In total, 45 awards were handed out to agencies and individuals from 12 countries. The audience award went to two winners with identical scores: Think Bigger by Portuguese agency Desafio Global and Diamond Mall by Limak DOO Skopje / Diamond Mall. The event agency of the year went to Italian agency Ninetynine.

The title of the best Slovenian event in 2026 went to Creative Pro Adriatic for the Launch of the Quatrac Pro 2 tyre for Vredestein, followed by the Opening of the Homestread Pr’ Mraku and Slavko Oblak Gallery by Zavod za kulturo Bled in second place and Spontanzo agency’s KARNEVAL, an open-air concert celebrating the 10th anniversary of Joker Out, in third. Among 105 finalists from 24 countries, ten Slovenian projects took part, representing nearly one-tenth of all finalists. This growing representation attests to the competitiveness of the Slovenian events industry internationally.

THE STATISTICS BEHIND THE AWARD IN 2026 

SLOVENIAN RESULTS IN THE BROADER EUROPEAN CONTEXT 

The ten Slovenian finalists represented 9.5% of all finalists. The special main category “Best Slovenian Event” enables benchmarking of local projects. Projects that ranked high in international categories also show how competitive Slovenian production is in the European context. The final results are a key reference for competing agencies, their clients, destinations and future international bidding. 

The recipients were selected using a unique 80:20 model that combined assessments by an international expert jury and live audience votes.

The jury assessed the projects according to 12 qualitative criteria, while the finalists pitched their projects live at Ljubljana Castle. Three award recipients were named in the main categories: B2B, B2C, B2E and Crossover, while one winner was announced in each eligible subcategory. Special awards highlighted events that stand out for their creativity, technology, sustainability, strategic communication, community building, and other aspects of excellence. 

“The Unicorn Awards are not merely recognition for a peerless project. The real value is that award-winning projects become visible to a broad international community and foster new opportunities. This year, 200 guests from 103 organisations and 27 countries watched the finalists’ presentations in Ljubljana, including more than 80 client representatives. In other words, an excellent project can become a reference point for a new brief, novel partnership or the basis for organising the project in another market. The success of Slovenian finalists is just as important, as it shows that local expertise, know-how, creativity and excellence in delivery can rival the best European projects. That is the purpose of the Unicorn Awards: not only to reward excellence, but to make it visible, relevant and useful for the development of the entire industry,” said Gorazd Čad, the founder of the Unicorn Awards.

Below is an overview of the awards and recipients.

MAIN CATEGORIES 

B2B EVENTS

1ST PLACE: Ferrari Capital Markets Day 2025 & Technology & Innovation Workshop
Ninetynine, Italy

2ND PLACE: Deloitte IRGA Awards (37th Edition of the Investor Relations and Governance Awards)
Desafio Global, Portugal

3RD PLACE: Think Bigger
Desafio Global, Portugal

B2C EVENTS

1ST PLACE: Planet Budapest
Unger & Partners, Hungary

2ND PLACE: The Breathing Space
NOSLEEPTILLBROOKLYN, Norway

3RD PLACE: Paralympic Opening Ceremony Milano Cortina 2026
Filmmaster S.p.a, Italy

B2E EVENTS

1ST PLACE: This Is Eiendom
Just Cruzin’Production AS, Norway

2ND PLACE: Deloitte Portugal Christmas Party
iMotion Events, Portugal

3RD PLACE: The Birthday Party: A Moment Once in Two Centuries
Event Arena, s.r.o., Czech Republic

CROSSOVER EVENTS

1ST PLACE: Nespresso Capsule on the Vienna Giant Ferris Wheel Promotion
KESCH Live Marketing AG, Austria

2ND PLACE: Ferrari Luce World Premiere
Ninetynine, Italy

3RD PLACE: Mediterranean Phase of the Amerigo Vespucci
World Tour and Closing Events
Ninetynine, Italy

BEST SLOVENIAN EVENTS

1ST PLACE: Launch of the Quatrac Pro 2 by Vredestein Tyres
Creative Pro, Slovenia

