Opatija · Crystal Hall of the Kvarner hotel

European
Longevity
Festival

Name: European Longevity Festival 2026
Start: 2026-11-13T10:00:00+01:00
End: 2026-11-14T18:00:00+01:00
Location: Crystal Hall of Hotel Kvarner

Two days dedicated to health, life, and the habits that truly define us

13th – 14th November 2026.

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About the festival

ELF is bringing top-tier experts, renowned panelists, and industry leaders to Opatija to shape the future of longevity.

Two days of knowledge, inspiration, networking, and expo content—open to everyone who wants to live a better, higher-quality, and longer life.

The European Longevity Festival is a unique event for every individual who wants to take an active role in preserving their vitality, gain a deeper understanding of their body, and consciously improve their quality of life. Leading experts and well-known public figures come together to speak about health and longevity. Here, complex scientific insights, as well as real-life experiences, are translated into concrete steps you can apply in your everyday life. Be inspired by the stories of our guests and join us on the journey toward better health!

Over two days in Opatija, in the impressive Crystal Hall of Hotel Kvarner, a series of highly engaging and dynamic panel discussions and “small talk” conversations will take place, bringing together top experts, as well as well-known and relevant public figures whose experience and lifestyle influence a broader audience. The programme is designed to combine knowledge with real life.

Topics will include what directly affects us—from mental health, daily habits, and nutrition, to technology, supplementation, physical activity, and modern approaches to health and ageing.

But an equally important part of the programme is dedicated to what is less often discussed: meaning, relationships, hobbies, the way we live every day, and how all of this shapes our lives in the long term.

A special focus is placed on the Mediterranean lifestyle and the question of whether this region could become a new European "Blue Zone"—a place where natural conditions, lifestyle, and modern knowledge merge into a sustainable longevity model.

Each panel brings real conversations, diverse perspectives, and practical insights, while the audience actively participates through questions and interaction with speakers. This open communication adds extra value to the festival—offering the chance to ask what truly matters to you.

Conversations that connect knowledge and real life

Top experts, as well as relevant public figures whose experience shapes the wider community. A programme designed to connect science with everyday life.

Open communication and real dialogue

Each panel brings authentic conversations, different perspectives, and concrete insights, with active audience participation.

For those who want more than surface-level information

The European Longevity Festival gathers people who want to understand how to live better—not through extreme changes, but through realistic and sustainable choices.

Can the Mediterranean become Europe’s new “Blue Zone”?

A special focus is placed on the Mediterranean lifestyle and whether this region can become Europe’s next Blue Zone.

Panellists and guests

Faces of the festival

Panellist

Vivian Jurković

DMD

Specialist in aesthetic medicine, international Aptos trainer, founder of the Dr. Vivian’s cosmetics brand.

Anti-age medicine: between rejuvenation, identity and limitsCrystal Hall, Hotel Kvarner
Moderator and guest

Aleksandar Stanković

Journalist and host of the television programme „Nedjeljom u 2".

Small talk — two people face to faceCrystal Hall, Hotel Kvarner
Collaborator and panellist

Prof. emeritus

Miro Jakovljević

MD, PhD, specialist in psychiatry

Professor emeritus at the University of Zagreb School of Medicine; full member of the European Academy of Sciences and Arts and a key expert of the Croatian Institute for Research and Education in Mental Health; listed among Stanford’s top 2 % most influential scientists in the world.

Spiritual health – the topic we rarely discussAnti-age medicine: between rejuvenation, identity and limitsCrystal Hall, Hotel Kvarner
Panellist

Jadranka Kosor

LL.B.

Prime Minister of the Republic of Croatia 2009–2011, journalist and author of the books „Premijerka", „Dan nakon jučer" and „Žene koje mašu s rukama".

Mental health as a civilisational precondition for longevityCrystal Hall, Hotel Kvarner
Panellist

Gabrijela Sopta Primorac

MD, specialist in gynaecology and obstetrics, subspecialist in gynaecological oncology

Weight loss in the age of medicineCrystal Hall, Hotel Kvarner
Panellist

Prof.

