September 26, 2019 - Celine Dion has announced her first-ever concert in Zagreb next year.

One of the most famous and respected pop music stars in the world is coming to the Croatian capital!

Sound Report announces that organized by Star Production, Celine Dion will perform in at Arena Zagreb on June 5, 2020, as part of a major world tour to promote her latest studio release Courage. The tour kicked off on September 18 in Quebec.

The Courage World Tour will include more than 100 cities around the world, and in addition to Star Production, Concerts West / AEG Presents is in charge of the world-class production. The European leg of the tour will begin on May 23, 2020, in Lodz, Poland, and in addition to numerous cities in the UK and Germany, the celebrated music diva will visit and delight her fans in Belgium, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Austria, France, Italy, Finland , Sweden, Denmark, but also for the first time in Croatia, Malta and Cyprus.

Celine Dion is an international pop star who for decades has been known for her exceptional voice and catchy hits that are not forgotten. Therefore, I have no doubt that the concert on June 5, 2020, at the Zagreb Arena will hold a special place in the memory of all lovers of top music,” said Star Production director Alen Ključe. 

Last week, Celine Dion released three new songs from her long-awaited album Courage, which will be available worldwide from November 15, 2019.

The music spectacle and must-see concert is destined to be a sellout. Tickets for Celine’s show on June 5, 2020, at the Zagreb Arena can be purchased from Friday, October 4, 2019, at Eventim. Team Celine members can secure their tickets starting Monday, September 30, 2019, from 10 am.

To read more about lifestyle in Croatia, follow TCN’s dedicated page.

September 26, 2019 - Jadran Split will compete in the LEN Champions League for the second consecutive season after defeating French club Strasbourg 12:29 overall in the third round of the qualifiers.

HRT reports that the Jadran Split water polo team have booked another Champions League appearance with one more convincing victory against French club Strasbourg, who they defeated away 16:7 (3:2, 5:2, 3:2, 5:1) in the return match of the 3rd qualification round. Recall, in the first match in Split, Jadran won 13:5. Thus, Jadran joins Dubrovnik's Jug and Zagreb's Mladost in the group stage of elite club competition. This is also the second consecutive season Jadran Split is among the top 16 teams in Europe.

Zvonimir Butic was the most efficient player for the Split team with three goals, while Rino Buric, Marin Vrdoljak, Marin Delic and Antonio Duzević scored twice. Strasbourg was led by Dubrovnik native Pavo Markovic who scored three goals.

Jadran Split will play in Group A of the Champions League alongside Jug AO from Dubrovnik, Sintez Kazan from Russia, Szolnoki from Hungary, Jug Herceg Novi from Montenegro, Barceloneta from Spain, Spandau 04 from Germany and Olympiacos from Greece.

Split will host Olympiacos, which is the current Champions League finalist, in the first round on October 8th, while Jug will host Herceg Novi.

In Group B, Mladost will compete against European champions Ferencvaros from Hungary, Hanover from Germany, Pro Recco from Italy, Dinamo Tbilisi from Georgia, Marseille from France, OSC Budapest from Hungary and Terrassa from Spain. 

Mladost will open their competition on October 9th with a visit to OSC in Budapest.

LEN Champions League qualifications - 3rd round

Strasbourg - Jadran ST 7-16 (total 12-29)

Sintez Kazan - Brescia 10-7  (22-20)

Digi Oradea - Terrassa 5-6   (12-16)        

Vouliagmeni - OSC Budapest 6-7  (9-18)

To read more about sport in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page. 

September 25, 2019 - The 3rd edition of 'Is Croatia 365 Tourism Possible?' took place at the Zagreb Sheraton yesterday, a fascinating event on so many levels, and with many thought-provoking ideas and questions. 

I am developing a mild obsession with the culture of the Croatian conference. 

Having hardly been to a Croatian conference until about two years ago, I find myself attending a couple of month on average. I find them incredibly useful in general, both from the content of both Croatian and international speakers, as well as a chance to network and make connections for the greater good of TCN. But I also notice some recurring themes:

The conferences usually start with a photo shoot with the great and the good of the conference, as was the case at yesterday's 'Is Croatia 365 Tourism Possible?' in Zagreb. 

