Text by Łukasz Liese

Since its accession to the European Union, Poland’s attractiveness as a tourist destination has grown immensely, and eventually the country has turned into a hot meeting place for business people from the rest of Europe. Locally, Poland’s accession to the EU boosted the need for training and development programs for managers and employees alike, and that in turn drove the demand for modern conference facilities even further. All these factors, combined with EU funding programs, have led to a flourishing MICE Industry (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, Events) in Poland, where many exciting developments are expected in the near future.
 

Why Poland?

Although Poland still lags behind its Central European counterparts, Czech Republic and Hungary, it has the potential to overtake these countries as the leading conference destination in the region. Poland is the largest country in Central Europe, with the region's largest and most educated population and the largest economy. The country is very conveniently located in the heart of Europe with many connecting flights to all its major cities from most destinations in other parts of Europe. Poland’s tourist attractions are very appealing and offer a lot of variety. From its elegant old towns and numerous cultural and historical sites, to its mountains, lakes and seaside resorts, there is a wide range of options to choose from when planning a major event or employee incentive program. Poland also boasts many sophisticated conference facilities which meet all technical requirements. All major hotels chains can be found in its major cities. Less traditional venues such as historical buildings, museums and castles are also used as locations for conferences and events.

Major Conference Destinations:

Warsaw:

Poland’s capital city is also Poland’s conference capital and home to many upscale hotels offering luxury and functionality capable of satisfying the pickiest tastes. Prestigious, internationally recognised brands, such as the Hilton, Marriott, Hyatt Regency, Intercontinental, Radisson, Sofitel, Sheraton and Westin are all present; the competition among these major players increases the quality of services offered and helps maintain standards at par with the highest international ones.
The largest conference centres in Warsaw are the Gromada Airport Hotel, Kongresowa Hall located in the Palace of Culture and Science, the Trade Fair and Congress MT Polska venue and the Warsaw Exhibition Centre Expo XXI – a prestigious, state of the art, multi-functional facility suitable for exhibitions, conferences, seminars, fashion shows, meetings and banquets. By the second half of 2009, it is expected that an additional 4000 sqm will be added to the Expo XXI, which will give it an overall area of more than 17 000 sqm including 14 000 sqm of hall space and 1 500 sqm of conference space.

Wrocław:

One of the fastest growing cities in Poland, Wrocław boasts conference facilities and hotels expanding at a dynamic pace stimulated by growing numbers of business meetings and conferences. Aside from hosting many of the major hotel chains, Wrocław offers a number of interesting alternatives for conference and event organisers, such as the Mieszczanski Brewery that incorporates unique nineteenth century post-industrial architecture with modern conference facilities and the Wrocław Opera regarded by many as one of the most interesting opera houses in the country The most popular conference venue in Wrocław is Centennial Hall, which is able to accommodate over three thousand convention participants and is widely praised for its architecture. In 2006, the hall was added to UNESCO’s list of World Heritage Sites as one of the most important achievements in 20th century architecture.

Kraków:

This Poland’s most popular tourist destination in recent times and one of Europe’s most interesting cities has still to establish itself as a conference centre for business due in large part to its lack of facilities able to accommodate large numbers of participants. However, the city is moving in the right direction and is expected to develop the necessary infrastructure in the near future as demand increases. Currently, Kraków is home to most mid to upper market international hotel chains with modern, well equipped conference venues having capacity for up to several hundred participants. Kraków’s biggest strength lies in its rich cultural and historical sites and the city boasts some of the best cafés and restaurants in Europe.

Poznań:

Home to a number of international fairs, Poznań has a lot of infrastructure in place and experience in organising conferences and major tradeshows. The city is home to the Poznań International Fair which, according to its website, organises over 60 events each year for over 100 sectors of the economy while attracting over 300 000 visitors and 11 500 exhibitors. In early December 2008, the city hosted the United Nations Conference on Climate Change which was one of the largest UN climate change meetings in history. The conference had over nine thousand participants with almost four thousand government officials and representatives from 186 countries. Held at the Poznań International Fair, the event gave Poznań global exposure and showed that the city is more than capable of hosting major international political events.

Closer to Nature
 

Aside from the major cities, a large number of events also take place in the areas of Poland traditionally known for their natural beauty rather than for any conference facilities. Poland has beautiful mountains, lakes, forests and seaside resorts. The mountains (Beskid, Tatra, Karkonosze) are located in the country's south, where they have long been a popular destination for numerous Polish companies organising incentive travels and motivation programmes for their employees. An increasing numbers of meetings and conferences are also organised in these regions. Presently, the majority of incentive travel programs, conferences and other events are for Polish companies and participants; however, foreigners are beginning to take notice of them so that international demand for events in the region is growing. The Masuria Lake region is home to some of the most beautiful lakes in Europe; it is also becoming an increasingly popular destination for incentive travel not only for Polish companies, but also for foreign ones. Poland is also full of alluring sea-side resorts that often catch an eye of conference organisers and incentive travel planners from Poland and abroad. In recent times, the seaside city of Szczecin and the Tricity of Gdańsk, Sopot and Gdynia have seen an impressive growth in the number of modern conference facilities.
Many hotels in these and other Polish areas are also taking advantage of the popularity of Poland’s spa resorts that often combine luxurious spas with modern conference facilities. For example, the Hotel Spa Faltom, which is located 8 km from the centre of Gdynia and the Baltic Sea, has one of the largest Spa and Wellness centres in Poland to go with its 2600 sqm business and conference centre which includes 8 board rooms, the largest of which can accommodate up to one thousand people. The smaller, but also luxurious Hotel Kuracyjny, located only 300 meters from the Baltic Sea at the boundary between Gdynia and Sopot has a health and beauty centre to go along with conference facilities and business suites ideal for meetings, training sessions and small conferences.
 

Poland’s Future as a Conference-Centre Country:
 

Poland’s future as a leading conference and incentive travel destination in Central Europe is very bright. As Poland continues to develop into a premier tourist destination in Europe, so does its standing as a premier destination for business tourism. Poland’s biggest challenge will be in its ability to keep up with growing demand for its hotel rooms and conference facilities especially in light of the upcoming Euro 2012, which will be hosted in the country along with the Ukraine. All the stakeholders in Poland’s hospitality industry will have to work hard in the near future to ensure that there is enough capacity to meet the demand, not just for business tourism, but for its entire tourism industry. Beyond that, Poland will have to continue to invest in the development of its relatively young conference industry and will have to continue to promote itself effectively outside of its borders. For a country where organisers have access to all the major international hotels, beautiful mountain and lake regions, seaside resorts and historic castles, all of which are conveniently located in the heart of Europe, the potential for becoming the leading conference destination in Europe is very high.
 

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