Interview with Manuela Šola, jury member of the Conventa Best Event Award competition
Ahead of the Conventa Best Event Award 2024, the central and one of the oldest event competitions in Europe, we spoke to jury members who shared their thoughts on the most important event criteria, selecting winners and the role of event competitions.
Q1: What do you consider the most important criteria when evaluating projects?
I believe it is the whole package, you know. When evaluating projects, the uniqueness of the idea and the creativity in execution will occupy my attention. When you put it in the context of relevance for the brand goal and effectiveness you can recognize if you have a good story. Of course, while presenting it to judges it must be a “straight to the head” type of storytelling that keeps you interested. A good story has one important rule – it must not be poorly told, otherwise it is just another story.
Q2: How would you define the mission of the Conventa Best Event Award?
The mission of the Conventa Best Event Award is to showcase best practices, to inspire, to celebrate improvement and innovation in the industry. This is how to show our appreciation for the excellence in the event industry by highlighting innovative and impactful events that set new standards in creativity, execution, and effectiveness.
“THE MISSION OF THE CONVENTA BEST EVENT AWARD IS TO SHOWCASE BEST PRACTICES, TO INSPIRE, TO CELEBRATE IMPROVEMENT AND INNOVATION IN THE INDUSTRY.”
Q3: What do you believe should be the key message when selecting the winners of the competition?
Stay simple but aim high to create unforgettable experiences. Best ideas are usually the smart, simple and playful ones. They set a benchmark for the industry, demonstrating what is possible when vision and expertise come together.
Q4: What is the role of European event competitions?
The role of European event competitions is to establish benchmarks and share best practices that others in the industry can aspire to. It is a good platform to recognize talents from all over Europe, foster innovation, and encourage high standards and continuous improvement within the event industry on various levels.
“CBEA is a good platform to recognize talents from all over Europe, foster innovation, and encourage high standards and continuous improvement .”
Q5: Which achievements and milestones are you most proud of in your career?
This year we celebrate our 20th anniversary of working in public relations. I am proud of every success my team and I shared. From the latest bronze award won at Cannes Lions with our partner agency Bruketa&Žinić&Grey, Grand Prix in PR section on Young Lions Croatia powered by Elan in 2023, best event agency award we got right here on Conventa Event Awards and many others from industry experts. We celebrated our hard work on the projects that were meaningful both for the community and clients.
On the other hand, we are mentoring and developing young professionals who became successful in their jobs and actively participate in industry forums, contributing with our PR experts through professional articles, and speaking at conferences and faculties, to share knowledge and promote best practices.
I am proud of how as an agency we embraced every mistake learnt through this journey because I learned a lot and it helped us to become one of the most recognizable Croatian agencies, known for its creativity, reliability, and client satisfaction.
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