Polish and foreign participants of the IMEX 2024 fair in Frankfurt emphasized the exceptionally high quality of the business talks they held during the event. Many meetings and numerous inquiries from hosted buyers made this year’s edition one of the best ever. The Polish national stand at the Messe Frankfurt trade fair was organized by the Polish Tourist Organization.
As usual, Frankfurt hosted a Polish national stand organized by the Polish Tourist Organization – Poland Convention Bureau POT. This time, 17 exhibitors presented their services, including convention bureaus, recommended organizers (PCO and ITC), congress venues, hotels, and an airline.
The participants included: Bespoke Agency Poland, ICE Krakow Congress Center, Convention Bureau Wrocław, Creative Poland, DMC Poland, Krakow Convention Bureau, LOT Polish Airlines, Lublin Conference Center, Marriott Warsaw Hotel, Mazovia Convention Bureau, Mazurkas DMC Poland, Poznań Convention Bureau, MTP Group – Poznań Congress Center, Travel Projekt DMC, Warsaw Convention Bureau, Vengo DMC Poland, and Zdrojowa Hotels.
“Poland. More than you expected – this was the slogan we used to promote ourselves at IMEX in Frankfurt this year. Seventeen partners, a great-looking stand, a series of live concerts by the irreplaceable Basia Giewont, branding in the gallery at the entrance to the main hall, delicious coffee and, of course, a wonderful atmosphere. We also returned to the tradition of group meetings. Five destination presentations provided an additional opportunity to promote Poland and showcase our event organization proposals and capabilities,” summarized Aneta Książek, manager of PCB POT.
“Hosted buyers asked about various types of events. However, the most important thing seems to be that they had well-defined needs for specific projects. They also had an excellent knowledge of our country, how it is developing and how it is perceived. This is very encouraging. Therefore, these were certainly not meetings that will remain without response,” said Agata Rybkiewicz, project manager at the Warsaw Convention Bureau.
“We are very pleased with the meetings. There were quite a few of them, and a positive surprise compared to other events of this type was the fact that many people came to the stand spontaneously. Our interlocutors often admitted outright that they wanted to show their clients something new, a place they did not know yet, but which is very attractive to tourists and well prepared to serve groups. This is how they perceive our country, including Warsaw and Mazovia. We exhibited together because our offers complement each other, which allows us to offer more,” added Maciej First, marketing and promotion specialist at the Mazovia Regional Tourist Organization (Mazovia Convention Bureau).
“The fair was characterised by the very high quality of the meetings. Some even involved very specific enquiries, related to the exact dates of an upcoming event or the number of people who would be attending. The organisers of IMEX deserve great credit for this,” admitted Hubert Syller, director of Vengo DMC Poland.
According to official data, nearly 12,000 MICE professionals took part in this year’s IMEX, of which over 4,000 were hosted buyers. This translated into approximately 60,000 pre-arranged business meetings, to which should be added those organized spontaneously on site.
“I am delighted with this year’s fair, including the strong return of exhibitors from the Asian market. I also noticed a growing presence of partners from Africa,” said Ray Bloom, chairman and founder of the IMEX Group.
Source and photo: WaszaTurystyka.pl