There is often a photo from the opening session showing just how full and successful the conference is, such as the one above. 

And then, of course, the official PR press release which mentions all the names of the great and good, often with a quote from each of the speakers. A permanent online reminder of another successful conference attended by the key officials working tirelessly to do their job and carry out their public service. 

If only... 

I found yesterday's conference extremely interesting, with lots of take-home ideas for me personally. There were some great ideas presented, as well as some rather controversial topics touched on, and it would have been great to have had the engagement of those key officials in those discussions. 

But this is the reality, conference after conference, of what happens in Croatia. As soon as the brights lights have gone and soundbites given, the key officials disappear to wherever it is they go. Of course ministers are busy, I understand that, but in addition to being rather insulting to the international speakers flown it at great expense to address them, if our tourism officials are not present to listen to the ideas, suggestions and best practices of the experts, what is the point?

Unless our tourism chiefs already know everything of course... 

And it is not just the big conferences. Even I was embarrassed as a foreigner at a boutique health tourism seminar last year. Designed specifically stakeholders from Croatia's medical tourism industry and by invite only, an American medical tourism branding specialist was flown in to hold an intensive workshop with stakeholders to work on developing Croatia's medical tourism brand. 

Despite confirmations, neither the Ministry of Tourism or Croatian National Tourism Board bothered to show up. When I asked the tourist board about the no show, they insisted that they had been present in a room of just 15 people, before later acknowledging that they had got confused with another conference a month later. 

Health tourism is one of the key strategic goals of the ministry's 7-year plan, and global experts agree that Croatia has the potential to become one of the world's top 10 medical tourism destinations in 10 years if its stakeholders can unite. 

Six years into the 7-year plan and we still don't have a task force committee. 

But let's return to yesterday and the potential of Croatia 365 tourism, the subject of one of the eternal discussions of Croatian tourism - how to lengthen the season. 

it is now five years since the launch of the high-profile Croatia 365 project, a concept lifted entirely from the UNWTO Punta del Este 365 (as previously reported on TCN). Five years later, I am struggling to find evidence of the original Croatia 365 project online, although Uruguay 365 lives on:

I contacted the efficient national tourism board PR department for an update on how the project is going and will add to the article when they respond. But I do remember that the last update we reported on Croatia 365 showed that things were not going very well. our article of February 2016 on the subject became the number one story of the day in the Croatian media and let to requests for meetings from the then director the national tourism board and the office of the then Minister of Tourism. 

The two most interesting sessions at yesterday's conference (for me) were the Forum of Leaders: Tourism 365 panel with Bruno Walter from ITB Advisory, James Howarth HTL London, and moderator Kristian Sustar from Uniline. They were followed by Caroline Couret from the Creative Tourism Network, whose theme was Creative Tourism, or how to create authentic experiences that meet the new traveller's demands. 

Couret had a range of impressive examples of how to create stories, bring out the authentic experiences of a region, and entice tourists into activities they might not otherwise have considered. The example of Ibiza Creativa was particularly powerful, as she showed how the famous party destination had succeeded in developing a whole other type of tourism, based on the traditions and indigenous products of Ibiza. And some interesting niche tourism based on the Ibiza party - lessons in how to be a famous DJ, for example. 

Couret also had some great examples of how Croatia can use its considerable intangible UNESCO heritage to create tourist experiences. Rainy day in Zagreb? Why not go and learn to make a tie in the birthplace of this iconic male style item?

If only there had been anyone in authority there to listen. 

But the most interesting exchanges on Croatia's direction came from Brit Chappell, Austrian Walter and moderator Sustar. 

Walter talked about how Austria has succeeded in developing its year-round tourism, which used to be seasonal, with guests more or less guaranteed. Then came the charter flight revolution, which meant that guests which they had taken for granted were now flying cheaply to more exotic locations. The development of the next generation of tourism started with unity at the village level and spread from there, with more regional consolidation. Today, he said, the population of Tyrol is about 800,000 and hosts 50 million overnights a year (half of Croatia's national total), and it has streamlined its tourist boards from 143 to 36. Interestingly, he said that the makeup of tourists in Austria is half foreign, half domestic. According to numbers he had seen about Croatia, the balance is 86% foreign and just 14% domestic. So focusing on the local market would be a natural strategy. 

