Every country inspires me and provokes me to think about business

Introduce yourself in a few words..

My name is Preslav Bobev and I am the managing partner of IMG Connect -  one of the leading companies in Bulgaria, organizing numerous conferences and business forums in various industries. I spent almost 20 wonderful years in Bratislava, but at 40 I decided it was time to return to my homeland, for which I am more than happy.

What is traveling the world for you?

First of all, work and a constant desire to always find time for ordinary tourism. Fortunately, I changed the balance and now I travel more for pleasure!

How many different countries have you seen so far? Share an interesting story or highlights from your travels?

I counted up to 100, so they are definitely more now.  I think there are about 104 or 105, which is not little at all.  The funny thing is that I have never been to Paris and Rome, but I often joke that I could make a living as a taxi driver in many African capitals. Since I have traveled almost always alone and most often in third world countries, my “interesting” stories would probably scare many people in my place.  Once I was arrested in my hotel in Djibouti at 10:30 PM.  Of course, it was a misunderstanding because the next day I organized a conference with the participation of the Minister of Energy of Djibouti. People from some of their services wanted to understand how the security of the minister was arranged. After a very tense 30 minutes, we finally understood that it was a misunderstanding.  The event was supposed to take place at Radisson, and they have a tank in the yard, and the hotel is guarded like a fortress.  They let me go, but not before mentioning Stoichkov after I told them I was from Bulgaria.

Do you like to repeat destinations? Give examples and motivation “for” or “against”?

I love to repeat vacations without paying much attention to the destination.  Professionally, I have repeated too many destinations around the world, which over time I have learned to appreciate and rediscover. I like Africa and Central Asia.  I have spent a lot of time there and know them very well. It is not always easy to find motivation to visit an extremely poor country for the eighth time, where it is dangerous even to leave the hotel.  But over time I learned to find something new, that I can see, to organize a trip for a day or two, etc. I love the time in the hotel bar in the evening after a day when I have been in constant meetings with many people. I learned to take advantage of my time alone, to relax in a way that at home I probably wouldn’t have the chance to do.

What was your first trip that truly changed you as a professional and can be said to have changed your thinking?

I think there are 2-3 incidents that opened my eyes to many things.  The first was a trip to Tashkent in 2008, when Uzbekistan was still a very closed and totalitarian state.  I was young and naive and had many meetings with many people, with the idea that I would organize a conference for foreign investments in a country where there was not a single sector open for foreign private participation. On the third day, the then head of the World Bank in the country called me and invited me for coffee in his office. He asked me if I knew that for three days I had been followed by state security agents and they knew exactly what I was doing and with whom I was meeting at every moment. He told me that it was best to finish all my meetings and get on a plane home that very evening if I didn’t want to be arrested and interrogated for several days. Later, I worked with Saif Al Islam Gaddafi, with whom I organized a very large conference in Libya. There I was impressed by the scale and demonstration of power and the fear in the eyes of everyone who was around him.

And perhaps lastly – in Burundi, where a few hours after I left the hotel for the airport, several people were shot there.  When I was leaving, I saw that there were demonstrators in front of the hotel, but I didn’t even understand what they wanted. That very evening I saw on the news that the police had opened fire and shot people. In the pictures, I saw the balcony of the room I had been in just a few hours before.  The feeling is really strange.

What do you learn about yourself and your professional skills when you are in a new cultural environment?

I learned that I learn very quickly and that I am very adaptable.  I realized that I am tolerant of other cultures and people who are different from me. Things I hadn’t realized before because I hadn’t been in such an environment before. In the countries where I most often worked, by default, everything is done with minimal effort, and self-initiative almost does not exist.  To this day in my team, I do not tolerate people who do not want or do not have the courage to be independent and expect someone to tell them what to do.

Have you met people or ideas during your travels that have influenced your career path?

I have met many people who have impressed me in one way or another. Presidents (even dictators), ministers, and thousands of businessmen and leaders of large companies.

I wouldn’t say they influenced my career path. Rather, those who were extremely down-to-earth and even humble showed me that arrogance does not make you a great director or manager.  I don’t take myself too seriously and let people make their own judgment about me and my work.

Do you think that your travels help you expand your professional network? How?

Here the logical answer, of course, is YES!  I have many friends all over the world thanks to all the travels I have made.  Whether these contacts are useful to me today – maybe a small part of them! But I have learned that one never knows what one might need tomorrow, so I believe that every acquaintance and created contact is an asset that can be useful.

What skills do you develop the most when you travel, and how do they reflect on your work?

The years spent traveling to countries that should not be disregarded when it comes to personal security have taught me to plan and prepare everything very carefully.  I prepare every trip step by step, down to the last detail, because I know that every unforeseen surprise will cost me nerves, money, time, and often can be a serious risk. I transferred this to my work over the years. Even an ordinary meeting outside the office is planned in detail regarding the time, so that I am not late. I almost never arrive late, and for me this is an extremely important quality in anyone who wishes to be taken seriously.

Is there a city or country that has inspired you to start a new business or project?

Every country inspires me and provokes me to think about business, but I wouldn’t say that I easily dive into adventurous projects. My travels are mainly related to projects that I am already doing in those countries, so I have rather thought and continue to think about whether I can do something different from the work that has taken me there over the years. Every time, in every single country, I have thought about how much potential there is for products and services that are so easily accessible in Europe. And yet, these are not countries where you simply open a company and start working. It just doesn’t work that way, and challenges are at every step.

