November 19, 2020 – Adria Business Network #12 was held at the FORUM Congress Center in Zagreb with special guest Jako Andabak.
Organized by entrepreneurs Željka Barišić, owner of Forca Digital Agency (www.forcadigitalagency.com) and Kristina Krstinić, owner of MIKRIS Project Management (www.mikris.eu), the goal of the event is business networking in Croatia and the region, creating business opportunities and encouraging continuous education. The event allows all participants to get to know each other and network better and targeted.
The guest lecturer was Jako Andabak, owner of the largest hotel chain in Central Dalmatia – Bluesun Hotels & Resorts – which consists of 11 hotels, 4 resorts, and 1 camp where he combines many years of experience and tourist traditions of Brela, Tucepi, Bol, Supetar and Starigrad Paklenica providing innovation, new technology and implementation of international standards.
Jako Andabak looked back on his schooling, his first entrepreneurial steps, and motives. Quality, he says, is primarily about the service, what everything is based on, regardless of which sector it is. It results in a satisfied guest, who returns, and the capital grows, and then it is possible to further invest in raising the quality:
“Croatia deserves a higher level of quality than it currently has – we have opened up opportunities to attract and receive guests of higher purchasing power through tourist services. What does investing mean? It does not primarily go to decorating rooms, but first to people to provide superior service, then to the environment because the guest does not want a huge facility, created for mass tourism, he needs an experience, authentic Mediterranean. He is willing to pay well for it.”
He looked back on the 2020 season, the toughest and shortest ever, which hit the hotel sector hardest, forcing them to work in a completely different, new environment where the hotel operations system changed almost fundamentally. Everyone had to adapt almost overnight. Regardless, looking at the peak season, which showed that recovery is possible, especially where a quality product was offered, he believes that in two years, with a vaccine and normalized situation, the numbers will reach those great results from 2019.
The organizers and leaders of the event were thrilled:
“We are extremely pleased with Mr. Andabak’s lecture, for which we needed a bigger hall, not just more chairs. From his rich life and entrepreneurial experience, our guest looked back at the very beginnings of his business, then commented on the situation related to tourism and the upcoming season. His reflections were joined by a large number of those present in the audience with their questions. Most of our visitors are established entrepreneurs, but this time we also had students from Aspira High School who stimulated an interesting discussion with their questions and brought new energy to the whole event,” said Željka Barišić, owner of Forca Digital Agency and one of the founders of Adria Business Network.
Kristina Krstinić, owner of MIKRIS Project Management in Zagreb and co-founder of Adria Business Network, was also pleased: “I am delighted that our guest was such a big and successful entrepreneur as Jako Andabak. The response was great, and the hall was full of knowledgeable and eager people. We have learned that quality control of services and harmonization of interests is the most important thing in business, and that satisfied employees lead to a satisfied guest, which results in the growth of the company and the brand.”
The diamond partner of the event is A1. Silver sponsors are FINA and ManpowerGroup. The event sponsors are the Bagatin Polyclinic, the FORUM Zagreb Congress Center, and Kreativ info.
Partners are Vladimir Abicic Photography, Aero Print, Kupinovo vino – Kupilek, Valenta wines, PLACE2GO, Aspira High School, and Planet Art Theater.
The event’s media partners are the magazine and portal Poduzetnik, magazine and portal Zaposlena, Netokracija, She.hr, Zagrebonline.hr, Rep.hr, Glas Istre, Flash.hr, Moja Domovina, Total Croatia News, Fama, ZgExpress, Academy of Art and Radio 92 FM.
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