MEETEX 2026 confirms growing interest in Croatia in congress tourism

From March 17 to 19, 2026, Zagreb hosted the eighth edition of the international B2B forum MEETEX, one of the key events for the business meetings, congresses and incentive travel industry in Croatia.

The event brought together domestic exhibitors and international hosted buyers, who made a large number of business contacts through pre-arranged meetings and informal networking. MEETEX thus once again confirmed its role as a platform for connecting with the global market.

"MEETEX this year once again confirms its important role in positioning Croatia as a competitive and increasingly recognizable destination for business and congress tourism, with Zagreb further strengthening its status as a center for international business events. The continuous growth of interest, the number of participants and business meetings clearly shows how such events have a strong impact on connecting with global markets and opening new opportunities for the Croatian tourism sector.", the Minister of Tourism and Sports emphasized the importance of the event Tonči Glavina and added that business tourism plays a key role in the development of year-round offerings: "Business tourism, including congress tourism, is one of the key drivers of the development of year-round and sustainable tourism, with a major contribution to the quality of the offer and the creation of greater added value."

New markets and first arrivals in Croatia

The structure of participants confirms the expansion of interest in Croatia beyond traditional markets. In addition to European and British event organizers, MEETEX also attracted representatives from North and South America, Asia and Australia. Interestingly, a large proportion of participants are visiting Croatia for the first time, which further emphasizes the event's role in promoting the destination.

"We are extremely satisfied with this year's meetings - as many as 90 percent of the participants we spoke with were in Croatia for the first time, which confirms the importance of MEETEX as a platform for introducing new markets to our offer", she pointed out Mirjana Resner from the Croatian Tourist Board.

Some of the international guests also participated in study trips to Dalmatia, while after the event they explored Zagreb and continental regions such as Zagorje and Međimurje.

H2H approach: emphasis on the human dimension

This year's edition further emphasized the importance of relationships between people in business meetings. 

"Although we are a B2B event, in reality we are first and foremost human to human – H2H. Business relationships always start between people first", emphasized MEETEX director Adem Braco Suljić.

This approach is increasingly coming into focus in the industry, which, in addition to technology and data, emphasizes experience, trust, and long-term relationships.

The importance of the overall experience of the participants was also highlighted by Dr. Rob Davidson, one of the most influential experts in the convention industry. He emphasized that the experience does not begin with arrival at the event, but with the first interaction with the organizer and continues after the event ends through the long-term impression that remains with the participants.

This approach is increasingly shaping the way business events are planned and developed.

Wider impact on tourism and the economy

MEETEX once again confirms that the MICE industry has a broader impact than business meetings alone. In addition to direct consumption, it is a segment that stimulates knowledge transfer, innovation development and international cooperation. An important segment of this year's edition was also the educational aspect, through the inclusion of students of tourism and related studies who had the opportunity to learn about the functioning of the international meetings industry.

Ultimately, events like MEETEX contribute to the long-term positioning of Croatia as a business meeting destination, but also to strengthening the competitiveness of the entire tourism sector.