He also noted that 94% of Croatia's tourists are leisure tourists and just 6% business. A crazy statistic, chimed in Howath's Chappell, especially when you consider Croatia's potential and the fact that Sweden has 80% year-round hotel occupancy and is a conference Mecca, despite it being dark most of winter. 

As always, the lack of flights was cited. As always, the only way to solve this problem is to stop protecting Croatia Airlines and make it easier for budget airlines. If we need a lesson in what happens when a country loses its loss-making national carrier, look no further than the phenomenal success of Budapest Airport, just 7 years after the loss of Malev (very informative interview with Budapest Airport CEO Jost Lammers here). 

"When it comes to year-round tourism," said Chappell, "major challenges and problems that tourist countries and destinations face investments and expectations. If you want to have an offer for year-round tourism, it's in the destination need to have the infrastructure to handle it: airlines, accommodations, attractions which operate throughout the year, constant promotion, processes and dealing with guests. It all takes finance and it comes with an element of risk. It takes a certain amount of faith and determination to move in that direction."

Lessons from the Canary Islands, perhaps? A really impressive concrete strategy which has moved tourists beyond the sun and sea stereotype to bring in millions more tourists and engage them in activities they are looking for - check out the video above. 

While both were fundamentally positive that the essential ingredients of Croatian tourism were healthy, the same could not be said of the direction, and Chappell - a self-proclaimed fan of Croatia and recently back from a family holiday in Dalmatia - described Dubrovnik with an adjective I have never heard used about the Pearl of the Adriatic before:

"If it carries on like this, in a few years, Dubrovnik will be unvisitable."

Unline's Sustar's moderation was a highlight. Rather than putting forward lame questions, he generated some lively discussions which are discussions which Croatian tourism should be having. 

If there was anyone in authority there to listen. 

An industry expert, he was clearly frustrated at the direction and leadership of Croatian tourism, telling the panel that while Croatia did indeed have a tourism strategy (our old friend, the 2013 - 2020 7-year plan, whose highlights include 30 golf courses, none of which have been started as 2019 draws to a close), "we have nobody to implement the plan, no leader in charge to create milestones."

(the key points of the 2013 - 2020 plan)

"Would it be acceptable to bring in an outsider to implement Croatia's tourism strategy?" asked Chappell. He cited the example of the Bank of England, which is run by a Canadian, and his lack of Britishness means he can do some things a certain way. If a region has too much political or historical baggage, sometimes it is better to look abroad from the best solution. 

Chappell also made the point that there were two truisms which were important to note. The first is that Croatia has a great and identifiable product - its coast, and that the Croatia 365 challenges are not unique to Croatia. They will have been dealt with in other locations. Rather than trying to reinvent the wheel, learn from and adopt best practices from elsewhere, buying in that expertise if necessary. 

It would have been interesting to see those thoughts discussed with our tourism chiefs, but alas... 

I am rambling on too much, but I wanted to mention one final topic from the last panel, From Goal to Realisation. Katarina Milicevic from thinktourism asked how many people thought that gastronomy was the most important thing in Croatia's tourism offer after sun and sea. Many did. 

She then went on to explain a little about her social media research to show that while Croatian tourism thinks it knows what it is offering, it is not always very good at telling its international tourist audience. She cited some research on the social media activities of the Croatian National Tourist Board and its social media promotion. According to Milicevic, over a 12 month period, CNTB posted over 1,000 times on Instagram, but only 40 of those posts were related to gastronomy, while on Facebook, there were 400 posts, with just 15 related to food and wine. 

If we can't tell our tourists what we have to offer, how are they supposed to know?

In a similar way, if we can't find the time to listen to the expert opinions of recognised international experts who have flown in to help us, how are we going to learn? 

To learn more about the Croatia 365 conference, visit the official website. 

September 25, 2019 - One of the most entertaining exhibitions of the year opened at Mimama last night, as the much-loved caricatures of Nik Titanik celebrated 25 years of excellence to a very large opening audience. 

Being a foreigner in Croatia means you miss out of most of the fun, especially if you do not speak the language well - just as in other countries I guess. 

