rooms, with a total of 31 venues, 2685 accommodation units, and the largest hall with a capacity of up to 2500 participants, while the description of the congress offer itself highlights a capacity of up to 900 delegates for certain congress facilities. These data show that the city is not appearing only on the basis of reputation, but also with an entirely concrete infrastructural foundation.
Congress tradition as a market advantage
One of the messages that Opatija conveyed to potential partners this year as well relates to the longevity and continuity of its congress orientation. In tourism marketing, tradition in itself is not enough if it is not supported by modern content, but in business tourism it can be an important signal of stability. Organisers of conferences and corporate gatherings are not looking only for an attractive backdrop, but for a destination where there is experience in working with business guests, logistical reliability, and a service standard adapted to more demanding events. Opatija builds its identity precisely on this: as a place that knows the rhythm of the congress market and that is not merely an occasional host of business events, but a space in which this type of traffic is part of the structure of the tourist year.
This is especially important at a time when Croatian tourism is looking for models to reduce seasonality and rely more on products that do not depend exclusively on summer holidays. Congress and business tourism are often singled out as one of the most desirable segments because they bring guests with greater purchasing power, fill accommodation capacities during periods of lower leisure demand, and generate multiplicative effects on hospitality, transport, technical services, production, and local trade. Participation in MEETEX therefore also has a broader economic significance for Opatija. Every contact with an event organiser is potentially the beginning of a process that can result in a gathering outside the main season, multi-day stays, the engagement of local suppliers, and additional international positioning of the destination.
Direct meetings open the door to concrete business
The Opatija Tourist Board says that participation in MEETEX is crucial for the further strengthening of Opatija’s position on the international business events market and that direct meetings with organisers from important source markets open up new opportunities for the development of congress tourism. This assessment is in line with the logic of the entire MICE industry. Business in this segment rarely arises spontaneously; it is the result of months- or years-long contacts, comparisons of several destinations, inspection trips, detailed logistics planning, and an assessment of the value that a particular location can offer the client. That is precisely why meetings at events like this carry special weight. They are not the final act of the sale, but they very often are the first serious step towards a future contract, bid, or the arrival of an international delegation to inspect the destination.
For Opatija, it is particularly important to maintain visibility in markets beyond the immediate regional environment. This year’s international composition of buyers, according to the organisers’ official information, also includes the markets of North and South America, Asia, and Australia, which gives domestic destinations the opportunity to expand their reach. In such an environment, Opatija can highlight its comparative advantages: the relative proximity of important transport hubs, good connectivity with Rijeka and Zagreb, experience in organising professional and corporate gatherings, but also an ambience that leaves a strong impression on participants. On the business events market, impression is not a secondary thing. Organisers are increasingly looking for destinations that can help make an event content-efficient, but also experientially memorable, because that is precisely what participants and clients value more and more today.
What Opatija is actually selling to international partners
When speaking about Opatija’s congress offer, the focus often remains on hotels, halls, and tradition. However, for international buyers, the value of the destination is significantly broader. They assess how easy it is to organise the arrival of participants, what the quality of accommodation is in different categories, whether there is a sufficient number of spaces for plenary and parallel programmes, what the gastronomic offer is like, how convincing the accompanying activities offer is, and whether the business event can be adapted to the client’s profile. In this sense, Opatija presents itself as a compact and functional destination. A large part of the content is located within a short distance, while the natural and urban environment allows for an easy combination of the formal programme and informal meetings, which in the events industry is often just as important as the official schedule.
An additional advantage of Opatija is that the congress segment is not separated from the city’s identity, but is closely connected with it. Over the decades, the city has built a reputation as a place of meetings, holidays, medicine, culture, and social life, and this multilayered character can today be translated into the modern language of business tourism. That is why Opatija is interesting not only as a classic conference location, but also as a destination for board meetings, incentive programmes, smaller strategic gatherings, specialised professional congresses, and events that seek a combination of formality and atmosphere. This is the type of market message that can have a strong effect at B2B meetings, especially when it is supported by concrete infrastructure and the operational experience of local partners.
