First European Congress in Renovated Sava Center

Today’s start of the 14th European Nutrition Conference FENS 2023, with more than 1,500 participants, marked the official opening of the congress and business part of the Sava Center, after a thorough renovation in which Delta Holding invested a total of 118 million euros.

The goal of the congress is to bring science and practice closer together, i.e., to make scientific research on nutrition usable for achieving the goals of sustainable development and solving important health challenges arising from the eating habits.

“The organizers of the meeting are the Federation of European Nutrition Societies (FENS) and the Serbian Nutrition Society. We expect a really successful event, because as organizers we have prepared an extremely rich and versatile scientific program, while the hosts from the Sava Center have provided excellent conditions for the stay and work of a large number of delegates,” says Prof. Slađana Šobajić, Dean of the Faculty of Pharmacy of the University of Belgrade and president of the 14th European Nutrition Conference.

The beginning of the work of the congress and business part of the Sava Center was made official today by the CEO of the Sava Center, Kristina Milinčić, and the CEO of the Convention Bureau of the National Tourism Organisation of Serbia, Dušan Borovčanin. The leading person of the national congress organisation was ceremoniously presented with a photo of the Sava Center containing the symbol of Belgrade – the Victor – and the desire to return Belgrade to the world map of major congress events.

"The opening of the Sava Center represents the beginning of a new era for Serbia as a destination. Our whole society can expect significant benefits due to the fact that one of the symbols of the city is again operational. This profit is economic, but also from the exchange of knowledge, from the arrival of the world's leading experts, who will open new spaces for our professionals in almost all areas of work", said Dušan Borovčanin, CEO of the Serbia Convention Bureau.

"The most important result of the opening of the congress and business part of the Sava Center is the return of Belgrade and Serbia to the map of congress destinations in the world." Today, thanks to this European congress, our city has become the center for gathering of leading professionals in the field of nutrition who bring the best world practices, knowledge, experience and new ideas," said Kristina Milinčić, CEO of the Sava Center, and pointed out that thanks to the reconstruction of the Sava Center, Belgrade can now host meetings with more than 5,000 participants.

In addition to the congress area, a business and shopping area covering 30,000 square meters was also opened. In this way, the Sava Center, which is connected with the Crowne Plaza hotel, will represent a unique architectural entity where visitors will have everything under one roof.

The reconstruction of the Sava Center takes place in two phases, thus following the dynamics of its construction in 1977 and 1978. After the opening of the congress and business part, the renovation of the famous Blue Hall, known for numerous concerts, continues, and will receive its first guests in the summer of 2024.