2ND PLACE: Opening of the Pr’ Mrako Heritage Homestead & Gallery Slavko Oblak
Zavod za kulturo Bled, Slovenia

3RD PLACE: KARNEVAL – Concert Celebrating Joker Out’s 10th Anniversary
SPONTANZO, Slovenia

SUBCATEGORIES

SC1: BEST CONFERENCE, CONGRESS, CONVENTION
Ferrari Capital Markets Day 2025 & Technology & Innovation
Workshop
Ninetynine, Italy

SC2: TRADE SHOW / EXHIBITION / FAIR
Lords of the Fallen
Jack Morton, Germany

SC3: PRODUCT OR SERVICE LAUNCH
Ferrari Luce World Premiere
Ninetynine, Italy

SC4: CEREMONY
Deloitte IRGA Awards (37th Edition of the Investor Relations and Governance Awards)
Desafio Global, Portugal

SC5: PRESS EVENT
Ferrari Capital Markets Day 2025 & Technology & Innovation Workshop
Ninetynine, Italy

SC6: FESTIVAL
Trådi Rīga, SIA
“SponsorKing”, Latvia

SC7: SPORTS EVENT
Olympic Closing Ceremony Milano Cortina 2026
Filmmaster S.p.a, Italy

SC8: CULTURAL / MUSIC EVENT
Paralympic Opening Ceremony Milano Cortina 2026
Filmmaster S.p.a, Italy

SC9: ROADSHOW
The Breathing Space
NOSLEEPTILLBROOKLYN, Norway

SC10: INTERNAL TRAINING / EDUCATION EVENT
THIS IS EIENDOM
Just Cruzin’ Production AS Norway

SC11: TEAMBUILDING EVENT
THIS IS EIENDOM
Just Cruzin’ Production AS Norway

SC12: INTERNAL CELEBRATION
Deloitte Portugal – Christmas Party
iMotion Events, Portugal

SC13: POP-UP EVENT
IKEA Sleepover Bag – A Night You’ll Never Forget
KESCH Live Marketing AG, Austria

SC14: BRAND ACTIVATION
The Entry Room, by SpareBank1 Østlandet and Retail Factory
Retail Factory AS, Norway

SC15: CSR / NON-PROFIT EVENT
Diamond Mall
Limak DOO Skopje / Diamond Mall

SC16: INCENTIVE/REWARD TRIP
Launch of the Quatrac Pro 2 by Vredestein Tyres
CREATIVE PRO, Slovenia

SC17: LUXURY/LIFESTYLE EVENT
Ferrari Luce World Premiere
Ninetynine, Italy

SC19: PUBLIC INSTITUTION / GOVERNMENT EVENT
Mediterranean Phase of the Amerigo Vespucci World Tour and Closing Events
Ninetynine, Italy

SC20: GRAND SHOW / SPECTACLE CEREMONY
Olympic Closing Ceremony Milano Cortina 2026
Filmmaster S.p.a, Italy

SPECIAL AWARDS

SA1: GRAND PRIX AWARD
Paralympic Opening Ceremony

SA2: AUDIENCE Award
Think Bigger, Desafio Global, Portugal
Diamond Mall, Limak DOO Skopje / Diamond Mall

SA3: Best EVENT AGENCY
Ninetynine, Italy

SA4: Best in CREATIVITY
Škoda Auto – Ooooh That’s Epiq!
Gattinoni & Co srl, Italy

SA5: Best in CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY
The Breathing Space
NOSLEEPTILLBROOKLYN, Norway

SA6: Best USE OF TECHNOLOGY
PPC 1st Energy Management Meetings
Magna Events, Greece

SA7: Best IN COMMUNITY BUILDING AND ENGAGEMENT
Lords of the Fallen
Jack Morton, Germany

SA8: Best SUSTAINABLE EVENT / PLANET POSITIVE EVENT AWARD
HERE CES 2026
Jack Morton, Germany

SA9: Best IN STRATEGIC COMMUNICATION
Škoda Auto – Ooooh, taht‘s Epiq!
Gattinoni & Co srl Italy

SA10: RISING STAR AWARD
Tea Čapko
ALERT, Croatia

SA11: Best EVENT FORMAT INNOVATION
Future Unfold 2025
Magna Events, Greece

Toleranca Marketing and Conventa organise the festival in partnership with Ljubljana Tourism, the Slovenian Tourist Board, and the Slovenian Convention Bureau.

