​Maribor is the ultimate destination for arts and culture experiences. With 300 outdoor advertising surfaces and a digital campaign across international markets, the faces of Maribor invite visitors to the Styrian capital. Eight leading cultural creators tell stories of a city of eternal rebels and recommend festivals, theatre performances, museums, galleries and a wide range of cultural experiences.

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Maribor through the eyes of local artists and creators

 

Meet a global star of contemporary ballet, a soprano whose PhD work received the Queen’s Award in the United Kingdom, a jewellery designer whose unique pieces travel to the Emirates and New York, a rapper who writes rhymes about Maribor, an art curator who dreamt in Britain of co-creating culture in Maribor, a director behind music videos for The Rolling Stones, and a cellist who sparked euphoria on world stages by blending classical music with pop.

 

Across Slovenia, the campaign included posters, digilight and digiboard screens, and a comprehensive digital campaign on social media built around the stories of Maribor’s creatives. We filmed interviews, portraits and podcasts with eight outstanding creators who know the city intimately and work here. The campaign was directed by Jaša Koceli, portraits were created by Luka Hernet, and camera work was done by Tadej Bavdek.

 

Storytellers of Maribor:

 

• Edward Clug, Artistic Director of the Ballet, SNG Maribor

• Nika Gorič, soprano and opera soloist

• Marko Kocjan Car – Emkej, rapper and lyricist

• Bojana Kovačič Zemljič, jewellery designer, Gallery E2RD

• Jure Kirbiš, contemporary art curator, UGM – Maribor Art Gallery

• Rok Predin, visual artist, director and animator

• Luka Šulić, cellist

• Valentina Turcu, choreographer and director, SNG Maribor

 

Every intimate relationship with the city becomes an authentic story

 

Maribor is a city of drama, theatre, music, festivals, masters and originals. Eight leading creators from Slovenia and beyond spoke openly about their work, lives and relationship with Maribor. Based on their recommendations, we created webpages with tips for exploring the city’s cultural scene. We firmly believe that images of the city shaped by local creators feel more authentic and attractive to visitors as well.

 

The Storytellers of Maribor campaign brings cultural creators directly into destination communication and promotion. They present their view of life in the city through their favourite venues, creative spaces and meeting places.

At Nea Culpa — Agency for Development and Communication in Cultural Tourism — we have been connecting tourism with the cultural and creative sectors across Slovenia for more than a decade. For the Slovenian Tourist Board, we developed the communication strategy for the promotional years Art & Culture 2024–2025, focused on human-scale cities.

 

Nationwide promotional campaign across posters and social media

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• TamTam poster campaign

• Digilight and digiboard screens

• Social media campaign

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Creative Director: Neja Petek
Director: Jaša Koceli
Photography: Luka Hernet
Video: Tadej Bavdek
Design: Luka Purgar & Valentina Krašna