The message of year-round tourism is not just a promotional phrase
When tourist boards talk about year-round tourism, that term often sounds like a general development slogan. In the case of business and congress tourism, however, it is a very concrete mechanism. Business events are, as a rule, easier to schedule outside the peak summer season, and it is precisely then that destinations have the most room for additional occupancy and for creating revenue not tied to summer holidays. Opatija has been positioning itself precisely in that direction for years, and its appearance at MEETEX confirms that it is not giving up on it. Investment in congress visibility is not a short-term marketing expense, but part of an economic model in which the destination seeks to distribute tourist traffic more evenly and reduce oscillations between peak and quieter months.
Such an approach is also important for the local economy. Business guests use not only hotel accommodation, but also restaurants, transport, technical support, event production, cultural venues, excursion programmes, and a whole range of other services. In addition, events often bring guests who later return privately or recommend the destination within professional networks. Therefore, every successful presentation at an international B2B event has a potential effect that goes beyond the immediate number of meetings. For Opatija, this means strengthening recognisability in a market where decisions are often made by a narrow circle of specialised professionals, but also creating the foundation for future bids and concrete realisations.
Croatia in the race for higher-value events
The broader context of Opatija’s appearance at MEETEX 2026 also concerns Croatia’s position on the international business events market. The organisers of the event point out that MEETEX promotes Croatia as an attractive MICE destination and connects domestic supply with international buyers through pre-arranged meetings and networking content. This is important for Croatian tourism because business events strengthen the perception of the country as an organisationally serious, infrastructurally capable, and content-diverse destination. In that picture, Opatija has a special place: it is one of the few domestic destinations that can offer both a strong historical identity and a developed congress product, while remaining compact enough to provide participants with a sense of clarity and comfort.
Competition on the European business events market is becoming increasingly pronounced. Many destinations offer modern congress centres, quality hotels, and strong promotional campaigns. Opatija therefore cannot rely only on reputation, but must continuously renew contacts, confirm its presence in relevant places, and adapt its message to the market. Participation in MEETEX is precisely part of such practice. It makes it possible for the destination not to be viewed through the stereotype of a summer resort, but as a serious partner for the organisation of events throughout the year. In business tourism, such a shift in perception is often decisive.
From visibility to realisation
Although the effects of an individual appearance at a B2B event cannot be reduced to immediate and easily measurable figures, the importance of meetings like this lies in continuity. Business events are planned in advance, often with long preparation periods, so it is precisely the early-established contacts and first conversations from which confirmed dates, inspection visits, and multi-year cooperation later emerge. For Opatija, this year’s appearance at MEETEX is therefore above all an investment in the next cycles of business traffic. In Zagreb, the city once again showed that it wants to remain among Croatia’s leading addresses for congresses, conferences, and gatherings that bring international visibility and a more stable tourist rhythm throughout the year.
That is also the main message of Opatija’s appearance at MEETEX 2026. It is not only about presenting the existing offer, but about confirming the ambition for congress and business tourism to continue developing as one of the key pillars of a year-round destination. At a time when tourism competition is intensifying and the market is seeking an experience that combines professionalism, infrastructure, and the authenticity of the place, Opatija is trying to turn precisely that combination into its lasting advantage. If the contacts made in Zagreb turn into new events and longer-term cooperation, this year’s MEETEX for Opatija will not remain only a well-executed presentation, but another step in strengthening its place on the map of international congress tourism.
Sources:- MEETEX – official programme 2026 – confirmation of the dates from 17 to 19 March 2026, the venue, and the structure of the three-day programme.- MEETEX – official event website – description of MEETEX as a platform connecting international buyers and leading Croatian MICE exhibitors.- MEETEX Live – start of the 2026 edition – data on the arrival of hosted buyers and professionals from Europe, North America, South America, Asia, and Australia.- Opatija Convention & Incentive Bureau – official description of Opatija as a congress destination that combines infrastructure and the character of a tourist destination.- Croatia Meetings – Opatija congress offer – overview of congress capacities, the number of venues, and basic infrastructural data for the destination.- Opatija Tourist Board – official information about the destination and the convention bureau within the tourist board.
Find accommodation nearby
Creation time: 2 hours ago