We're incredibly proud of our colleague - AIGARS SMILTANS or how we and the industry leaders like to call him Mr. Riga, for his outstanding representation of Convention Riga. 🎉 Aigars' dedication and innovative contributions have been instrumental in our success, ensuring we are always in excellent hands. Congratulations on your achievements and the ongoing impact you make! Get in touch with Aigars at: https://meetriga.com/en/ #Proud #BusinessRiga #ConventionRiga #MeetingsProfs #EventProfs
Yep, it is me! As I celebrate my third anniversary at the Riga Investment and Tourism Agency / Business Riga, I reflect on my 11-year journey with the Riga Tourism Development Bureau and my 14-year association with the MEET RIGA brand. These milestones, along with my over 20 years in the travel industry, have shaped my professional journey. Despite a near-dismissal in 2013 following a cover interview in #HeadQuarters magazine / Meeting Media Group, thanks to Remi Deve, Cécile Koch, I've persevered, learning from the ups and downs and always moving forward with a smile. I have broken several meeting and event industry habits and created a few new solutions and trends. To mention some of them: - One of my pivotal decisions was in 2010 when I proposed using MEET RIGA for the convention bureau. This strategic move made us stand out at media and trade shows and simplified our branding, making it more memorable. While it led to some initial confusion, with clients mistaking us for a DMC or event agency, the benefits outweighed the drawbacks. - The www.MeetRiga.com web page was planned, built, and launched to help events and meeting planners save time and find the most suitable local suppliers with a few clicks. I decided not to hide a search window in the second or third layer page but to bring it in front! Simple web page architecture and being created as an open data source favoured many meetings and event planners. - Sharing is caring! I started my duties when everyone was still rather closed, self-focused, and protective. But at the ICCA Congress in Buenos Aires, I realized that if you can share some of your know-how with colleagues from another CVB, it pays back, and you can also ask for advice from them! One of the main gains of these years is that I met many marvellous people in the meeting and event industry with whom I could share and learn, as well as form some new friendship bonds! #celebration #sharingiscaring #meetingsprofs #eventprofs