Poland Convention Bureau was created in 2002 as a department of Polish Tourism Organisation and is responsible for the promotion of Poland as an attractive destination for meetings and business events.
We are the first contact for anyone seeking information on business partners and conference facilities, who is planning to organize association congress or a corporate event in Poland.
Our main goal is to build the image of Poland as an attractive country for organising of all types of business events. We realize our mission through:
participating in international business fairs, which results in gaining new business contacts;
organising study tours for foreign journalists and organizers of meetings and business events, including conferences, congresses, product launches, incentives;
gaining new business events for Poland;
cooperating with foreign media and posting articles and advertisements promoting Poland as a business destination in business press and directories;
cooperating with city convention bureaux;
networking with Polish business sector within Recommendation Program for Professional Congress Organizers, Recommendation Program for Incentive Travel Companies;
networking with the Polish scientific community within Polish Congress Ambassadors Program;
cooperating with international organisations and associations of meeting industry professionals;
collection and elaboration of statistical data on Polish meeting industry, in accordance with the recommendations of international organisations such as ICCA - International Congress and Convention Association and the UIA - Union of International Associations, engaged in similar rankings.
The Polish Tourism Organization is a member of the meetings industry associations: International Congress and Convention Association and Union of International Associations.
Warsaw was awarded the prestigious title of the most attractive tourist destination in Europe in the European Best Destinations 2023 contest. In just three weeks, 142,000 internet users from over 130 countries around the world cast their vote for the capital of Poland.
The Poland Convention Bureau PTO made its debut appearance at the Conventa Trade Show, a business tourism event that took place in Ljubljana, Slovenia on February 1st and 2nd. Six Polish entities also were present at the fair.
Warsaw is a candidate for the best tourist destination in 2023. The Polish capital has been nominated in the European Best Destinations 2023 contest, with voting running until 10 February 2023.
At the beginning of each year, the Poland Convention Bureau PTO carries out a statistical analysis of the meetings and events market in Poland. For this purpose, in cooperation with city and regional convention bureaux, data are collected for the regularly published Meetings and Events Industry Report.
Discovering the Business Potential of Silesia: The Launch of the Silesia Convention Bureau. As revenues from business tourism are gradually increasing, the Silesian Voivodeship will focus more strongly on its development. The Silesian Tourist Organisation has just set up the Silesia Convention Bureau to boost this development.
The Poland Convention Bureau is now an independent bureau within the Polish Tourism Organisation, with Aneta Książek appointed as its manager and reporting to Marcin Różycki, Vice-President of the Polish Tourist Organisation.
The theme of this year's IBTM World in Barcelona was culture and its relationship to the meetings industry. Poland was represented by as many as 16 exhibitors. In total, IBTM attracted more than 10,000 participants, 2,200 exhibitors from 150 countries worldwide and, according to the organisers, more than 100,000 business meetings were held.
Recent trends in the meetings industry clearly indicate that both the organisers of meetings and events and the participants are placing increasing importance on the issues of ecology and sustainability, taking active steps to reduce CO2 emissions, reduce waste and obtain independent certification. The 61st ICCA Congress in Krakow is a prime example of this.
The 61st ICCA Congress was organised in Poland for the first time. It was attended by more than 900 participants from 80 countries, with more than 100 speakers sharing their knowledge and experience with participants. The motto of the congress in Krakow was ‘Together We Can’ with themes devoted to three areas: DEI (diversity, equity and inclusion), sustainability and legacy. The ICCA demonstrated that it was the leading association in the meetings industry, uniting the entire community and forging its future.
IMEX America, the international meetings industry trade show took place in Las Vegas on 10–13 October. For the eighth time, the Polish Tourism Organisation was the organiser of the Polish national stand, where companies involved in the professional organisation of meetings and conference facilities presented their offers.
The 17th meeting of the Strategic Alliance of the National Convention Bureaux of Europe, held on 15 and 16 September 2022 at the Melia Lisboa Oriente Hotel in Lisbon, once again proved the importance of international cooperation in our complex world.
Four Polish women have been nominated for the prestigious ‘Rise and Raise Others Award’ by United Nations Women. UN Women is a United Nations agency for gender equality and women's empowerment. The nominated Polish women are Iga Świątek, Dominika Kulczyk, Agata Kołodziejczyk, and Paula Fanderowska. In addition, Aneta Książek is the only Polish woman on the international jury.
One of the key events included in the PTO's annual programme in support of the meetings and event industry in 2022 submitted by members of the Meetings and Events Industry Council was an event titled “Spotlight On Poland,” which was held on a pilot basis on 22-25 September this year, thanks to the cooperation with the Polish Conference and Congress Association (SKKP).
The VUCA reality is challenging. Whether you participate in corporate event planning, association event planning or agency planning, you will have to consider how much risk you are willing or able to take. Maybe your risk management protocols prevent you from holding an event in a neighbouring country to Ukraine even if you wanted to. It’s a pity that the people from different countries suddenly receive a different image because there’s a war in the Ukraine, but there’s no war in Poland.
In 2025, the Stochastic Processes and their Applications (SPA) conference will be held, whose main content area is mathematical statistics and probability. Past conferences have been held in Europe, as well as in America or Asia. The upcoming event is scheduled to take place in Lisbon in 2023.
On June 27, 2022, the UIA (Union of International Associations) published its ranking, “The 63rd International Meetings Statistics Report”, where Poland maintained its position compared to the previous year.
Trends in tourism and the meetings industry over the past few years clearly indicate that travellers increasingly take issues of ecology and sustainability into account when making travel plans. Tourist destinations that demonstrate care in these areas are growing in popularity. Hotels and congress centres around the world are taking measures to reduce CO2 emissions, produce less waste and obtain independent certification.
They come from different parts of the world. Some travelled thousands of miles to reach Krakow. What made them come here? Where do they come from? What's their occupation, and what do they do for leisure? Read Stories |50-20 and see Krakow through the eyes of foreign visitors.