Viktor Peršić

MD, PhD, specialist in internal medicine, subspecialist in cardiology

Director of the Thalassotherapia Opatija Special Hospital and head of the Clinic for Treatment, Rehabilitation and Prevention of Cardiovascular Diseases; head of the Department of Rehabilitation and Sports Medicine at the University of Rijeka School of Medicine.

Weight loss in the age of medicineCrystal Hall, Hotel Kvarner
Panellist

Alis Marić

LLB, bibliotherapist and author

The region’s best-known advocate of reading and literature, founder of the leading regional literary platform „Čitaj knjigu".

Rituals of a long life: stories we read, journeys that change us, and the home we return toCrystal Hall, Hotel Kvarner
Panellist

Prof.

Josip Španjol

MD, PhD, specialist in urology, subspecialist in urological oncology and kidney transplantation

Dean of the Rijeka School of Medicine, head of the Urology Clinic at Rijeka University Hospital Centre.

Health tourism in the era of longevity: can Opatija become Croatia’s longevity destination?Crystal Hall, Hotel Kvarner
Panellist

Assoc. Prof.

Ivana Ljubičić Bistrović

MD, PhD, specialist in psychiatry

Croatian Institute for Spiritual Psychiatry.

Spiritual health – the topic we rarely discussCrystal Hall, Hotel Kvarner
Panellist

Assoc. Prof.

Vladimir Mozetić

MD, PhD, MHA, specialist in urology, subspecialist in andrology and urological oncology

President of the Kvarner Health Tourism Cluster.

Anti-age medicine for men: a new culture of self-careCrystal Hall, Hotel Kvarner
Panellist

Prof.

Darko Marčinko

MD, PhD, primarius, specialist in psychiatry, subspecialist in biological psychiatry, psychotherapy and forensic psychiatry

Head of the Clinic for Psychiatry and Psychological Medicine and full professor at the University of Zagreb School of Medicine.

Mental health as a civilisational precondition for longevityCrystal Hall, Hotel Kvarner
Panellist

Josip Banović

MD, specialist surgeon, subspecialist in plastic and aesthetic surgery

Anti-age medicine: between rejuvenation, identity and limitsAnti-age medicine for men: a new culture of self-careCrystal Hall, Hotel Kvarner
Panellist

Marijana Kalčić

MEcon

Tourism & Destination Management Professional. Director of the Kvarner Tourist Board.

Lessons from blue zones: we are what we eatCrystal Hall, Hotel Kvarner
Panellist

Martin Sinković

BSc

Rowing PHENOMENON — with his brother Valent, one of the greatest and most successful Croatian athletes of all time. Olympic Games: 3 gold, 1 silver · World Championships: 6 gold, 2 silver, 1 bronze · European Championships: 7 gold, 3 silver, 2 bronze.

Sport without romanticism and fitness without aestheticsCrystal Hall, Hotel Kvarner
Panellist

Assoc. Prof.

Karin Kuljanić

PhD, clinical psychologist

President of the Red Cross Society of Primorje-Gorski Kotar County.

Mental health as a civilisational precondition for longevityCrystal Hall, Hotel Kvarner
Panellist

Bruno Šimleša

BA in Sociology

One of Croatia's most widely read and best-selling authors of popular psychology and spirituality, with more than 350,000 copies sold in Croatia and the region.

Crystal Hall, Hotel Kvarner
Panellist

Jelica Popić

MD, psychotherapist

Founder of the first wellness centre in Croatia and a pioneer of wellness in Croatia, founder of the Lovran Training Academy.

Wellness – the minimum we cannot live withoutCrystal Hall, Hotel Kvarner
Panellist

Neven Ciganović

fashion stylist and social chronicler

Devotee of aesthetic medicine, cosmetology and inside-out aesthetics, forever in search of the elixir of youth.

Anti-age medicine: between rejuvenation, identity and limitsCrystal Hall, Hotel Kvarner
Panellist

Damir Rako

MArch

Founder of the Porticus architectural studio, winner of numerous awards for competition designs and built work, author of many articles in the magazines „Oris" and „Čovjek i prostor" and other media, active in public debate on the importance of architecture in contemporary life.