Learn more about the event, festival, and competition here. 

The finalists will compete live in front of the audience and jury across four main categories. In 2026, most events will compete in the B2C category (43.8%), targeting the general public and clients. This is followed by B2B events (27.6%), dedicated to business-to-business events. Crossover events (16.2%) connect both target audiences, while B2E events (12.4%) address employees and focus on internal communication, connections, and motivation.

The diversity of this year’s grand finale is further underlined by the fact that finalists will compete in 19 of the 20 available subcategories. Most projects will compete in the following subcategories: best conference and congress, best brand activation and best product launch. Other events will compete to receive the titles of best cultural and music event, best festival, best sports event, best ceremony, best trade show, best internal event, and best spectacle.

This year’s finalists hail from 24 countries, underscoring the increasingly international scope of the competition. Among the most represented countries are Poland, Italy, Slovenia, Greece, Portugal, Austria, Norway and Hungary. Numerous projects from New Europe are among the finalists.

The central part of the event programme is the live pitching of finalists in front of an audience and expert jury at Ljubljana Castle. On Monday, 7 September 2026, presentations of the best projects will take place throughout the day. According to the organisers, the live pitching provides an exclusive insider look behind the scenes of the European events industry, its creative approaches, production challenges, and latest trends.

Further confirming the quality and influence of the participating agencies is that over 48% of competing agencies made the list of the most influential event agencies in Europe, compiled by Kongres Magazine in partnership with the Unicorn Awards.

The meeting of the expert jury will take place on Tuesday, 8 September 2026. The jury will convene to reach a final decision, and symbolic white smoke will waft over Ljubljana Castle, announcing that the winners have been selected. The winners will then claim their deserved awards at the stately evening ceremony. Regulated and rigorous jury guidelines represent one of the key pillars of the event’s trustworthiness and one of the reasons events from across Europe participate. Further information regarding the jury work is available at the following link.

The awards for the best Slovenian event will also be given out in 2026. This year, 10 Slovenian projects reached the grand finale, nearly a tenth of all finalists. These projects show Slovenia’s presence in the events industry amid international competition.

“To organise an event for people who organise the industry’s largest events is no simple feat, with expectations set truly high.”

Commenting on this year’s tremendous response, Gorazd Čad, the project founder, emphasised: “If you develop something for fifteen years, you must be on to something. We kept thinking outside the box, tried and tested new ideas, and dared to provoke the industry. That is why I see the positive feedback on our rebranding and evolution from the international events community as a milestone kudos. At the same time, this great interest brings a great responsibility. To organise an event for people who organise the industry’s largest events is no simple feat, with expectations set truly high. I am particularly proud of our dedicated, diligent and creative team, with whom we have been crafting a project that goes beyond Slovenia’s borders. I am eager for this year’s event to start and look forward to future years of development and new ideas.”

The final day of the event preceding the evening award ceremony will be dedicated to a knowledge-sharing, content-driven conference. Over the years, the festival has gained fame for hosting renowned speakers. In 2026, the Unicorns stage will feature speakers from the marketing world, festival scene, music realm, and live experience industry who will discuss staying abreast of and co-creating trends. You can see the event programme at the following link.

The festival is organised by Toleranca marketing and Conventa trade show in partnership with Ljubljana Tourism, the Slovenian Tourist Board and the Slovenian Convention Bureau.

Learn more about the event here. 

The European events industry has entered a new era. Events are no longer mere logistically peerless exhibitions, but strategic tools used to instil trust, increase visibility, build culture, drive sales, and create a sense of belonging. In an era of artificial intelligence, sustainability demands, economic insecurity, and increasingly demanding clients, live communication shows the merit of brands, organisations and institutions.

That is why we created the European Top 100 event agency leaders in 2026, an editorial selection of Kongres Magazine in partnership with the Unicorn Awards. The list includes the top 100 agency leaders who co-create the future of Europe’s events and live experience industry through their work, influence, and results.