Although the Brits are famous for their humour, as time goes by, I come to appreciate the local humour in Croatia and the wider region a lot more, but I realise I am still missing out on about 80% of the nuances. For Croatia is a wonderful playground for humour, with so many absurd aspects to daily life here. And while Britain the world champion in absurdity with this Brexit farce, in terms of Absurdistan and longevity, it is hard to beat the Balkans, baby. 

But with so much absurdity, it is easy to forget the last crazy thing as there are so many more around the corner. Unless you have a person who can chronicle the absurdities of life - both political and actual - in a visual and entertaining manner. 

Such a person exists in Croatia - one Nikola Plecko, also known online by his nom de plume, Nik Titanik. 

I got a message yesterday suggesting I come to Mimara for the opening of an exhibition. I get such invitations regularly but rarely attend (time and resources are the common enemies). But this one was different. 

Nik Titanik was celebrating 25 years and an astonishing 11,000 caricatures documenting quarter of a century of Croatian absurdity with a month-long exhibition called "Chronicle of Croatian Stupidity."

I had to go. Apart from everything else, I owed the man a thank you - and a blog - from a couple of years ago. As it was, I didn't get to meet Nik Titanik, as there was massive interest in the exhibition, with easily 500 people - including some of the key people in the Croatian media - completely filling the main reception room of Mimara. And there were long queues to get to the basement where 300 pieces of Nik Titanik's work were on display. As my phone had died, no pictures from the evening, but here is a nice overview of some of them in this interview with Nik Titanik in the HINA video report, below. (And click here for a video report of the opening night on RTL).

Apparently Nik Titanik had been expecting about 50 people for the opening, and it was pleasing to see so many people turn up to celebrate his genius over 25 years, as well as to observe how many of them were clearly enjoying the memories of long-forgotten absurdities of the past in the 300 drawings on display. I plan to return again before the exhibition closes on October 24 to take a closer look. If any Croatian speaker would like to join and help me understand some of the contexts of the cartoons, that would be great. You too can visit the exhibition, of course - the event page is here. 

So why do I owe Nik Titanik a blog? A couple of years ago, we were searching for a gift for PR guru, Kresimir Macan, on the occasion of 20 years of his PR agency Manjgura (Manjgura is a dialect word for 'girl' in Macan's native Dubrovnik). We wanted to capture some of the highlights of Macan's career, as well as bring out the Manjgura celebration. We suggested three events - President Tudjman calling Macan an idiot for confirming the fall of Vukovar, arguably his biggest success getting Kerum elected in Split, and the anticipation of current Prime Minister Plenkovic who was about to hire him as Communications Director. 

And Nik Titanik got to work, producing this gem two days later, which proved to be a big hit at the Manjgura party. 

A really fun exhibition that I heartily recommend. You can follow the latest from Nik Titanik on Facebook. 

September 24, 2019 - The second conference on public relations for entrepreneurs and craftspeople PRpitch will be held on Thursday, 3rd October 2019 at The Westin Hotel Zagreb.

The conference aims to make the entrepreneurs and craftspeople acquainted with the importance of public relations and instruct them on how communication could help them in developing their business doing. Thus, the motto of the conference is by PResentation to success.

The event will start at 9.00 a.m. with the lecture PR A-Z, followed by interesting discussions on topics Let the Seventh Force be with  you!, PRs and foreigners – what kind of communication should follow the business-doing in foreign markets, View into the future, Challenges of services communication: from spoken word to e-book of complaints and What can entrepreneurs learn from how politicians communicate.

PR professionals will be participating in panels as well as the persons whose business is closely related to that profession. A special guest of the conference is the former president of the Republic of Croatia Stjepan Mesić.

The participation in the conference has been announced by important PR and related fields professionals područja Olivera Majić, Ana Tkalac Verčič, Andrea Perkov, Andrea Tiberi, Ivana Crnčić, Maro Alavanja, Vanja Ovčar, Gordan Turković, Sandro Baričević, Davor Denkovski, Mirela Holy, Damir Jugo, Davor Huić, Mirela Španjol Marković, Davor Štetner, Kristijan Sedak, Vladimir Preselj, Ankica Mamić, Natasa Cesarec Salopek, Ermina Duraj, Aco Momčilović, Daria Mateljak, Nikica Škunca, Matej Lončarić, Boris Hajoš, Krešimira Rendulić, Marina Čulić Fischer, Koraljka Baričević, Ekrem Dupanović, Christian Čoklica, Brano Sudar, Saša Tenodi, Melita Pavlek, Siniša Mareković, Sanela Dropulić, Dražen Tomić, Ivan Matić Nević, Matija Srketić, Darko Buković,  Maja Ilčićand other.

