Łódź Creates Meetings: an extraordinary trip for event planners in 2023
Another exciting study trip for event planners – Łódź Creates Meetings Vol.2. – is now behind us. For three days, almost 40 event organisers from all over Poland have been visiting Łódź, getting to know its hotels, attractions, venues and various types of activities as well as urban games offered by companies associated with the Łódź Tourism Organisation.
Łódź Convention Bureau has been organising similar study trips continuously since 2018. The 2023 edition was unique in every respect. More than 20 local partners – members of the ŁTO – were involved in its organisation. A record number of guests, invited both by partners and directly by the Convention Bureau, were divided into two groups with two different programmes. Take a look at the photo gallery of this unique event in Łódź.
Dzień 1
On the first day, guests from all parts of Poland arrived at five partner hotels. In the evening, everyone met in the Orientarium ZOO Łódź, where the official opening of the event took place. To begin with, the participating meeting planners learned about the rich offer of the conference centre operating within the Orientarium. Then they went on to visit its modern facilities, including behind-the-scenes areas, such as the enormous control room of the oceanarium. The stay in the Orientarium concluded with dinner in an underwater tunnel served by the Włoszczyzna catering company. Additional attractions included a small concert organised by Strefa Kreatywności and a tasting of Andrea Boccelli wines. For those hungry for even more experiences, the Orientarium provided breathtaking VR projections.
Day 2
The next day, the guests, divided into two groups, were following two separate itineraries. For Group A, the day began with a tour of EC1 Łódź - Miasto Kultury. The participants saw the conference facilities, the EC1 Science and Technology Centre, as well as the Comic Book and Interactive Narrative Centre, which is scheduled to open in September this year.
EC1 was also the starting point for an action-packed urban game from Seven Events Group. The game was played using tablets on the MooveTeam platform.
At the same time, Group B visited the Hampton by Hilton Łódź City Center hotel opened last year, located on the pedestrian part of ul. Piotrkowska, in the geometric centre of Łódź. Then the guests went on a fictionalised walk along that famous street, provided by the REGIO Centre of Initiatives for Development, which led them to the place where the first cinema in the Kingdom of Poland was located over 100 years ago. The place is now an award-winning boutique hotel called Stare Kino Cinema Residence. After looking around the building, having coffee and attending a short screening in the historic projection room, the group went on toward the EC1. Also on this leg of the walk, their guide was an actor.
Meanwhile, Group A had the pleasure of participating in a culinary workshop prepared by Book&Cook in their studio at the fashionable OFF Piotrkowska Center. The guests cooked (and then also enjoyed) delicious dishes typical of Łódź. After that meal, the event planners went for a short tour of Księży Młyn, where they tasted some exquisite wine in Winoteka Lodz – a charming place located in the heart of this historic post-industrial district. After an eventful day, the guests went to their hotels for a well-deserved rest.
The second group visited the DoubleTree by Hilton Łódź – the first hotel of this brand in Poland, boasting the largest congress centre in Łódź, located in the adjacent building, which was once home to Wytwórnia Filmów Fabularnych (Feature Film Studio). In the Four Colours restaurant, which is a part of the hotel, the guests had a sumptuous lunch. The next point on the agenda was the Fabryka Wełny hotel in Pabianicenear Łódź, where the event professionals saw, among others, Pawelana – an impressive event space located in a historic factory hall, only recently opened this past spring.
In the evening, everyone met for dinner at the Mandoria theme park, the largest indoor amusement park in Poland. In addition, this place offers huge event spaces for rent: after opening hours, the entire park can also be rented to organise various events. The participants had dinner in Mandoria, served by Silver Catering. Afterwards, they set off to conquer the Renaissance port city, taking advantage of all the available attractions. As a farewell memento, the guests received unique forest-scented gifts from Smart Gift. Everyone found their inner child on that day. :)
Weekend in Lodz
For the first group, the weekend started with visiting the sports and entertainment complex of the Municipal Culture and Sport Arena. The next stop was the Władysław Król City Stadium in Łódź, home of the ŁKS football team with room for over 18,000 fans. The guests also visited the impressive Atlas Arena, where they were greeted by quite an attraction: a huge swing suspended from the roof of the arena. It turned out to be great fun, and there was also some competition involved! The next point on the agenda was the unique urban game TamTu by Acora Events, coupled with a strong historical component thanks to the Fabricum Group.
At the same time, the second group visited the unique post-industrial Vienna House by Wyndham Andel’s located in the famous Manufaktura in Łódź. From the hotel, guests went to Atlas Arena to take their turn enjoying the attraction that was the mega swing. While at the municipal sports complex, they also visited the ŁKS stadium and Sport Arena. The last point of the trip for both groups was Monopolis.
To wrap up their visit, all the guests met for lunch served by Book&Cook. Thanks to Brava Gente, they also enjoyed a live concert of a band called Bigiel Banda, which presents music historically rooted in Łódź. The official end of the event took place in the beautiful post-industrial space of ArtKombinat Scena Monopolis.
List of visited places
- Orientarium ZOO Łódź,
- EC1 Łódź - Miasto Kultury
- Hampton by Hilton Łódź
- Stare Kino Cinema Residence
- OFF Piotrkowska Center
- Księży Młyn and Winoteka
- DoubleTree by Hilton Łódź
- Fabryka Wełny Hotel (Pabianice)
- Mandoria Amusement Park
- Sports and entertainment complex of the Municipal Culture and Sport Arena (Arena Łódź)
- Władysław Król City Stadium in Łódź
- Atlas Arena, Hotel Vienna House by Wyndham Andel's
- Sport Arena
- Monopolis
Łódź Convention Bureau
The Łódź Convention Bureau (ŁCB), operating within the Łódź Tourism Organization, is responsible for promoting the city of Łódź as an attractive destination for hosting meetings, conferences, congresses, and other business events. Its main goal is to attract entrepreneurs, event organizers, and business tourists to Łódź, encouraging them to take advantage of the local infrastructure and event services on offer. The ŁCB provides support in organizing meetings and events by offering information about available venues, conference facilities, hotels, restaurants, and other event-related services in the city.
Furthermore, the Łódź Convention Bureau engages in promotional activities for the city, such as participating in trade fairs and industry meetings, organizing business gatherings, press tours, study visits, as well as collaborating with media and industry organizations. These activities aim to raise awareness about Łódź's potential as an attractive location for organizing events and attracting new investments and business clients.
All these efforts are geared towards the development of the MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, and Exhibitions) sector in Łódź and promoting the city as a dynamic business and cultural hub. For more details, visit the Łódź Convention Bureau website.
Source: Łódź Convention Bureau, photos Marcin Faliński
