Representatives of the most prominent regional and municipal Convention Bureaus arrived at the seat of the Polish Tourism Organisation in Warsaw for a meeting with President Robert Andrzejczyk. The topic of the talks concerned, i.a. ways of promoting the meetings industry in the coming year (2018).  

Organized by Poland Convention Bureau of the Polish Tourism Organisation (Polska Organizacja Turystyczna - POT) the meeting was attended by representatives of the most important and active marketing bureaus in Poland. Gdańsk Convention Bureau was represented by Łukasz Wysocki, the region of Lublin by Joanna Bednarczyk, the region of Lower Silesia (Dolny Śląsk) by Rajmund Papiernik, and Katowice by Krystian Gryglaszewski. Agnieszka Szymerowska came from Wrocław, Tomasz Koralewski from Łódź, and Jan Mazurczak from Poznań. Monika Białkowska, representing Warsaw Convention Bureau, and Aneta Książek, representing Poland Convention Bureau POT, also attended.

 The meeting held in the seat of the Polish Tourism Organisation was inaugurated by President Robert Andrzejczyk. Other participants included Dorota Zientalska, Joanna Węglarczyk and Director Teresa Buczak from the POT Strategy Department. The chief topic of the talks concerned POT plans regarding the promotion of the meetings industry to be conducted by Poland Convention Bureau (PCB) in 2018, with special attention paid to continuing cooperation with convention bureaus and the meetings industry as part of the 2018 Poland Meetings and Events Industry Report. 

 One of the chief pillars of PCB POT activity will be the promotion of Poland conducted by Polish stands organized at international meetings industry fairs, which in 2018 will include, i.a. IMEX 2018 in Frankfurt, IMEX America 2018 in Las Vegas, and IBTM World 2018 in Barcelona.

 An essential form of promotion will involve presentations and training sessions conducted in foreign markets and addressed to planners of meetings and events in the Belgian, Dutch, and Norwegian market. The latter will be linked with a presentation to be held in Oslo in April 2018 and inaugurating the opening of a Polish Airlines LOT flight connection between Warsaw and the Norwegian capital.

 The year 2018 will also signify numerous meetings in the domestic market, i.a. Meetings Week Poland in Warsaw (March), undertakings aimed at improving the quality of services by continuing certification programs involving congress organizers, organizers of motivation trips, and convention bureaus as well as the annual Gala of the Polish Congress Ambassadors.

 “I can already disclose that next year’s Gala of the Polish Congress Ambassadors will take place on 27 September in Poznań. After a six year-interval we are returning to the capital of the Wielkopolska region”, says Aneta Książek of Poland Convention Bureau POT.

 President of the Polish Tourism Organisation Robert Andrzejczyk additionally accentuated that he considers the meetings industry to be an extremely significant field for POT activity. “I would like to assure that next year the Polish Tourism Organisation will develop activity associated with business tourism in cooperation with local convention bureaus”, said the President of POT.

 President Andrzejczyk also expressed readiness to provide institutional and personal support for work carried out by regional and municipal convention bureaus.

 In the course of the meeting additional emphasis was placed on the value of cooperation between particular convention bureaus. “Many towns or regions may benefit from a single event. I am convinced that, e.g. EXPO 2022 held in Łódź – to whose organisation we attach great hopes – will be profitable also for Warsaw or Poznań”, stressed Monika Białkowska from the Warsaw Tourist Organisation (Warszawska Organizacja Turystyczna).

 Poland Convention Bureau has been operating within POT structures since 2002 and is a unit responsible for the promotion of Poland as an attractive region for organizing business meetings and events. It acts as a neutral contact for those seeking information about business partners and conference venues. The objective of PCB is to create an image of Poland as a country conducive for organising all sorts of business events.