In this interview, we delve into the remarkable story of Milos Dimitrijevic, the General Manager and Partner of MIROSS PCO/BTA/DMC/VEO. Join us as Milos shares his experiences, notable accomplishments, leadership style, and the values that have guided him along the way. Discover what sets MIROSS apart from other organizations, how Milos navigated the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, and his aspirations for the future. Get ready to be inspired by Milos’s journey as a business leader and his relentless pursuit of excellence in the field of event management and destination services.
Personal Journey and Motivation
Milos Dimitrijevic’s journey in the event industry began 25 years ago when he had the opportunity to travel, work, and learn from his Aunt Mirjana Saletic, the brave founder and owner of MIROSS at that time. He greatly admired her achievements in challenging times in Yugoslavia, which motivated him to follow in her footsteps. Milos embarked on academic pursuits in Economics and completed master’s studies in organizational science, becoming an Engineer of organizational sciences—a perfect foundation for the events industry. This academic background instilled principles of thorough research, effective communication, and information accuracy.
Transitioning into the professional world, Milos had the privilege of working with esteemed professionals in the field, gaining experience from the ground up. This included bidding for international clients and events, mastering procurement procedures, organizing high-level events, and presenting MIROSS’s work in various recognized international organizations and events.
Throughout his career, Milos witnessed the transformative impact of digitalization on the events landscape. He actively embraced new technologies and platforms to enhance interaction, participation, and adaptability to evolving audience preferences.
Milos’s passion for high-level events, conventions, sustainable business travel, and event management services has driven him to explore complex subjects and present them in a way that resonates with clients. In his role as General Manager of all MIROSS operations, he has consistently demonstrated commitment to promoting accurate and impactful client relations, including organizing high-level state events, international organization events, online events, and business and events travel management services.
Milos is genuinely excited about contributing to esteemed publications, aligning his background with values of insightful, well-researched, and thought-provoking content.
Significant Accomplishments
Milos Dimitrijevic’s most significant accomplishments include involvement in organizing more than 3000 events, including high-level events. He has been invited to speak, moderate, or chair key events in the industry, such as the 60th and 61st ICCA CONGRESS, ICCA EUROPE, ICCA Central European Chapter events, UZAKROTA SERBIA, UZAKROTA EUROPE, and Lufthansa City Center global events. These experiences have honed his skills in conducting in-depth interviews, crafting compelling narratives, and adhering to the highest industry standards.
Leadership Style and Approach
Milos describes his leadership style as collaborative and transformational. He fosters a culture of innovation, accountability, and empowerment within the organization. His approach includes providing a clear vision, empowering team members, promoting open communication, involving the team in decision-making, and supporting continuous learning. Milos leads by example, sets high standards, nurtures innovation, and prioritizes well-being. He emphasizes results, mentorship, and growth, creating an environment where every team member feels valued and inspired.
Unique Strategies and Initiatives
To differentiate MIROSS in the market, Milos and his team have implemented several unique strategies and initiatives. These include expertise in hybrid events, experiential travel packages, sustainability initiatives, tech-integrated experiences, cultural connections, wellness and well-being focus, thought leadership initiatives, personalized event and travel dashboards, diverse language and cultural expertise, health and safety assurance, exclusive partnerships, and sustainable philanthropy.
Navigating Challenging Situations
Milos shares an example of navigating a challenging situation when faced with a last-minute event crisis. A chosen venue experienced technical difficulties just days before a high-profile corporate event. By assembling a crisis response team, maintaining open communication, mobilizing resources, making collaborative decisions, rapidly adjusting plans, and coordinating intensively, the team successfully transitioned the event to a new venue, earning praise from the client for their professionalism and adaptability.
Guiding Values and Principles
Milos’s decision-making process is guided by core values, including integrity, customer-centric focus, innovation, collaboration, continuous improvement, accountability, adaptability, sustainability and responsibility, empowerment, results orientation, respect and inclusivity, a long-term perspective, ethical leadership, and openness to feedback. These values drive ethical, sustainable, and client-centric leadership.
Staying Informed
Milos stays informed about industry trends and developments through continuous learning, industry publications and news, professional networking, conferences and workshops, online resources, webinars and podcasts, market research reports, engaging with thought leaders, monitoring competitors, collaborative learning, mentorship, and advisory boards. He applies this knowledge to inform strategies and decision-making, positioning himself as a trusted resource.
Key Factors Contributing to Success
Milos attributes his success as a business leader to vision and clarity, adaptability and resilience, continuous learning, empowering team leadership, and a commitment to values-driven decision-making. These factors have shaped his journey, fostering a positive organizational culture, driving innovation, and delivering value to clients and stakeholders.
Future Aspirations
Looking forward, Milos aspires to solidify his position as a thought leader, expand globally, integrate cutting-edge technology, prioritize sustainability, diversify offerings, nurture talent, establish impactful partnerships, maintain a client-centric approach, foster innovation, create an innovation hub, and engage in philanthropic initiatives. He envisions leading his company into a future marked by visionary leadership, positive change, and sustainable growth.
Accolades and Recognition
Milos Dimitrijevic has received numerous accolades and industry recognition, including awards from Eventex, recognition as the most influential person in the event industry in 2022, Conventa Awards, ICCA CAT Night Award, and MIROSS Awards.
Milos Dimitrijevic’s journey as a business leader is marked by determination, innovation, and a commitment to excellence. His story serves as an inspiration to aspiring leaders and underscores the importance of values, adaptability, and continuous learning in achieving success in the dynamic field of event management and destination services.
