en English

While a fierce presidential race was at its peak, in Ljubljana the American presidential election was being celebrated in great expectation. AmCham Slovenia in cooperation with Bisnode Dun & Bradstreet held an evening Election Night Party at Festival Hall Ljubljana, where important business leaders, politicians, diplomats, and media celebrated democracy in a true American spirit.


In her opening speech, Ajša Vodnik, MSc, Executive Director of AmCham Slovenia, said: “America votes today and who knows – we might get the First Gentleman and the President at the same time or will the Americans finally find out where Slovenia is. Though we have to wait a little longer for the election results, I hope that all guests here can forget about all serious issues for a moment and celebrate this day of democracy in joy. Let tonight be about happiness and optimism since we all know that a day without joy and laughter is a waste of a day.”


This evening was, in fact, full of joy and laughter. The guests were entertained by Jay Lejno with his Big Night Show. They were joined by the Terminator, Slavoj Žižek, and exclusively for this occasion via video-conference by Queen Elisabeth II, Angela Merkel, Borut Pahor, and Karl Erjavec. Even Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump flew in for a few moments and took some pictures with the guests. The author of the best photo was awarded a flight to New York.


Even though we didn't know who the next U.S. President will be, Hillary Clinton won by 63% in the AmCham parallel vote.


The U.S. ambassador to Slovenia H.E. Brent R. Hartley addressed the guests in celebrating democracy: “The American people are casting their vote today in free elections. They have been doing so for more than 50 years now and I believe that today we should celebrate. I am convinced that democracy in the USA will go on. We will all have to adapt to some extent on our first day in office, but it will get easier afterwards.”


Maria Anselmi, the Managing Director of Bisnode Dun & Bradstreet, said that she is deeply honored to be a part of this event. She shared with us some interesting facts: “Our strategic partner has been very fond of U.S. Presidents for quite a while now since, before their mandate, four of them were once employed by our partner. There they gained experience in market analysis, and good business decision-making that formed an excellent basis for running the country. This was also the reason it was in Bisnode’s interest to be strategically linked to them. Bisnode wanted to bring to the Slovenian business environment the values of the American one: harmony, transparency, trust, and integrity. With its analyses and solutions, Bisnode Dun & Bradstreet implements these values in everyday business use.”


Photo Gallery is available HERE.


Highlights of the event are available in the video clip HERE.


See The Big night show with Jay Lejno HERE.