Of special interest will be the appearance of PR students and related studies. They will reveal how new generations communicate and author of the best conferral will be given an award by  Zagrebačke banke.

The conference is intended for entrepreneurs, craftsmen, managers, employees in PR and marketing and all the others who wish to improve their communication. All of them will be able to meet the representatives of the Agencies and independent PR professionals on the spot.

The conference has been organised by the first Croatian PR portal PRglas, and its partner is the Italian-Croatian Chamber of Commerce (THGK).

The general sponsor of the conference is the President of the Republic of Croatia and the City of Zagreb. It will also be supported by the Croatian Association for Public Relations (HUOJ), MBA Croatia, Zagreb Innovation Centre (ZICER), Croatian Chamber of Commerce, Women's Entrepreneurship Centre, Croatian Association of Communication Companies (HURA) and Croatian County Association.

The participants at the conference will have PRogress chances for PRomotion and PResentation. They will be able to register to PRpitch application and arrange a meeting according to their own wishes and at the end of the conference they can participate in an interesting program named NETWORKING – B2B Meeting and Matchmaking. Good luck!

Special music guests of the conference are BISNEYS – Music for Your Business, which will at lunch at The Westin Hotelu and NETWORKING, turn a business gathering into an adventure and business negotiations into a pleasant walk. That's the power of music.

The participants will be able to follow the PRogram of the conference in Croatian and the Centre for translation and tutoring Dialogo has ensured a simultaneous translation from English.

Partners and friends of the conference are: Polytechnics VERN', Edward Bernays – College for communication management, Speech Academy Demosten, Association of students of communicology and journalism "Komuna", PR Days Mostariensis, Students' Council of Polytechnics and Colleges of the Republic of Croatia, Studenski.hr, Agency Ciceron, Agency IMC, IDI VIDI d.o.o., NLP – Croatia, Millenium promotion, Azinus.agency, Press clipping, 24 SATA, JoomBoos, Business Akademija Vijesti, Profitiraj, Medijski mali servis, She, ICT Busines, Media marketing, PoslovniFM, Anparo, Prorsus communication, SEEbiz, Metro-portal, Marketing mreža and others…

Find out more on PRpitch conference at www.prglas.com/prpitch

To read more about business in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page. 

September 23, 2019 - The 9th round of the Croatian First League was held from September 20 to 22, 2019. The 9th round brought a big upset to Dinamo, saw the coaches of Rijeka and Osijek leave their posts, and Hajduk now sits clear in first place by 3 points. 

Lokomotiva v. Osijek (2:1)

Lokomotiva and Osijek opened the 9th round on Friday, September 20, 2019, at Kranjčevićeva Street Stadium. 

While Osijek’s Maric scored in the 7th minute for 0:1, Halilovic equalized for Lokomotiva in the 37th minute for 1:1 at the half. 

Tolic increased Lokomotiva’s lead for 2:1 in the 88th minute, giving Lokomotiva the win in the end. 

Lokomotiva is currently in 4th place with 14 points, while Osijek is in 5th with 13. 

Slaven Belupo v. Gorica (2:0)

Belupo and Gorica met in Koprivnica on Saturday, September 21, 2019. 

Steenvoorden put Belupo in the lead with an own goal in the 29th minute for 1:0 at the half. After Cabraja was shown a red card in the 85th minute, Belupo’s Krstanovic scored a penalty to increase the lead to 2:0, which was how the game ended. Gorica ended the game with nine men after Lovric was shown a second yellow in the 91st. 

Belupo is currently in 7th place with 10 points, while Gorica is in 6th with 10. 

Varazdin v. Dinamo Zagreb (1:0)

Varazdin and Dinamo met in Varazdin on Saturday, September 21, 2019. 