The selection includes 819 vetted agencies from 41 European markets, among which we carefully selected the 100 most visible leaders. Far from a popularity ranking, a public vote, or a self-promotion stunt, the list is an editorial, methodology-based map of influence. It recognises leaders with a proven track record, creative touch, business relevance, and pan-European reach.

European unicorns of live communication

Fifteen years ago, the idea of the Unicorn Awards sprang up from a simple yet powerful conviction: the best event organisers need a trustworthy European platform to showcase their work, benchmark against others, get inspired and learn from one another. This platform should not be reserved for London, Amsterdam, Barcelona or Berlin. It should be available across Europe, in different languages, for different budgets, cultures and creative environments.

Today, the most famed live experience agencies operate more multidisciplinary than ever. They help build trust, improve visibility, strengthen brand culture and reputation, and create strategies that people understand.

The name is not coincidental. Truly extraordinary events are few and look like unicorns. Everyone talks about them, few search for them, but a handful actually encounter them. An event only becomes exceptional when it eclipses its production perfection. It changes behaviour, creates value and leaves a trace long after it finishes. Today, the most famed live experience agencies operate more multidisciplinary than ever. They help build trust, improve visibility, strengthen brand culture and reputation, and create strategies that people understand. That is the core of the modern experience economy: a brand is not what it says about itself, but what it makes people feel.

The ranking as a portrait of leadership

The Top 100 is more than a list of affluent agencies. It is a portrait of the many faces of leadership across the European meetings and events industry. Among those recognised are founders, group CEOs, creative leaders, operational experts, builders of international networks, and regional specialists. They show that influence is not determined solely by market size. As such, the ranking is both an accolade and a snapshot in time. The former, because every profile is based on a measurable position within Europe’s competitive landscape, and the latter, because it captures a moment when events are moving from the margins of marketing plans to the centre of business, cultural and public life.

The final ranking and the accompanying PDF publication will be officially released on 17 July 2026. Until then, two finalists will be revealed each day on the official Leaders List website: https://www.unicornawards.eu/leaderslist2026.

Which facets does the Power Index 2026 measure?

The essence of the ranking is the Power Index 2026, a score measured on a 100-point scale. It goes far beyond revenue, headcount or industry awards. Instead, it asks a broader question: how strongly do a leader and their agency demonstrate influence within the European meetings and events industry?

The index combines eight evaluation areas: the alignment between the leader and the agency, the agency’s scale and business performance measured through revenue and number of employees, awards and market recognition, personal visibility and influence, professional networks and ecosystem, creativity and innovation, sustainability and responsibility, and the quality of publicly available data.

For the 2026 edition, the Unicorn threshold was set at 60.51 Power Index points, representing the minimum score required to be included in the Top 100. The threshold was established following the assessment of 819 agencies across 41 European markets.

A high score does not imply that there is a single ideal agency model. It does, however, indicate that the combined profile of the leader and the agency shows a compelling blend of market presence, external recognition, creative relevance and measurable industry influence.

A methodology that takes the industry seriously

The ranking is underpinned by a structured editorial methodology that builds on Kongres Magazine’s long-standing work tracking influential figures in the meetings and events industry, dating back to 2014. The purpose is not to reduce leadership to a formula, but to ensure that recognition is based on measurable achievements rather than visibility, personal networks or the size of a domestic market.

Truly exceptional events are rare. Everyone talks about them, everyone seeks them, but only a select few ever create them.

The assessment draws exclusively on publicly available sources, including industry awards, reference rankings, agency data, business performance indicators, participation in professional ecosystems, market records and verified leadership roles. Sustainability is also an integral part of the methodology through the Planet Positive Event framework, which evaluates responsible event production, carbon-conscious planning, supplier selection, accessibility, inclusion, waste management, and wider social impact. Most importantly, the ranking rewards evidence rather than promises. In an industry where reliable data are often fragmented and unevenly available, transparency and traceability have become essential markers of professional excellence.

Why does a ranking like this matter at all?

