With 120,000 inhabitants, Maribor is the second largest city in Slovenia. It is a typical central European city built in the Middle Ages along the banks of the Drava River and at the junction of routes to the Adriatic Sea, the wide plains of the Pannonian lowlands and to the North of Europe. In 1844, when the "Southern Railway" Vienna–Trieste reached the city, it began to flourish. After the WWI, the city came under Yugoslavia and grew into an important industrial centre. In 1990, when Slovenia gained its independence the city started to change rapidly in the area of tertiary industry and small- and medium-size business. The present-day Maribor is a lively city which with a student population of around 25,000 offers plenty of opportunities for those in search of education and career. The city is the cultural centre of the region with excellent theatres, museums and art-galleries, hosting a wide range of entertainment and leisure facilities. Maribor also is the diocesan seat founded by Martin Slomšek, a bishop, reformer and man of letters who has become the first beatified Slovene. The city boasts a superb array of cultural monuments, among them also the oldest synagogue in this part of Europe.

The life of the city is closely linked to the natural environment – the Drava River, the forests of the Pohorje Range, the Pannonian valley and the surrounding vineyards. Maribor is within easy reach to Graz (40 km), Austria, and there are fast road links to Ljubljana, Zagreb and Vienna.

The Convention Centre is part of the Habakuk Hotel Complex which offers both working conditions and relaxation or active recreation.