Rituals of a long life: stories we read, journeys that change us, and the home we return toCrystal Hall, Hotel Kvarner
Panellist

Lidija Lijić — architect

pilot, athlete

World and European champion, multiple world record holder in freediving, Guinness world record holder for diving under ice, mountaineer, founder of Sea Shepherd Croatia, TEDx Croatia motivational speaker.

Sport without romanticism and fitness without aestheticsCrystal Hall, Hotel Kvarner
Panellist

Sri Hari Das

yogi and spiritual teacher

Spiritual health – the topic we rarely discussCrystal Hall, Hotel Kvarner
Panellist

Haris Pavletić

MD

President of the European University Sports Association (EUSA), member of the National Sports Council of the Republic of Croatia, founder of the UniSport Srce Foundation.

Sport without romanticism and fitness without aestheticsCrystal Hall, Hotel Kvarner
Panellist

Robert Pauletić

political scientist and journalist

Multiple and youngest ever winner of the legendary quiz show Kviskoteka; travel writer, puzzle maker, columnist, essayist and lyricist.

Rituals of a long life: stories we read, journeys that change us, and the home we return toCrystal Hall, Hotel Kvarner
Panellist

Željka Maras

MA in Croatian and German language and literature

Communications and marketing expert, brand manager in the field of holistic wellness.

Wellness – the minimum we cannot live withoutCrystal Hall, Hotel Kvarner
Panellist

Prof.

Sven Maričić

PhD, MEng (Mech.)

University of Pula, Laboratory for Robotics and Artificial Intelligence; University of Rijeka School of Medicine; founder and head of the Centre for Biomodelling and Innovation in Medicine, pioneer of 3D bioprinting in medicine.

Body or algorithm: are we guided by technology or by our own feeling?Crystal Hall, Hotel Kvarner
Panellist

Jan Bolić

Writer, motivator, influencer, activist.

Body or algorithm: are we guided by technology or by our own feeling?Crystal Hall, Hotel Kvarner
Small talk: the two of them, face to face

Zvonimir Mihanović

Croatian painter.

Crystal Hall, Hotel Kvarner
Online guest

Darko Slovša

PhD, MOM, M.Sc., DMD

Captain of the vessel „Invictus".

Why I set sail on a voyage around the world…Online appearance · Crystal Hall, Hotel Kvarner
More speakers
coming soon

Coming up

The list is being updated

We publish new names as soon as participation is confirmed.

Coming soonCrystal Hall, Hotel Kvarner

A ticket is much more than just access to an event—it’s your gateway to the knowledge, experience, and conversations that can change your daily life!

Programme

Two days,
countless insights.

Can Opatija, with its long tradition of health tourism, strong medical infrastructure, and natural resources, take a step forward toward becoming a modern longevity tourism destination? Could Opatija become a new “Blue Zone” for its local population—as well as for those who may choose to make it their home in the future? This panel explores how to connect a tourist destination with exceptional geo-climatic advantages to modern medicine, lifestyle practices, wellness, and its strategic position at the crossroads of Europe and the Mediterranean. At a time when more and more people travel not only for leisure but also for health, the question arises: can Opatija once again become a European hub for recovery, vitality, and long life? Is it possible for a city that was, more than a century ago, a symbol of health tourism in the Austro-Hungarian era to become a symbol of a new European philosophy of longevity?

Small Talk+SMALL TALK — TWO PEOPLE FACE TO FACE

There is no health without mental health! This panel opens a discussion on the immense role of psychological stability, emotional resilience, and the quality of interpersonal relationships in living a long and fulfilling life. It looks at mental health not merely as a medical issue, but as a cornerstone of modern society and sustainable longevity. In a world defined by constant acceleration, perpetual availability, and chronic stress, mental stability may well be the most valuable health resource we have. Can we learn to live more slowly, more intentionally, and more connected—and is mental balance ultimately the key to a long, high-quality, and meaningful life?