After a shocking 4:0 win against Atalanta to open their Champions League season, Dinamo suffered a defeat in the Croatian League to a team that was promoted from the second division this season. 

While the first half went without goals, Guera scored for Varazdin in the 62nd minute, which was the final score of the game. 

Varazdin has moved from the last place to 9th place with 7 points,  while Dinamo is in second with 16. 

Hajduk v. Inter Zapresic

Hajduk and Inter met at Poljud on Sunday, September 22, 2019. 

In addition to celebrating 40 years of Poljud, Hajduk celebrated another win. 

Caktas put Hajduk in the lead with a penalty in the 41st minute for 1:0 at the half. The second half saw two goals in three minutes - Stanko Juric scored for 2:0 Hajduk just moments after he entered the game, which was followed by Serderov’s goal for Inter. 

In the 86th minute, Jairo scored for 3:1 Hajduk, which was the final score of the game. 

Hajduk currently sits in first place with 19 points, while Inter is in the last place with 6. 

Istra v. Rijeka

Istria and Rijeka closed out the 9th round on Sunday, September 22, 2019, in Pula. 

Franko Andrijasevic scored for Rijeka already in the 6th. Minute, which was followed by a Loncar goal in the 45th for 0:2 at the half. Ivancic saw two yellow cards in the first half, forcing Istria to play a man down for the remainder of the game. 

Muric increased Rijeka’s lead to 0:3 in the 77th minute, which was the final score of the game. 

Istria is currently in 8th place with 8 points, while Rijeka moved into third place with 15 points. 

You can see the full HNL table here.

To read more about sport in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page.  

ZAGREB, September 22, 2019 - Zagreb's Tuškanac Cinema is presenting an Orson Welles retrospective on September 23-28, featuring ten films of this charismatic US director, actor, screenwriter and producer.

On show will be his early masterpieces (Citizen Kane and The Magnificent Ambersons), the adaptations of Shakespeare's dramas (Othello, Macbeth and Chimes at Midnight (Falstaff)), films close to the crime film genre (The Stranger, The Lady from Shanghai and Mr Arkadin (also known as Confidential Report)), the film-noir thriller Touch of Evil and the adaptation of Kafka's novel The Trial.

The retrospective opens on Monday September 23 with Citizen Kane, which is regarded as the most successful directorial debut in film history.

More film news can be found in the Lifestyle section.

September 21, 2019 - The European Week of Sport opened at Zagreb's European Square on Saturday. 

HRT reports that 5 and 10 kilometer races including more than 5,000 citizens started the European Week of Sport at Zagreb's European Square, organized under the motto #BeActive for the fifth year in a row by the Central State Office for Sport. The event aims to encourage as many people as possible to participate in some form of physical activity.

“The message we send through this event is that sport, from its earliest days, instills great values for life such as friendship, fair play, honesty, team spirit, work, perseverance and perseverance, and at the same time a path that creates unbreakable long-lasting bonds. I am glad that this event was supported by our top athletes who are among us, and that there are many children here who inspire others with their activism, but that there our dear friends of a somewhat older age who show that in every stage of life, one should be active. 

I am particularly pleased that representatives of the Paralympic Committee are also with us today because it is imperative that our inclusiveness policy for people with disabilities is also manifested through sport. Our Government is symbolic, given by our results and sports experience by our best athlete of all time, who is at the head of the Central State Office for Sport, Janica Kostelic. But in budgetary terms, and the context of the new National Sports Development Strategy we adopted this July for 2019 to 2026, she showed how much she cares about sports. 

We must always keep in mind that sport is friendship and enjoyment, not violence, and these messages should be clear to everyone, because we do sports to be healthy and to be cheerful, and that is how it should be treated,” said Prime Minister of the Republic of Croatia Andrej Plenkovic, who opened the European Sports Week, and signaled the start of the race.

For this occasion, the European Square, modeled on a sports village, was transformed into a large sports field where Olympic and Paralympic sports were presented. Visitors could try out football, basketball, and archery, but also practice with professional coaches. Citizens of all ages could get acquainted with the offer of sports clubs and fitness centers as well as sports for people with disabilities and learn about the importance of healthy eating.

