Projects
Apart from a chance to get involved in exciting business, cultural or educational ventures, our projects offer opportunities to meet distinguished business and political figures from both the UK and Slovakia.
SlovAqua Vitae
Slovak health and therapeutic spas and investment
SlovAqua Vitae is a complex SBBC project aimed at introducing and
promoting Slovak therapeutic spas to the UK market and investment
opportunities into spa industry.
January 2007, The International Tourism Fair Slovakiatour’07, Bratislava, Slovakia
Medical tourism and health & therapeutic spa themed presentations
at the Tourism Business Forum at the ITF tourism fair were followed by
info tour for British journalists around prominent therapeutic spas in
Slovakia. The tour was organised with the support of the Slovak Tourist
Board. Find more information here>>>.
Interested in the field of tourism and health spa industry? Find out
about topical investment opportunities, and make the most of them,
through the SBBC Investors’ Club .
Education Programme in Slovakia:
Supporting Cultural Heritage and Investment
The programme is aimed at owners and managers of historical properties
in Slovakia, eg municipalities, regional and national government, and
representatives of associated institutions, e.g. Ministry of Culture of
the Slovak Republic.
It is focused at preparing the owners and managers of Cultural Heritage
properties for engagement with international investors and investment
from abroad to maximise the value achieved.
The education programme will be prepared and delivered by a team of
education specialists, the National Trust, Slovak Environment Ministry,
Office of Monuments of the Slovak Republic, the Association of Towns
and Communities of Slovakia (ZMOS), property investment and legal
advisors, investment banking consultants as well as marketing and PR
advisors.
The educational programme will deal with the management of the local
portfolio of properties, as well as the management of the engagement
with investors.
Suggested Topics
- Defining strategy and policies for successful property sale
- Identifying and clearing all barriers preventing the sale of the property (legal, financial, physical, social) Preparing and following through the sales process in compliance with legal requirements
- Managing investor visits
- Effectively following through after investor visits
- Managing the post-investment process
- Promoting positive image through publicity
- Preparing and managing the investment project
Comments From Our Speakers
Freezing Cold Outside, But Warm About The Heart
By Oliver Maurice, the former head of the National Trust
Would I be prepared to go to Bratislava and speak at the SBBC conference on the National Trust in the UK? It all started with this question. Having worked for the National Trust for 32 years, until I retired 4 years ago and set myself up as an international heritage consultant to National Trusts overseas, I felt reasonably well qualified to deliver.
I will leave others to write about the conference as much of it was in Slovak, which went over my head. I will focus on the wonderfully warm hospitality that was extended to me by my hosts. In the circumstances, ‘warm’ was the operative word since Bratislava was experiencing such cold weather at the time that even the Danube was frozen over.
On the morning of the conference, our hosts took us to the village of Svaty Jur where we were shown a number of historic buildings including an interesting puppet theatre.
Perhaps the highlight was a visit to the cellars of the Palfy Palace for a wine tasting session where a number of the local vintages were on offer.
Dinner on the night of the conference was held at the same venue, the Incheba in Bratislava. This was the equivalent of the Oscars awards for the best of those traders who were represented at the trade fair.
There were musical and dancing interludes and a fantastic buffet dinner where I tasted a number of Slovakian dishes for the first time.
The following day, in seriously sub zero temperatures we visited the Cerveny Kamen Castle, a magnificent fortress with the largest cellars in Europe. As we went inside we were told by our attractive guide that the tour would last 2 hours.
She also informed us that the temperature inside the castle was –5 degrees! I could understand why nearly every room in the castle had a massive wood-burning stove and was not surprised to discover that there were 50 servants involved with keeping them alight in the winter months when the family was in residence.
Back in Bratislava, I visited the Slovak National Trust offices to discuss the draft business plan which I had helped produce; with an hour or so to kill after that, which spent window shopping and drinking delicious hot chocolate, it was time for a wonderful performance of ‘The Masked Ball’ by the National Opera Company of Slovakia.
A visit to a cellar wine bar for dinner and more Slovakian specialities was capped by dancing and singing to a gypsy band until the wee small hours. The reputation for English reserve suddenly evaporated in an aura of champagne and red wine!! I can’t wait to return!
A Tantalising Glimpse
By Michael Taylor, Historic Areas Adviser, English Heritage, West Midlands Region
Sitting on my train on the way to the office on 13th January I could, if challenged, have found the Slovak Republic on a map of Europe fairly confidently, I could have named Bratislava as the capital and offered a few details about the Velvet Revolution and Divorce and Slovakia’s accession to the EU in 2004. That was about the limit to my knowledge of the country.
By the time I made the return journey that evening I had accepted an invitation to speak in Bratislava. Friday the 13th? Unlucky for some! On one level there was a vague sense of disquiet for a public sector conservation professional like me in taking part in what was essentially a commercial seminar aimed at attracting private capital from the UK to Slovakia.
But that slight doubt bore little critical examination. The success of much of my work with English Heritage depends on drawing out finance from the private sector.
The maintenance of the historic environment in England relies overwhelmingly on the commitment of private property owners. And, as far as Slovakia is concerned, we are fellow members of the EU and we all live in the era of globalisation. Slovak properties with British owners are just another facet of the same phenomenon that has brought Estonian waitresses to my local restaurant.
At the SBBC seminar itself I was impressed by the commitment of two First Secretaries from the Slovak Government. It was clear from the seminar papers that the historic resource in Slovakia is vast and fascinating.
Some of the historic buildings for sale were astonishing and it was obvious that any nation would be challenged to generate capital from within its own frontiers to bring such buildings into good repair and new uses. Careful use of traditional methods and materials could be the key to offering investors something precious that Slovakia is well-placed to provide: authenticity.
The visits to the historic centre of Bratislava and to sites outside the city were wonderful, and were clearly only a sample of the riches that the country has to offer. ?erveny Kame? in particular was sublime, especially the cellars, which were like walking through a Piranesi drawing.
I flew back with a hangover from
the previous evening’s hospitality. But I also felt that I had been
privileged to have an inside view, albeit restricted to a tantalising
glimpse, of a part of Europe which is providing much of the continent’s
dynamism.
The issues for the historic environment of Slovakia are
daunting but fascinating. But from many of the Slovaks I talked to I
sensed a confidence in the future, which could be the Republic’s best
asset in bringing new life to those wonderful buildings.