The European events industry is international in its ambitions but often local in its visibility. Many outstanding agencies operate far beyond the continent’s best-known outposts, in markets that are creatively vibrant yet receive little international attention. The ranking addresses this imbalance while providing a common point of reference for clients, media, institutions and the industry itself. It identifies those who are setting new standards, delivering exceptional work and shaping the next chapter of the European events industry.

Many outstanding agencies operate far beyond the continent’s best-known outposts, in markets that are creatively vibrant yet receive little international attention.

The 2026 edition represents agencies from 41 countries and markets, which together generate annual revenues of 2.11 billion EUR and employ approximately 27,600 people. The ranking also includes 26 agencies from New Europe, showing that the continent’s creative strength is no longer concentrated solely in its traditional centres and established markets.

Find out more about the competition here. 

Today, fifteen years later, I can say with certainty that the idea has succeeded. The Unicorn Awards have become one of the most recognisable expert events within the European events industry. Since the beginning, Ljubljana has hosted representatives of virtually every event agency considered to be in the European and even global elite. The registered projects include events of nearly all global brands, while the jury members are among the industry’s most influential experts.

The names are not the biggest recognition, though. The fact that Unicorn Awards is known and respected by people who co-create the future of events is the greatest feat.

This acclaim was not gained overnight. The competition grew and changed over the years. First, it was known as the Unicorn Awards, then as the Best Event Award, later as the Conventa Best Event Award. Today, it is once again the Unicorn Awards.

One of the unique features of the Unicorn Awards is its pan-European dimension. It is one of the few international competitions dedicated exclusively to the finest European events, enabling a comparison of projects from various markets, cultures and creative environments on a unified expert platform.

Why the unicorn?

Because world-class events are a lot like unicorns: everyone talks about them. Everyone looks for them. Few encounter them, though. An event only becomes a unicorn when it exceeds expectations. A unicorn event is not only perfectly organised, but changes the way people think, creates value and leaves a mark long after the curtains fall and the stage props go into the wardrobe. Such projects are rare, and that is why we wish to recognise them.

In an era when the events industry is increasingly pressured by AI, economic insecurity, sustainability demands, and ever-higher client expectations, it is vital, perhaps more than ever, to be adept at distinguishing between great and exceptional. The Unicorn Awards competition was created precisely because of this. Not to award unicorn-shaped prizes, but to set standards.

Personally, I am most proud of something else. Over the years, I have heard numerous comments about the competition, but one is truly recurring. Attendees consistently say the Unicorn Awards are one of the most trustworthy and credible event competitions. To me, that is the highest recognition. A competition has no value if the industry does not trust it. No jury is great if their decision are not objective and based on expertise. Finally, no festival can serve as a reference case if it does not remain independent, transparent, and focused on quality.

We hope to remain a platform of excellence in the future

Our goal is not merely to continue the story of the past fifteen years. We aim to rewrite it every year. We want to open topics that will mark the future of events. Our goal is to connect the best creative minds from Europe and the world. We want to create experiences that make people return to Ljubljana, not because they have to, but because they wish to be part of something extraordinary.

in the event world, there is a simple rule of thumb: the size of a city never determines the size of a city’s ideas.

Perhaps the most exciting part of the event is that it takes place in Ljubljana, a city that some still search for on Europe’s map, much longer than they do for Paris or London. But, in the event world, there is a simple rule of thumb: the size of a city never determines the size of a city’s ideas. If our competition proves anything, it proves this rule. A smaller destination can create an event the whole of Europe talks about. A tiny community can beat big budgets. Trust can outdo marketing. Often, the best stories are written where no one expects them.

Do you believe in unicorns?

After fifteen years, the question in the title is no longer rhetorical: do you believe in unicorns? Of course we do. We have been diligently searching for them among the best European events for fifteen years. Every year, we find a few.

Unicorns are rare. That is why it is worth finding them. That is why the Unicorn Awards remain a space where the European events industry annually showcases its best, boldest and most unforgettable stories.

If you believe your event is among them, enter it in the Unicorn Awards 2026 and shine on the European stage. Find out more here.