Deprived for two years of its key asset for hosting events, Belgrade was in 70th place in the most recent awards CICA. La Serbia was ranked 70th in the country rankings. But a new dynamic should soon carry the destination forward, enabling it to regain market share from its competitors in the region. The reconstruction of the Sava Centerwhich began in December 2021 - a few months after being declared a Serbian cultural monument - will soon be completed. And the first events are already taking place. Kongres magazine reports that the 14th European Nutrition Conference will indeed be held within the walls designed by the architect Stojan Maksimovićthe 14 to 17 November coming up. This should be the first event to be held at the Sava Center since work began. The conference organisers emphasise that this is "the first event to be held in the Sava Center since construction began". the largest capacity hall in the country and in the former Yugoslavia, and one of the largest in Europe ". The Sava Center has played host to a number of renowned institutions (World Bank, OSCE, Interpol, UNESCO, etc.) and headliners such as Miles Davis, Nina Simone, Ray Charles, Lou Reed and Simple Minds.
La reconstruction of the convention centrelaunched by the owner Delta Real Estate Following on from the acquisition of the Crowne Plaza hotel adjacent to the MICE centre, the project has now been successfully completed. " We are going to carry out a complete reconstruction, preserving the external appearance and all the features protected by the decisions of the competent institutions." Katarina Gajić warned at the launch of the project. She added: " We will be replacing the installations, the equipment and the glass façade, and introducing entirely new multimedia and communications content. It is estimated thatsuch a project will cost at least 60 million eurosWe will provide this through project finance, in cooperation with the banks. Around 1,000 people will be employed during the works on the construction site." .
An investment of 100 million euros
In the end, the budget will have reached some 100 million eurosfor a total surface area of 100,000 m². This vast reconstruction plan involved extending the Blue HallThe capacity of the Blue Hall has been increased from 3,672 to 3,800 seats, with the addition of VIP boxes. According to Katarina Gajić, Director of Design and Construction at Delta Real Estate, the Blue Hall will be "the most important venue in the city". one of the most sophisticated segments in the reconstruction of the Sava Center" . In addition, a new "immersive" hall will have 900 seats, in addition to the Central Congress Hall and its 1,200 seats. These two areas can be split into three different zones. In all, the Sava Center will offer over 8,000 m² of exhibition space and more than 40 meeting rooms.
The project led by Delta Real Estate also aims to be exemplary in environmental terms, as Kristina Milinčić points out: " As well as the solar panels on the roof, the LED lighting, the greening of the facility, we're trying to [get] the facility certified, because we think that will encourage other participants in the congress industry to follow us. Only a few convention centres in Europe have some of these certificates, and the Sava Center deserves to be among the best." says the Managing Director of the Sava Center.
" The refurbished Sava Center will feature modern, attractive spaces for networking, smaller rooms for corporate meetings and parallel sessions at major conferences. "explains Kristina Milinčić. " A business zone is planned, as well as a shopping area. The renovated centre will be an energy-efficient building that complies with the most modern safety and sustainability standards. The aim is for Belgrade to have a modern congress centre that is the best in the region and world-renowned, which is what the Sava Center has been since its creation." Kristina Milinčić assures us.
