macroeconomic overview
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Made in Poland 2013
Poland as an attractive destination for organising meetings
ccording the “Poland Meetings and Events Industry Report 2012” which was prepared by the Poland Convention Bureau of the Polish Tourist Organisation in cooperation with the regional Convention Bureau of Poland as well as with venues that host meetings and events, Poland is more and more active in the field of international meetings, showcasing its capabilities in this respect. The largest cities are recognised as potential destinations for international congresses. The cooperation with international, professional organisations and association representatives is noticeable. The joint actions of regional entities and central units also allow a common message to be delivered to all who are interested in Poland as a country to attract the members of a given organisation or representatives of the private sector. Another reason for satisfaction is the fact that Polish representatives actively operate at the level of international meetings industry associations. The report showed that in Poland in 2011 meetings and events were attended by 3,687,216 people. Meetings and events were split up into five thematic areas according to the categories accepted by regions, cities, and venues preparing the local studies. The highest attendance was represented by technology meetings/events, which were attended by a total of 1,281,618 participants, making it 35 percent of the total number. B r o u g h t
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The report also covered the number of participants of meetings and events divided into the following four categories: trade fairs and exhibitions, congresses and conferences, corporate events, and incentive events.
The number of meetings and events in individual cities was as follows: Warsaw – 8,830, Kraków – 8,304, Tri-city 4,773, Katowice – 900, Poznań – 766, Bydgoszcz – 496, Wrocław – 440, Toruń – 334.
Over 39 percent of all participants in the analyzed meetings and events were those taking part in fairs and exhibitions, which brought together 1,445,289 people. Another group was made up of congress and conference attendees: 1,057,451 people, as well as corporate events participants: 838,615 people. The least numerous category was incentive events (345,861 participants).
Based on the collected data, it is possible to state that in 2011 the highest number of congresses and conferences were held in Warsaw, followed by the Tri-city, and Kraków. The next cities were Katowice, Wrocław, Poznań, Bydgoszcz, and Toruń.
Exactly 22,793 meetings and events took place with participants from Poland, which made for a total of 84.23 percent of all meetings. The next group (12.52 percent) was composed of meetings with participants mainly from European countries. The remaining part comprised a group of events with delegates from America (2.32 percent), Asia (0.70 percent) and Africa (0.23 percent). A characterisation of all meetings and events, with a division into categories, was also performed, specifying their number and percentage share. The largest group was comprised of corporate events, 10,715 in 2011, that is 40 percent of all studied. This was followed by congresses and conferences – 9,873 (36 percent). Incentive travel took third place with 4,051 events, or 15 percent. The least numerous category was that of trade fairs and exhibitions, with a total of 2,421 held, which gave them 9 percent of the total. b y
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According to the data, in the case of corporate events, the most significant role was played by Kraków, while Kielce closed the ranking. In incentive events Warsaw took first place, while Kraków took second, and Tri-city was third. The final category was that of trade fairs and exhibitions. The studies handed over by the city and regional Convention Bureau indicate that the largest number of such events was held in Warsaw, Kraków, Poznań, and Kielce. The events most frequently organised in Poland in 2011 were those in the fields of technology and the humanities. It is worth focusing on the corporate sector. Corporate events organised on the occasion of sporting or cultural events attract employers and employees alike. The report on 2011 once again shows increases in the numbers of events organised in Polish cities. v
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