Weekend.19 has announced the program for its upcoming edition, which will bring together more than 7,500 visitors and over 200 speakers from the region and around the world in Rovinj from 24 to 27 September. For the first time, the program will begin on Thursday morning, with events taking place at the former Tobacco Factory Rovinj and the Grand Park Hotel Rovinj.
The biggest change compared with previous editions is the expansion to eight festival programs. Alongside Weekend.19, HR.Weekend, Tech.Weekend powered by Telemach, Finance.Weekend, Energy.Weekend poweredUP by E.ON and Investment.Weekend, Health.Weekend and Education.Weekend will be held as separate programs for the first time. Tech.Weekend is also expanding to two days.
The program will take place across 11 halls, including a new dome dedicated to short presentations of the business models behind Croatian and international companies.
“The success of Weekend can actually be summed up in a very simple formula: interesting people discussing important issues in an informal atmosphere. That relaxed setting is precisely our magic ingredient. People do not come to Weekend just to listen to talks; they come to meet, exchange ideas, initiate collaborations and become part of an atmosphere that is difficult to convey outside Rovinj. Weekend continues to grow and open new topics, but the most important things remain the same: openness, curiosity and an informal atmosphere,” said Tomo Ricov, Program Director of Weekend.19.
The central program will cover creativity, media, technology and changes in the digital environment. Fredrik Haren, known as The Creativity Explorer, will discuss the creation of ideas in the age of artificial intelligence, while British journalist and author James Bloodworth will examine contemporary male identity, the manosphere and digital communities.
Laura Bermudez, CTO of DrumWave, is coming from Silicon Valley to discuss the value of data and the relationship between users, companies and digital platforms. The speakers also include Ulrik Haagerup, founder of the Constructive Institute and an advocate of constructive journalism, while the team behind the film The Wedding will also appear before the audience.
The fourth edition of HR.Weekend will focus on the relationship between management and HR, the impact of technology on work, and the role of organizational culture and leadership in business performance. Alongside the previously announced Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic and Asmus Komm, the program will feature Aneta Godzwon, HR & Capability Development Director at the Orbico Group, and Marina Morić, Head of Human Resources at Croatia Control. Discussions will be divided between two halls and several formats, ranging from panel discussions to less formal meetings.
Finance.Weekend will place financial management within the context of different industries. Stuart Mauchline, Senior Vice President of Finance at Virgin Music, will discuss the music industry, while Léa Raiche-Marsden, VP of Finance at Leanspace, will address the space technology sector. The program will also cover international financial management, telecommunications infrastructure and the limits of applying artificial intelligence to business decision-making.
This year’s Tech.Weekend powered by Telemach connects topics ranging from startups, engineering decisions and AI agents to fintech, hardware and robotics. Snježana Miliša, co-founder of Merlin Hat, and Jelena Jurišić, Chief Technology Officer at the ENT Group, will discuss the differences in the pace of development between startups and corporations, while Tomislav Maras, IT Director at Maistra, will examine the impact of technology on tourism.
Nenad Mandić, Head of AI at Abysalto, will discuss robotics, while representatives of Infobip, Own Solutions and Telemach Croatia will examine the relationship between technology and customer experience. The program will also feature Mate Rimac, founder and CEO of the Rimac Group.
Investment.Weekend will cover investments in real estate, funds, fintech and new business models. Igor Čanadi, a member of the technical staff at OpenAI, will discuss the difference between the real value of artificial intelligence and the investment expectations surrounding it.
Boro Vujović, owner and director of Opereta Real Estate, and Andrej Erjavec, Management Board Member at InterCapital Real Estate, will compare buying an apartment directly with investing in a commercial real estate fund. Roko Živković, founder of the Museum of Illusions, and Slaven Kordić, Managing Partner and founder of Invera Equity Partners, will connect entrepreneurial and investment perspectives.
The second edition of Energy.Weekend poweredUP by E.ON brings together representatives of the energy sector and companies including KONČAR, INA and HEP. Its main topics will be the energy transition, security of supply and the impact of energy decisions on business competitiveness. Nikša Sviličić will discuss decision-making under conditions of uncertainty, Iva Rogović Lekić, CEO of GrECo Specialty, will address the integration of energy into business strategy, while Diego Cucurachi, CEO of AMARC DHP, will discuss the commercial use of waste heat in industrial facilities.
The first Health.Weekend will address new healthcare technologies, prevention and the increasingly active role of patients. Victoria Loomes, Senior Trend Analyst at TrendWatching, will present global trends in healthcare and wellbeing. Borka Pezo Nikolić, a cardiologist at University Hospital Centre Zagreb, and Mario Ravić from Ericsson Nikola Tesla will discuss home diagnostics, self-monitoring and telemedicine.
The inaugural Education.Weekend will open discussions about critical thinking, science communication and adapting education to new generations. The program will feature educator and astronomer Korado Korlević, astrophysicist and member of the team behind the science YouTube channel Veritasium Gregor Čavlović, university professor and author Kenan Crnkić, and Ranko Rajović, creator of the NTC learning system.
Alongside the conference program, the event will include evening gatherings and a major Saturday finale, with further details to be announced later. The schedule of all festival programs, the speakers and ticket information are available on the official Weekend.19 website.