In addition to the events at the European Square, a basketball tournament for children was held at the nearby basketball court in Tuskanac, while a futsal tournament l was held at Salata organized by the Zagreb School Sports Federation.

Special themed days will be dedicated to training in schools, as well as in companies across Croatia, to draw attention to the importance of recreation in schools and the workplace.

The European Week of Sport will close on September 28 on the Zadar waterfront, when a night workout from 8 pm to 10 pm will be organized under the name #BeActive Night. All participants will be able to exercise under the guidance of professional trainers and try different fitness programs from boxing and aerobics to power yoga.

To read more about sport in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page.

A week has passed since the first Entrepreneurial Mindset conference in Zagreb on September 12, 2019. And preparations are being made to build on its initial success. 

I have been to many conferences in the last few years in Croatia. Many end with a feel-good factor, but as soon as the conference is over and the next day's news stories are consumed, that is often the end of the story and of the initiative. 

Last week was different. 

There is a new kid on the block in Croatian society, and it is a kid which is much more interesting than tourism and with the potential (that word which one always seems to apply to Croatia) to generate more income than tourism itself - the dedicated and driven Croatian entrepreneur. 

Last week's conference in Zagreb brought together some of the very top names in Croatian entrepreneurship, as well as heavyweights from the diplomatic world, for the start of a new initiative to share the success of Croatia's entrepreneurs and to tell their stories - and their failures - in a big to encourage the entrepreneurial spirit in the younger generation of Croats. TCN caught up with Mr. Positive himself, Ognjen Bagatin, conference co-organiser and CEO of Bagatin Clinic to find out how the conference went and what happens next. 

1. Firstly congratulations on a very successful Entrepreneurial Mindset conference, which was very inspirational for all who attended. How would you sum up the conference now that you have had time to reflect on it for a few days?

Thank you for your kind words. It was a really inspirational day with top entrepreneurs in Croatia inspiring and sharing their experiences so we all can grow. Sum of the conference is that we have successful stories in Croatia, that you can succeed in Croatia if you work hard, if you are persistent, if you have a vision, courage, if you celebrate other’s success and you are not afraid of making mistakes. I think we planted a seed of a new hope for Croatia and presented the new leaders and role models of the country that we all can be proud of, leaders like: Mate Rimac, Silvijo Kutić, Nenad Bakić, Alan Sumina, Aleksandra Dojčinović, Matija Žulj, Ivan Mrvoš and many many others. We thank them all for their commitment.

2. As an outside observer, one of the nicest aspects of the conference was seeing the special young guests in the front row of the audience. Tell us a little about them.

I appreciate your question, because the main idea of this conference was to influence the young people. This is why, together with EY Croatia and HUP (CEA - Croatian Employers Association), we made possible for the kids who won top prizes in their contest „Poduzetnici Budućnosti“ (Entrepreneurs of the Future), which involved more than 50 high schools from all over Croatia, have a chance to be a part of the conference and watch their role models from the first row as our VIP guests. 23 young, future entrepreneurs were delighted to be there and our responsibility is to make sure they succeed.

3. The conference finished with an award for Vladimir Mihajlović. Tell us a little about him and his contribution.

It was very touching and I am glad that we as the organizing committee acknowledged the work Vladimir did for the past 13 years in Slavonia where he brought more than a hundred entrepreneurs, managers and business people to give inspirational speeches to elementary school and high school pupils. He is one of true silent leaders in Croatia and an example for all of us. He is a driving force in promoting entrepreneurial mindset amongst our kids which is why we gave him this prize and awarded him with the lifetime award for promoting entrepreneurship with Magazine Poduzetnik and spreading the entrepreneurial mindset. We are really grateful to have people like Vladimir here in Croatia.

4. During the conference, you announced 4 more regional conferences over the next 12 months. Tell us a little about those and what the focus will be.

Our plan is to continue Entrepreneurial Mindset events but for students and high school pupils in Osijek, Rijeka, Split and Zagreb. We think the best investment in our future is for the students to hear future leaders like Mate Rimac, Alan Sumina, Ivan Mrvoš, Matija Žulj etc. We want to share the entrepreneurial mindset and values with them and help them succeed in Croatia. The goal is to break the paradigm that you can`t succeed in Croatia, because you can, as our speakers have proved that.

