Few places in Slovenia connect Slovenians like Planica. Planica reflects the love of Slovenes for sports, and the events in Planica are a national sports holiday, which attracts a multitude of sports enthusiasts in Valley under the Ponce Mountains. Planica shines in its most beautiful light during the finals of the Ski jumping world cup, which takes place at the end of the winter or at the beginning of spring. The spring temperatures ensure an even more carefree trip to the most beautiful valley in the world.
Planica is not only a national symbol and a venue for competitions. This year, alongside the competition, a conference of international dimensions on innovative technologies, “Mastercard 255 to the Moon”, will take place.
The birthplace of ski jumps is thought to be Planica, a region in the heart of the Alps. Why? Josef Bradl-Buwi, an Austrian, became the first person in history to jump over the legendary 100-meter mark on March 15, 1936, at Planica. His landing at 101.5 meters amazed the 15,000 spectators. This accomplishment led to the official recognition of ski jumping as a new discipline in 1938.
The ski jumping hill designed by the Gorišek brothers in Planica has set 28 world records till today. Planica not only sets records for the ski jump but also for the number of spectators; in 2016, more than 110,000 people gathered beneath the ski jump.
This year beside ski jumpers, the “Mastercard 255 to the Moon” conference will also test the limits what is possible in Planica. At the end of March, Mastercard’s conference on blockchain technology, web3, NFT and metaverse will be intertwine with the Planica 2023 FIS Ski Jumping World Cup final. This will carry on the inventiveness and determination to transform the future which Stanko Bloudek, the legendary architect of Planica, began.
The conference attendees will have the opportunity to experience both a spectacular sport event and a conference with 30 outstanding speakers and recognized experts in cutting-edge technology. With the purchase of tickets, only 300 visitors will be able to attend the conference live; everyone else will be able to access it online.