And yet, to this day I already have such plans, which will be heard soon in Bulgaria.  I am preparing new projects related to several countries in Central Asia that I have visited dozens of times and often tell how much they have impressed me over the years.

When you are in an unfamiliar country, do you feel more motivated or more distracted? Why?

I have experienced all kinds of emotions and it mainly depends on what country I am in. When I am in the USA or another economically developed country, I inevitably feel more motivation. I always think about how we do not realize even 10% of the potential we have. On the other pole, when I am in poor countries, for example in Africa, I feel first of all grateful that I live in Bulgaria. Everything I encounter in third world countries even makes me angry that we do not appreciate what we have. We often get used to complaining about how one thing or another hinders our success and potential, but the truth is that we have everything we need.  I often say, that 2 days in Africa are the ideal therapy for anyone who feels depressed, dissatisfied, unappreciated, or whatever other similar state it may be.

Are there any destinations that act as a “restart” for your creativity and ambition?

I have a rule, and that is that wherever I travel, I must do everything possible to steal at least 1-2 days for tourism. This is what charges me and restarts me. The opportunity to see unfamiliar countries and places motivates me to be successful in what I do, so that I have the opportunity to travel more.  And yet, if I have to name destinations, they are Namibia, Madagascar, Botswana with its wild nature, and the USA.  America impresses me in many ways and I love to visit and explore it, but at the same time I wouldn’t want to live there. 

How do you manage the balance between work and pleasure when you travel?

I suppose that everyone who travels a lot for work at some point builds and finds this balance completely naturally.  It happened to me just like that.  In my younger years, I was a workaholic.  I would return to the hotel after a whole day of meetings and open my laptop.  I worked at airports and everywhere. Now you won’t see me doing that. In the evening, I enjoy a nice dinner at the hotel or go out if it’s safe.  At the airport, I never take out my laptop unless it’s very urgent. I am always surprised by people who work even on the plane. At 45, I know that work will never escape me.

How have travels changed the way you perceive the value of money?

Again, I return to the fact that I have mostly traveled in truly poor countries, where I have seen shocking sights of such poverty that even, when I have told it, it has happened that people do not believe me.  This taught me first and foremost not to complain and I believe I became much more balanced in my pursuit of financial prosperity.  Twenty years ago, I believed that if by 45 I was not a millionaire, I would have failed. Now I am not a millionaire, but I don’t have the feeling of failure at all. I have seen and continue to see the world, to travel and I realize that this is much more than one and the same view from the terrace of a very expensive house or driving a very expensive car in the same city.

Do you think it is better to spend on experiences rather than material possessions?

From the answers given so far, anyone would guess the answer to this question. I would say that this choice has never been before me, even though, as a reasonable middle-aged person, I always seek balance in this as well. I remember ten years ago I had a huge dilemma. I was in Madagascar for the first time and had to decide whether to stay 5 days on safari or return to Vienna to see the Rolling Stones live. These were two incomparable experiences for me...  I chose the first because I thought that I would hardly be able to visit Madagascar again. Then I returned there a few more times, but to this day I have not managed to see the Rolling Stones live. If the choice was between something material or one of these experiences, there would be no dilemma at all.

How do you see the future of digital nomadic life?

Bright and increasingly exciting. Twelve or thirteen years ago, I had a plan to go to a wonderful African country – Gambia, for 2-3 months in winter, where I had arranged a great villa on the beach. I might have been one of the first digital nomads of my time, but it turned out that the internet there is a challenge. I could realistically have everything for my modest personal and work needs, but the main thing – access to the internet was not secure. Now a person can have cheap access to the internet everywhere, which implies the development of digital nomadic life, as well as many destinations benefiting from it.

Are there specific countries that are more favorable for work and investments?

I would say Uzbekistan first. I have known and visited this country since 2009, when it was governed extremely authoritarily and its economy was closed to any private participation. Now Uzbekistan is developing extremely well. In 15 years, they have made a huge leap in democratic and economic indicators. Bulgarians do not need a visa to visit it.  We are accepted extremely well and in addition to bringing low-paid workers from this country, there are also extremely many opportunities for trade in goods, as well as in some sectors, such as fintech, for example.

If you could choose one place in the world to develop your next big idea, what would it be and why?

I have reached a level where I want to take my business to a global level, not in a specific country, so I can hardly name just one. Now I would choose to have offices in different countries that I can visit and in which I can spend more time. But if I have to mention another interesting country, for example in Africa, it would be Rwanda. This is a country with a very heavy historical legacy, but also extremely favorable towards business and foreign investors. 

What are the destinations that you would definitely recommend to be visited and why?

I will mention one from different continents that I have visited. And I will recommend them based on what I have seen and experienced there. America must be seen and traveled as much as possible. I had the opportunity to see a small part and I can't wait to return. An extremely beautiful and interesting country, despite everything that Trump tries to make us dislike.

In Asia, this is Azerbaijan. From business and luxury to food and culture. Everything will impress you in this country.

In Africa, I would say Namibia. Wild, sparsely populated, and very safe by African standards. Personally, the most beautiful and exciting country in Africa where you can experience a lot and try incredible food.