Meeting Hubs in New Europe: Bratislava Leader of The Pack
If a city is liveable, it is also visitable
IF A CITY IS LIVEABLE, IT IS ALSO VISITABLE
Bratislava places very high on the quality of life index. We looked at what this means for meeting planners.
Several indexes evaluate the quality of life, however, it is difficult to compare them. We decided to take a closer look at some of the most intriguing benchmarks.
“LIVEABLE CITIES SUPPORT THE HEALTH, WELLBEING AND THE QUALITY OF LIFE OF PEOPLE WHO LIVE AND WORK IN THEM”.
Among the most recognisable indices are the Mercer’s Quality of Living Survey and The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) Liveability Index. They measure metrics such as crime rates, healthcare, infrastructure, quality of water, levels of corruption, culture and education, down to availability of sporting facilities and environmental concerns. The mentioned metrics are also criteria that have a direct impact on meeting planners. Even the increasing number of digital nomads, preferably choose cities with a high quality of life and fast internet.
In a study by EIU, they compared 140 cities around the world. BRATISLAVA placed among the top 10 cities, where the improvements in infrastructure, education and security were the most significant. Bratislava has gone from the segment of cities where “everyday life is good, yet some aspects are problematic” to a group of cities where “there are no problems or very few”. Both Prague and Budapest placed higher in the ranking.
Analysis has shown that medium-sized cities in prosperous countries are the best cities to live in.
The American consulting firm Mercer compiles a similar index. The research is based on 39 criteria and focuses on helping international organisations and companies set wages for foreign/remote employees. Among the numerous criteria, they evaluate apartments, political stability, crime rates, free-time activities, infrastructure, healthcare, education and economics. In 2019 the ranking compared 231 cities.
According to Mercer, Vienna tops the global ranking for the 10th year running, closely followed by the runner-up, Zurich. Closely behind are Munich, Vancouver and Auckland, respectively. Bratislava is among the highest-placing cities in Central Europe. Regarding the quality of life, Prague (69), Ljubljana (74), Budapest (76) and Bratislava (80) are similarly ranked. The mentioned cities have made the biggest leap regarding the quality of life and are slowly reaching Vienna, the leading destination for numerous years.
There are certainly several other criteria that will affect the decisions of meeting planners. For instance, if we look at the development of information technology and the circumstances for entrepreneurship and start-ups, the previously mentioned cities are perhaps even underrated.
BRATISLAVA IS A GREAT EXAMPLE OF A CHARMING CITY WITH AN ASTONISHING INFRASTRUCTURE THAT CAN BE EXPERIENCED AND DISCOVERED AT A MUCH LOWER PRICE THAN ITS NEIGHBOURING, MORE RENOWNED DESTINATIONS.
Let’s take a look at another appealing data, gathered by digital nomads. If you wish to find out how Bratislava looks through the scope of the millennial generation, this website is a must: www.nomadlist.com. A detailed look into the list of indexes can tell about the quality of life in the “new normal”.
A digital nomad is a person, who does their job online, regardless of the location. He can operate from various locations worldwide; from hostels, cafes, libraries, coworking offices to airports. The most common jobs that digital nomads have are blogger, website developer, a graphic designer,
Digital nomads awarded Bratislava with high marks. In particular, the ratio between the quality of life and cost of living is remarkable. Bratislava is way ahead of the competition in the region in this segment.
There are a number of positive factors, attributed to Bratislava by digital nomads, which are also crucial for event organising in Bratislava:
– Great quality-of-life to cost-of-living ratio
– Easy accessible with all means of transport
– Bratislava is a safe city
– Fast and reliable internet
– The city isn’t crowded
– Easy to do business
– High quality of education
If we leave aside the chilly winters that agitated a few digital nomads, Bratislava did an excellent job. In our opinion, the Slovakian capital is one of those destinations that will continue to surprise in the future. In any case, the insight into the various quality of life indexes is a good benchmark for meeting planners after the corona crisis.