Break SNACK & COFFEE BREAK

Longevity without meaning, mental clarity, and inner stability becomes mere duration rather than a life of quality. This panel opens a space for dialogue on spiritual health as a fundamental—yet often overlooked—dimension of longevity, explored through questions of faith, personal meaning, intuition, and our relationship with ourselves, others, and the world around us. We will discuss how inner peace, a sense of purpose, and connectedness can profoundly influence mental vitality, resilience to stress, and brain health over time. The panel brings together perspectives from psychiatry, spirituality, religion, and personal experience to address one of the oldest—yet most relevant—questions of our time: could the search for meaning itself be the key to mental health in an age of constant noise, acceleration, and the loss of our inner compass? Perhaps it is precisely the immeasurable—peace, faith, intuition, and a sense of connection—that forms the foundation of a long, stable, and fulfilling life.

This panel takes us to parts of the world where longevity is not measured in supplements, but in everyday choices. From the towns of Ogimi, Villagrande Strisaili, Seoul, and Talana, to Ikaria, Nicoya, and Loma Linda, the panel explores what makes these communities unique: simple, locally rooted diets, strong social connections, a balanced pace of life, and a deep link between food, identity, and meaning. Here, food is not a trend or a restriction, but an expression of culture, passion, and a way of life—because what we consume every day becomes part of who we are. While the modern world searches for solutions in capsules and diets, these communities remind us of something almost forgotten: a long life often begins at an ordinary table, with simple food and the people we share it with. Perhaps the secret of longevity is not hidden in exotic formulas, but in the way we eat, live, and connect with others.

Break LUNCH TIME

Supplements are today one of the fastest-growing sectors of the health industry, but also a space shaped by high expectations, confusion, and often insufficiently substantiated claims. Can they truly extend our lives—or merely our belief in quick fixes? This panel opens an honest conversation about supplements at the intersection of scientific evidence, personal experience, and a market growing faster than our bodies—and our knowledge—can keep up with. A particularly intriguing example is the “Don’t Die” movement and the approach of tech entrepreneur Bryan Johnson, who takes more than a hundred supplements daily in an attempt to slow down ageing—raising the question of how far we are willing to go in the pursuit of longevity. The panel will also explore the practical side of supplementation: when we actually need it, how to combine supplements effectively, where the line lies between smart support for the body and excess, and what modern medicine, nutrition science, and the Ayurvedic tradition have to say about it. Because perhaps the real question is not what we take, but whether we understand why we take it—and whether we have turned health into a discipline of understanding, or into a collection of capsules.

Wellness is today one of the most frequently used terms in the world of health, but also one of the most commonly misunderstood. Is wellness simply a moment of relaxation, or a system of habits and rituals that, over time, keep the body vital and the mind stable? This panel opens a discussion on practices that are increasingly becoming the foundation of longevity: movement, massage, sauna, cold exposure, various recovery therapies, stress regulation techniques, and rituals that restore balance to the body and the nervous system. In a world that constantly pushes us toward exhaustion, wellness may not be an escape from life—but rather a way to actually endure it.

This panel brings a conversation about everyday and life rituals that create a sense of meaning, belonging, and inner stability. Through the perspectives of storytelling and reading, travel and lived experiences of the world, and the home we live in and return to, the panel explores how these quiet patterns shape a long and fulfilling life. Here, longevity is seen as the quality of living, not just the number of years. We will talk about small passions and hobbies that often go unnoticed beneath the surface of major life goals—books that change us, journeys that expand our view of the world, rituals that restore our inner peace, and the home that becomes our refuge. Because perhaps it is not great events that create a long life, but rather those recurring moments that nourish us from within and remind us why we live in the first place.

We do not romanticise sport, nor do we idealise fitness. Here, we are not talking about perfect bodies, but about bodies that are meant to carry us through life. Sport, fitness, exercise, and everyday movement are viewed as the foundation of health, energy, and longevity—for real people, in real bodies, with limitations, setbacks, and continuity. As we age, the way we train also changes: what the body needs in our twenties is not the same as what it needs in our forties, fifties, or beyond. This panel brings sport back to its true purpose—strength, endurance, mobility, and long-term vitality—reminding us that the goal of movement is not a perfect appearance, but a body that remains strong, functional, and ready for life across decades.

