Learn Hardcore Croatian: Večernji susret poslije konferencije bit će u malom baru pokraj hotela. - The evening meeting after the conference will be in a small bar next to the hotel.

Using two nouns together, like večer susret, does not work in Croatian the way evening meeting works in English. You normally turn the first idea into an adjective:

večernji program – evening program
jutarnji sastanak – morning meeting

What is the difference between susret and sastanak?

Both can be translated as meeting, but they have different nuances:

susret – more general, often a get‑together, encounter, social meeting. It can be formal or informal.
sastanak – more like a business/working meeting, with an agenda, discussion, etc.

In this sentence, večernji susret suggests a social or informal gathering after the conference (e.g. drinks, networking), not a formal working session.

Why is it poslije konferencije and not poslije konferencija or poslije konferenciju?

The preposition poslije (“after”) in standard Croatian always takes the genitive case.

konferencija – nominative singular (dictionary form)
genitive singular = konferencije

So:

poslije konferencije = after the conference

You use singular because you are talking about one specific conference, and genitive because poslije requires the genitive.

Some other examples with poslije + genitive:

poslije ručka – after lunch
poslije sastanka – after the meeting
poslije filma – after the film

What is the difference between poslije konferencije and nakon konferencije?

Both mean after the conference and both take genitive (konferencije). The difference is mostly stylistic:

poslije konferencije – very common, neutral, used everywhere.
nakon konferencije – slightly more formal or written style, but also very common.

You can safely use either in most contexts:

Večernji susret poslije konferencije…
Večernji susret nakon konferencije…

Both are correct and natural.

Why is the verb split as bit će instead of će biti? Are both possible?

Both bit će and će biti are grammatically correct.

Croatian Future I is formed with:

a short infinitive (bit from biti) +
the clitic auxiliary (ću, ćeš, će, ćemo, ćete, će)

So you get:

bit ću, bit ćeš, bit će…
or
ću biti, ćeš biti, će biti…

The clitic (ću/ćeš/će…) tends to move to the second position in the clause, so bit će is very common and often preferred in writing:

Večernji susret … bit će u malom baru…

But Večernji susret … će biti u malom baru… is also acceptable and understood the same way. Native speakers use both.

Is bit će one word or two? And what about biće that I sometimes see?

In standard Croatian:

you write it as two words: bit će

Example:

Bit će u malom baru.

Biće (one word) is the standard spelling in Serbian, not in Croatian.

So for Croatian:

✅ bit će
❌ biće (non‑standard / Serbian spelling)

Why is it u malom baru and not u mali bar?

The preposition u takes different cases depending on meaning:

u
- accusative = movement into something
  - Idem u bar. – I’m going to the bar.
u
- locative = location in/at something (no movement)
  - Sam u baru. – I am in/at the bar.

In bit će u malom baru, we describe a location, not movement, so we use the locative:

mali bar – nominative (dictionary form)
locative singular:
- mali → malom
- bar → baru

So you get:

u malom baru – in the small bar / at the small bar

If it were movement, then:

Idemo u mali bar. – We are going to the small bar. (accusative)

Why does mali change to malom in u malom baru?

Croatian adjectives agree with the noun in gender, number, and case.

bar is masculine singular
in u malom baru, bar is in the locative singular

So the adjective mali must also be masculine singular locative:

nominative: mali bar
locative: u malom baru

Other examples (masculine singular locative):

u velikom gradu – in the big city
na starom mostu – on the old bridge

Why is it pokraj hotela? What does pokraj mean exactly?

pokraj is a preposition that means beside, next to, by. It expresses physical proximity.

It always takes the genitive:

hotel – nominative singular
genitive singular: hotela

So:

pokraj hotela – next to the hotel / beside the hotel

Near‑synonyms:

pored hotela – beside the hotel
do hotela – (right) by / next to the hotel
blizu hotela – near the hotel

All of these use the genitive as well.

Why is it hotela with -a at the end?

hotel is a masculine noun, and here it is in the genitive singular because of the preposition pokraj.

Masculine nouns of this type usually have:

nominative singular: hotel
genitive singular: hotela

More examples:

pokraj parka – next to the park (park → parka)
pokraj mosta – next to the bridge (most → mosta)
pokraj muzeja – next to the museum (muzej → muzeja)

Could I say u malom baru kod hotela instead of pokraj hotela? Would it mean the same?

u malom baru kod hotela is also possible, and the meaning is very similar, but there is a small nuance:

pokraj hotela – physically next to the hotel (right beside, adjacent)
kod hotela – at/near the hotel area or in the vicinity of the hotel

So:

u malom baru pokraj hotela suggests the bar is right next door or immediately beside the hotel.
u malom baru kod hotela could mean a bar near the hotel, maybe across the street or around the corner, not necessarily attached to the building.

Both sound natural; context will decide which one feels more precise.

Can I move poslije konferencije to the beginning or end of the sentence? Does the meaning change?

Yes, Croatian word order is flexible, and the meaning would stay essentially the same. All of these are possible:

Večernji susret poslije konferencije bit će u malom baru pokraj hotela.
Poslije konferencije večernji susret bit će u malom baru pokraj hotela.
Večernji susret bit će u malom baru pokraj hotela poslije konferencije.

Differences are mostly in emphasis:

At the beginning (Poslije konferencije…) – puts more emphasis on the time “after the conference”.
In the middle (original) – a neutral way to insert the time phrase next to the noun it describes (susret).
At the end – slightly marked; might sound like you’re adding the detail later in the sentence.

The original order is very natural and clear.