5. Two of the key themes I noticed during the day were the need to share success stories (including the failures on the way to success), and the need to improve education for the next generation. What initiatives are being taken in that regard?

Interesting question, thank you. From Nenad Bakić we have heard what is the impact of a great project he and his wife started which influences more than 100.000 Croatian kids, the „STEM revolution“ and IRIM – Croatian makers are definitely one of the top initiatives and we all support them. Stjepan Orešković (who is a Harvard Professor and entrepreneur) mentioned that we can make Croatia a student hub of Europe and bring top world teachers and a lot of foreign students if we put focus on that. Initiative for sharing success stories are many, from this conference, to Business cafe, to AmCham, AHK, HUP and other organizations that organize business talks with successful entrepreneurs and managers, but we need more media coverage for the successful stories we already have. In „Poduzetnik“Magazine we are focused on sharing these successful stories every day through video, print and web platforms and will not stop until we make entrepreneurs, the leaders of our society.

6. The conference high-level international support in the form of both the Israeli and American ambassadors as speakers. What role does the international community have to play in developing the Croatian entrepreneurial sector?

Yes, we had ambassador Kohorst from USA and ambassador Mor from Israel as key notes because we wanted them to share stories from their countries that can help our entrepreneurs and business people get more ideas and inspiration.

Ambassador Kohorst is an entrepreneur and he shared with us his big successes but also his big failure. In one business he lost 4 mil. $, but it was a huge learning opportunity for him and we appreciate him sharing that, because it just shows that failures are just bumps on the road to success.

Ambassador Mor’s role was to share how Israel became one of world’s top Start-up nations, and there is a lot to learn from them.

The international community is important for Croatian entrepreneurial sector for investments, know-how, franchising and so on and we need to keep our eyes open for these opportunities.

7. A successful working partnership with the relevant ministries will help Croatian entrepreneurs. What are the key issues you would like to see worked on to improve the entrepreneurial environment?

I think the biggest help will be with lowering taxes on salaries, but also to do more campaigns which would celebrate our entrepreneurs` success so they have a better perception in the public, because small and medium companies are those that benefit Croatian economy the most. Help entrepreneurs grow, so we all can grow. The goal for all of us together should be the growth of Croatian GDP overall and GDP per capita - this is something everyone in Croatia will sense in their salaries.

You can learn more about the first Entrepreneurial Mindset conference and meet some of its key speakers in the dedicated TCN section. 

September 18, 2019 - Dinamo Zagreb opened their seventh Champions League appearance against Atalanta at Maksimir stadium in Zagreb on Wednesday. 

And what a night it was.

Dinamo shocked Atalanta 4:0 in their first Group C match of the Champions League group stage on Wednesday in Zagreb. 

The Croatian champion won 4:0 with goals by Marin Leovac and Mislav Orsic. Leovac opened Dinamo's scoring spree in the 11th minute after a cross by Stojanovic, and Orsic scored 20 minutes later with a masterful shot from 16 meters. At the end of the first half, Orsic had scored for 3:0. And Dinamo wasn't done yet. 

In the 68th minute, Orsic curved the ball around the keeper for 4:0 - and he bagged himself a hat trick, too.

More than 30,000 fans welcomed the return of the Champions League to Maksimir, including 3,000 Italian fans who also made the trip to Zagreb. 

This was a historic match for the Italian club as they have never played in the strongest European competition. Atalanta's lineup also features Croatian midfielder Mario Pasalic, a former member of Hajduk Split.

On the other hand, in Dinamo’s past six a Champions League appearances, they have not made it out of the group stage - and in the 36 games played, Dinamo has won four, drawn five, and recorded 27 defeats with a goal difference of 22:82. However, Dinamo advanced to the round of 16 of Europa League last season, though Benfica eliminated them.

It is interesting to note that before the match against Atalanta, Dinamo had lost their last three games against Italian clubs. Most recently, in the 2016/17 Champions League group stage, Dinamo lost home and away to Juventus.

In the other Group C match on Wednesday, Manchester City topped Shakhtar Donetsk 3:0. 

Dinamo Zagreb will meet Manchester City next on October 1 at Etihad Stadium. 

To read more about sport in Croatia, follow TCN’s dedicated page.