Small Talk+SMALL TALK — TWO PEOPLE FACE TO FACE

Break SNACK & COFFEE BREAK

When we experience a symptom, who do we trust first—our doctor, a search engine, or artificial intelligence? In a world where information has never been more accessible, the line between knowledge, self-diagnosis, and misinformation is becoming increasingly blurred. This panel opens a key question of modern healthcare: how do we make decisions about our own bodies in the age of the internet and AI? Where does technology help, and where does it create a false sense of control? Can artificial intelligence become an ally to medicine—and to the patient—without undermining trust in expertise, experience, and human connection? We will discuss responsibility, trust, and the future of healthcare decision-making in a time when answers are always just one click away.

Smartwatches, fitness apps, and digital tools today count our steps, measure heart rate, stress levels, and calories burned, promising a more precise and healthier life. But as we collect more and more data about the body, the question arises: are we truly listening to it—or are we increasingly following the numbers on a screen? This panel explores the boundary between useful technology and the loss of bodily intuition: do we train based on how we feel, or according to an algorithm that tells us when to move, rest, or speed up? We will discuss whether digital tracking can genuinely improve health and longevity, or whether it sometimes turns us into obedient followers of data. Perhaps the most important question is not how well technology can measure us—but how well we still know how to feel our own bodies.

Break LUNCH TIME

Medications for body weight regulation have in recent years become one of the most prominent topics in modern medicine—and one of the most frequently whispered about in everyday life. They are discussed on social media, in doctors’ offices, and at dinner tables among friends, often somewhere between excitement and discomfort. Why do we still feel as though we need to justify our decision to use medical support for weight management? This panel opens an honest conversation about a new generation of therapies that act on appetite, satiety, and metabolism, and which, for many patients, bring not only weight loss but also significant health benefits—from reduced risk of diabetes to improved cardiovascular health. Are these therapies the beginning of a new era in the treatment of obesity and disease prevention, or a reflection of a society still trying to define where discipline ends and medicine begins?

This panel opens a conversation about male ageing in contemporary society: how men experience changes in their bodies and faces, which treatments they most often choose, and why these decisions are still frequently discussed only within private circles. We will talk about the medical, psychological, and social aspects of men’s approach to anti-age medicine—from minimally invasive aesthetic procedures and regenerative therapies to hormonal health, energy, and vitality. In a time when the boundaries between health, appearance, and quality of life are increasingly blurred, the question arises: is the way men perceive their own ageing also changing? Is self-care a sign of vanity—or perhaps a sign of responsibility toward one’s own health and longevity?

Anti-ageing medicine has never been more powerful. Wrinkles can be erased, contours lifted, and skin texture transformed—but the question remains: where does refreshing the face end, and where does transformation begin? In an era where Botox, fillers, lasers, and various active ingredients have become almost part of everyday routine, we rarely ask what we are actually introducing into the skin—and what long-term effects this may have. This panel opens an honest conversation about the boundaries of modern aesthetic medicine: how much we can truly rejuvenate the face, where the risks begin, and how to preserve what matters most—our own identity. Between the fascinating possibilities of technology and the need for responsibility, experts will discuss treatment safety, potential side effects, and how to make informed decisions when it comes to the only face we have. Because the real question is no longer just how to look younger—but how to look, and remain, like ourselves.

Download full programme (PDF)

Why attend

More than an event.
Access to knowledge.

Active audience participation

Questions and interaction with speakers. This open communication adds extra value to the festival.

Access to knowledge, experience, and conversations

A ticket is not just entry—it is access to insights that can change your everyday life.

Improving quality of life

How to make informed health decisions and stay vital in the long term.

If you are interested in improving your quality of life, making informed health decisions, and staying vital in the long term—this is the place to be.

Individual Attendees