Organization of International Medical Congresses as Possibility for Extending Croatian Tourist Offer

Abstract

Organization of international medical congresses is a perfect example of multidisciplinary cooperation with professional medical associations and Medical schools on one side and professional congress organizers on the other. Medical congresses are perhaps most frequent congresses in the world. Organization of medical congresses can be achieved in a number of ways: Organizers can be local professional associations or Medical schools, international professional associations and international professional congress organizers. To be nominated for organization of a congress, successful cooperation of medical professionals is needed, especially doctors and professional congress organizers. Success largely depends on knowledge of the availability of conference halls, available accommodations in the vicinity of the congress halls, ease of access to the congress destination, expectancies of possible candidates who will attend in connection to the congress destination, lobbying for nomination for organization of a congress. This article will analyze availability of conference halls in Croatia, accommodation capacities, transport possibilities. For the needs of this article, pilot questionnaire was constructed about demands of possible participants and their preferable destinations to be visited. Statistical analysis of Medical congresses in Europe is also shown according to geographical spreading. Concluding the article, we show that better education of medical staff about the possibilities of professional congress organizing are very important, as well as sharing of the experiences from big congresses among the medical professional in the field of medical congress organization. With multidisciplinary approach of all participants in organization of the congress (Ministry of Tourism, Croatian Tourist Association, Croatian Associations of professionals in congress tourism, hotels, medical professionals) Croatia could be much better recognized as destination for organizing medical congresses.

Keywords

• congress tourism
• medical congresses
• multidisciplinary cooperation