Audience Analytics as a Driver of Development: What the Croatian and Slovenian Markets Reveal About the Future of the Event Industry

In his column for Poslovni dnevnik, our director Damir Vranić delivers a thoughtful analysis of the Croatian and Slovenian markets, opening a key question: what does audience behaviour truly tell us about destination development and the evolution of the event industry?

As he notes:

“When interpreted as a data signal, an event becomes a destination management instrument: in Slovenia it maintains stability, while in Croatia it creates waves of growth. In both cases, analytics acts as a bridge between emotion and decision, transforming experience into a manageable strategy.”

By comparing two geographically close yet structurally different markets, Vranić illustrates how the audience is emerging as a crucial data resource for long-term planning and sustainable industry development. Differences in demand rhythm, audience structure, and purchase behaviour offer valuable insights for destinations seeking to better manage capacities, investments, and strategic directions.

The analysis reinforces that success in the event industry is not built solely on emotion and experience – but on the ability to translate those emotions into measurable indicators. Understanding audience dynamics thus becomes the foundation for sustainable growth and informed destination management.

 Read the full column here.