Kristina Milincic, general manager of the Sava Center - Belgrade is returning to the world congress map

(Photo: shutterstock/TinnitusDoll1)

In mid-November, after less than two years of reconstruction, the renovated Sava Center opens. We talk to Kristina Milincic, general manager of the Sava Center, about what the operation of this facility will look like, what it offers to the economy and citizens.

You announced the opening of the congress and business part of the Sava Center for November. Since we are talking about a congress and business zone, what does this opening bring to the community of Belgrade and Serbia?

- The renovated Sava Center in the congress area will have, first of all, three times more capacity in terms of the number of halls for the organization of gatherings. With a better organization of the space, the number of halls was increased from 16 to 46 halls of different capacities. When it comes to the business zone, it consists of class A office spaces and a retail zone that has a lot of content, which will be of benefit to the people who come to work there every day, but also to those who live and work in the building and in the immediate vicinity of Sava Center.

The Sava Center will be one of the main drivers of the congress and economic development of Belgrade and Serbia. Our city did not have an adequate space that could host thousands of people, and after the opening, our destination will be able to receive almost 8,000 visitors, which will fill all hotel capacities in the city. In addition, as the capacity of the Sava Center has been increased three times, it means that we have the possibility to host three times more business tourists who come to the destination and spend their money at local hoteliers, restaurateurs, carriers and small businesses.

When you have a convention center that can accommodate several thousand people at a time, it becomes the center of the world. Your city becomes a meeting place for the best in a certain field to share experience and knowledge. This is essential for the branding of Belgrade, as a business, cultural and scientific center, but also as a place where decision-makers in different spheres and sectors connect and agree on important deals.

When the tender for the sale of the Sava Center was announced, the city of Belgrade prescribed a minimum investment of EUR 50 million. In the last weeks, your company said that the investment exceeded 111 million. What is the reason for the increase and when do you expect a return on this investment?

- There are three key reasons why our company`s investment practically doubled. The first is a consequence of the mismatch between the project documentation and the actual situation on the construction site. Simply, while the works were going on, we saw that the Sava Center was in a much worse condition, and that`s why we expanded the project, which originally included adaptation and rehabilitation, so that in the end a more complex procedure was carried out, i.e. thorough reconstruction of the building. Also, in order to beautify the environment around the Sava Center, the project has been extended to external decoration. Another reason is the manifold increase in material prices, the energy crisis and supply chain disruptions in the world. The third reason is our company`s practice of implementing all technological innovations in every project, especially in the Sava Center. Numerous innovations were implemented in this project, such as a biophilic interior, the most modern construction techniques, and the aforementioned Immersive Hall. Also, we have implemented almost 1,000 solar panels and now we have a Sava Center that, in addition to saving money, also produces energy itself.

The facility covers an area of 100,000 m2 and therefore the monthly costs are high, the margins in this business are quite small, and the investment of 111 million EUR will not be able to be repaid for decades. We consciously invested these funds and the return on investment, although important, is not our primary focus, but our priority is the importance of the Sava Center for the destination, the reputation of our company and the synergy it achieves with other businesses.

Until we get a chance to see for ourselves, what will be new, and what will be preserved in the interior from the past of Sava Center?

- Recognizable details have been preserved in the interior: the blue hall remains in its color, green ceiling pipes, world map, steel and concrete elements as well as works of art that were protected during the works and remain to decorate the building. The Main Congress Hall, that will have a larger capacity and the ability to accommodate more than 1,000 visitors, with its tapestries and cascading walls has been completely preserved. The new solutions in the interior refer primarily to clearly divided zones, to congress-cultural and business-commercial. Then we created a harmonious combination of old and modern interior elements and formed new spaces like the Winter Garden with a lot of greenery in the interior. Unlike the parts that have been preserved in their authentic appearance, a unique Immersive hall will appear in the Sava Center, which has the possibility of projecting digital content on all walls, thus creating the effect of an "immersive" experience. This hall represents a technological innovation and is available only in a few congress centers in the world.

Sava Center is not only a stake in the future, it should also be the backbone of congress tourism in Belgrade?

- The industry of organizing events, congresses and the like is not the same with Sava Center and without it. With the new Sava Center, Belgrade is undoubtedly returning to the world congress map, because there is no similar facility in the region. Belgrade is already positioned as the natural center of the region, and with the improved and modernized Sava Center, we believe that our destination will become the leading congress destination in this part of Europe.

The wider audience is eagerly awaiting the opening of the Blue Hall, known for its concerts, plays, and film screenings. What are the plans for the Blue Hall?

- As it was built in the late 70s in two phases (first for conference purposes, the congress and business part, then the Blue Hall), that`s how we also approached the reconstruction, in two phases. The Blue Hall will be completed by the summer of next year.

The history of the Sava Center teaches us something else. Since its foundation, it was conceived and began to live as, first of all, a congress center, hosting important political, scientific and business gatherings. Due to various circumstances, the number of congresses was decreasing. We want to return Sava Center to its natural role that was envisioned from the beginning. First of all, it is a key congress, cultural and business center that has an impact on the reputation of the entire destination.