We plan to be more active and visible on social media. Poland Convention Bureau's Facebook page is already known and followed by many professionals. At the end of 2022, we also appeared on Twitter and LinkedIn. Follow us and use the #DestinationPoland hashtag when posting about Poland and your Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, and Exhibitions planned and organised in Poland.

The specific communication in the meetings industry on social media

Foreign destinations have been separating DMO communication into Leisure and MICE segments for years. The main communication channels for convention bureaus are LinkedIn (company page / showcase page) and Twitter. They are also increasingly using the opportunities to publish visual content in the form of photos and short videos (Reels) on Instagram. It can be said that Facebook is slowly becoming a secondary communication channel in the meetings industry on the international market, but it is still an important social media platform for reaching partners in Poland.

Facebook

Facebook remains one of the most important communication platforms for representatives of the meetings industry. Considering the analysis of the community of the Poland Convention Bureau's Facebook page (almost 75% of followers are from Poland), the history of running the page, the number of posts and photos published, and the role that Facebook still plays in Poland, we encourage you to follow the PCB company page. On Facebook, we mainly publish posts in Polish language.

Twitter

After nearly 8 years, Poland Convention Bureau returned to communication on their reclaimed profile on Twitter at twitter.com/PolandCvB. Poland Convention was one of the most active CVBs during the IMEX America in Las Vegas and IBTM World in Barcelona, publishing valuable content from these events and supporting participating Polish partners. Equally important to us was sharing updates, photos, and videos from the 61st ICCA Congress in Krakow.

Thanks to the actions taken in October 2022, we were able to regain control of the @PolandCVB account on Twitter. The account has been secured. The first actions taken on PCB's recovered Twitter account were:

• Modified the name from Poland CB to Poland Convention Bureau and updated the Twitter handle (@polandCVB - we want to be consistent all over the internet)
• Modified the description of the profile
• Added a banner for the ICCA Congress in Krakow
• Added a link to the current website
• Published a tweet saying "We are back"

Why is it worth having a Twitter account?

Active communication on Twitter by a convention bureau can bring many benefits, including:

• Destination promotion - Twitter is a platform where you can effectively promote a MICE destination and business events that you are organizing or partnering with.
• Quick response to inquiries - Twitter allows for quick responses to inquiries and comments.
• Building a reputation - by sharing knowledge and experience a convention bureau can build its reputation as an expert in the meetings industry.
• Building relationships - Twitter is a great place to cultivate relationships with partners, journalists, influencers, and other important people in the meetings industry.
• Tracking trends - Twitter is an ideal place to track the latest trends in the MICE industry, as well as in marketing and communication.

Therefore, active communication on Twitter can contribute to increasing brand awareness, increasing the number of partners, and building an expert image in the industry. However, in each case, we are aware of staffing, time, and budgetary limitations in social media communication.

Convention Bureau on Twitter

Below you will find a list of recommended actions for actively managing and promoting a convention bureau profile on Twitter:

• Updating the profile with a proper description and a link to the CVB website.
• Changing the CTA (Call To Action) to encourage visiting the booth at trade shows, visiting a dedicated website, etc.
• The profile description should contain industry-specific keywords (convention bureau, country, events, and hashtags #associations and #eventprofs), and it's good to include an official hashtag, such as #polandcvb for Poland Convention Bureau. Using the right words in the profile description helps new potential followers find the profile.
• Updating the main banner for promoting CVB`s activities (banner size 1500x500 pixels).
• Regularly using Twitter by publishing tweets (single or creating threads), retweeting other users' tweets, and retweeting with comments.
• Posting diverse content such as text, videos, GIFs, and photos (up to 4 in a tweet, 3 recommended).
• Using emojis related to the tweet's content.
• Using the appropriate hashtags # and mentions @ of other profiles.
• Responding to comments under your tweets and responding to tweets from other accounts where you are mentioned or tagged.
• Identifying and following industry leaders and engaging with their shared posts.
• Following CVB`s clients/partners on Twitter and engaging with their shared content.
• Adding the profile icon and link to the website and email signature.
• Adding the Twitter icon, such as @PolandCVB and #PolandCVB for Poland Convention Bureau, to promotional materials and presentations, etc.

Additionally, it's recommended to use industry-specific hashtags on Twitter. According to a Twitter study, tweets with hashtags can increase engagement by almost 100% for individual profiles and 50% for brand accounts on Twitter.

We will publish a list of hashtags for the meetings industry in a separate article.

🇵🇱 Thank you to everyone who visited our stand at #IBTMworld. See you next year! @IBTMevents #DestinationPoland #Polandcvb #eventprofs #eventprofspl pic.twitter.com/mlHFnD7FRC

— Poland Convention Bureau 🇵🇱 (@PolandCvB) December 5, 2022

LinkedIn

Poland Convention Bureau did not have a company page or showcase page on LinkedIn. LinkedIn is considered one of the most important platforms in the events industry, helpful for building brand image, creating a community, and reaching out to opinion leaders, decision-makers, and event organizers. Therefore, just before the start of IMEX America in Las Vegas and the ICCA Congress in Krakow, a Poland Convention Bureau showcase page was created on LinkedIn at linkedin.com/showcase/polandcvb/.

Selected actions that have been taken since the creation of the showcase page and are currently being conducted on LinkedIn by the Poland Convention Bureau include:

• Changing the page URL to linkedin.com/polandcvb for consistency across all social media platforms
• Optimizing the page description with industry-specific keywords and highlighting solutions for event planners
• Designing and regularly updating banners with new CTAs
• Regularly publishing content on the LinkedIn page, with 80% of the content in English
• Sharing diverse content, including text, videos, and photos
• Using appropriate hashtags for the meetings industry and tagging relevant company pages and personal profiles on LinkedIn
• Using appropriate emojis in published content
• Implementing a hashtag system, including the primary #polandcvb for PCB activities and #DestinationPoland for Poland as an event destination
• Engaging with and responding to comments
• Following clients/partners and engaging with their shared content on LinkedIn
• Publishing events on LinkedIn (such as IBTM Destination Poland), using appropriate banners and text, inviting participants from the network, and sharing updates and comments related to the event.

Regular communication on LinkedIn allows reaching key individuals, and opinion leaders, and strengthening the image of Poland as a destination that provides a high level of services, appropriate infrastructure, and professionals necessary for organizing the most important events in Poland.

Social media listening

Thanks to numerous tools, we monitor social media in real-time. Below, we present reports from IBTM World in Barcelona, IMEX America in Las Vegas, and the 61st ICCA Congress in Krakow.

Polish Convention Bureaux on social media

In recent years, Polish convention bureaux have intensified their marketing efforts on social media. Not long ago, the main communication platform was Facebook and the website. Currently, the Polish congress and meeting bureaus create dedicated channels on social media (separate from existing leisure segment profiles) and clearly differentiate the published content, adapting it for meeting industry representatives.

MICE industry on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter

Foreign DMOs have been separating their communication for Leisure and MICE segments for years, although it should be emphasized that. The main communication channels are LinkedIn (company page or showcase page) and Twitter. They are also increasingly using the possibility of publishing visual content in the form of photos and short films (Reels) on Instagram. Due to the specific audience, an active convention bureaux profile on TikTok has not yet been found.

If you are looking for inspiration, knowledge, and updates from PCB POT, we encourage you to follow us on the mentioned social media. This year will also be important in online promotion, so remember to use the hashtags #DestinationPoland in your posts. Posts about our office can be found on social media under the hashtag #PolandCVB.

In the next articles as part of the project, we will share knowledge about the use of e-marketing in destination marketing.

Created by Jaroslaw Marciuk