IMEX Frankfurt 2025, one of the key events in the international meetings and business tourism industry, was a success for the Polish delegation, which once again made its strong presence felt. The national stand, organized by the Polish Tourist Organization, attracted attention with its rich offer, professional representation, and attractive accompanying program. Mazovia and Warsaw were represented by Iwona Majewska, deputy director of the MROT office, Mazovia Convention Bureau, Michał Kolankiewicz, member of the board of the Mazovia Regional Tourist Organization, and Agata Rybkiewicz, project coordinator at the Warsaw Convention Bureau.
13,000 visitors, including approx. 4,000 professional buyers, plus almost 3,000 exhibitors and a rich networking and educational program consisting of over 200 sessions, workshops, and lectures. These are the numbers for the 21st edition of the IMEX fair. The Polish MICE offer was presented by representatives of a wide range of sectors: DMC companies, congress centers, conference hotels, convention bureaus, and the national carrier, LOT Polish Airlines.
The exhibitors included Bespoke DMC Poland, Convention Bureau – Wrocław, ICE Kraków Congress Centre, Kraków Convention Bureau, Mazurkas DMC Poland, Nobu Hotel Warsaw (debut at the national stand), Poznań Convention Bureau, Poznań Event Hub (MTP Group), Sheraton Hotels (for the first time in the composition of Sheraton Grand Warsaw, Sheraton Grand Kraków, Sheraton Sopot), Silesia Convention Bureau, Szczecin Convention Bureau (also making its debut), Travel Projekt DMC Poland, Warsaw Convention Bureau, Mazovia Convention Bureau, Zdrojowa Hotels, and a special partner – the Wieliczka Salt Mine.
New contacts and Poland’s strengthened position in the MICE sector
IMEX Frankfurt 2025 created an excellent space for establishing new business relationships, exchanging experiences, and presenting the potential of the Polish MICE market on the international arena. Joint activities under the common slogan POLAND. More than you expected and the debuts of new partners contributed to strengthening Poland’s position as an attractive destination for event organizers and incentive travel.
We try to conduct our activities at the fair in the most optimized and specific way possible. We set up our stands in such a way that both we and our partners have a real starting point for discussions. However, the role of the national convention is not limited to this – we also deal with the broadly understood promotion of destinations and the development of international cooperation. We discuss further important steps, such as organizing fam trips or activities within association structures, for example in the ICCA. These are the foundations of effective work today. This year at IMEX, we once again decided to engage in sensory marketing activities. In cooperation with the Vistula University Choir, two unique concerts were held as part of the Musical Mornings. The stand offered coffee, wellbeing sessions by the Wieliczka Salt Mine, and an afternoon Polish Delight Tasting with Dwaj Bracia Cider. This strategy works perfectly – it evokes emotions, sticks in the memory, and above all, sets us apart. Regionality and authenticity are the elements on which we consistently build our message,” said Aneta Książek, manager of the Poland Convention Bureau POT, summarizing this year’s edition of the IMEX fair in Frankfurt.
“It is particularly important for us that we can enrich Warsaw’s offer with interesting ways to spend time in Mazovia. Hosted buyers expressed interest in supplementing the program of events taking place in the capital with attractions in the region, such as various culinary, artistic, and folklore workshops, as well as other activities, such as canoeing, cycling, hiking, rafting, or themed historical expeditions. This is a trend that creates opportunities to take advantage of what our region has to offer. We actively promote such solutions, making our interlocutors aware that it takes less than an hour to travel from Warsaw to find yourself in a completely different reality. A green reality, close to and in contact with nature. Such a slow life so close to a large metropolis, added Iwona Majewska, deputy director of the office, Mazovia Regional Tourist Organization (Mazovia Convention Bureau).
“Compared to last year, we have seen progress – we have had many promising meetings, and now we are waiting for the results. The talks concerned specific projects and events that hosted buyers from almost all over the world, including many from the US, asked about. They were very interested in the additional attractions that we can include in conference and congress programs,” summarized Agata Rybkiewicz, project coordinator at the Warsaw Convention Bureau.
Most participants came to Frankfurt with a clear goal in mind. Of course, there were some who were looking for inspiration, but the majority had specific objectives. This is good news. Poland is perceived as a country with excellent infrastructure and a high level of service. However, customers want to know exactly what they can see here, how to put together an interesting incentive program, or what attractions to offer conference participants. Recommendations of venues are also important – both existing ones that are the pride of the city, such as Wrocław’s Centennial Hall, and new, less obvious ones that can offer something unique while meeting high standards, noted Dawid Pańczyszyn, president of the board of Convention Bureau – Wrocław.
“Szczecin is still perceived as a new destination, which is why almost none of our interlocutors were familiar with it yet. We set ourselves the goal of changing this by promoting the city to potential customers. I think we have succeeded in this, and participating in the IMEX trade fair – for the first time – was an important step forward in this regard. In addition to general presentations, we also held two more specific pre-bid talks. We are pleased with the interest in organizing cultural events and medium-sized conferences in Szczecin, which fit perfectly with its infrastructure capabilities. The meetings with representatives of the Chinese market came as a surprise – this shows the potential that lies in our location, among other things due to its proximity to Berlin. I see this as an advantage, because many customers want to combine a stay in Germany with a visit to us. Excellent flight connections via Berlin also mean that we are easily accessible from virtually every corner of the world, said Anna Rojek, Project Manager, Szczecin Convention Bureau.
Our interlocutors increasingly asked not only about the possibility of organizing events in Warsaw or Krakow. They were also interested in other cities, including Wrocław, Poznań, Katowice, and the entire Silesia region. In search of inspiration, they also turned to locations outside large metropolises, closer to nature. This is something new. The fact that we can prepare an event surrounded by nature aroused great interest. The same applies to all elements related to folklore, authenticity, and locality that can distinguish a given project,” noted Magdalena Rembek, DMC Director, Bespoke agency.
Compared to previous editions, there has been a clear improvement in the quality of meetings. This time, there was no one who did not know where Poland is located, which has happened in the past. Most of the interlocutors were people who are already implementing projects in our country and are looking for local partners to organize transport or accompanying attractions. What’s more, we managed to obtain three interesting briefs for which we will prepare offers. More general meetings usually dominate during trade fairs, so this should be highlighted. I also noticed greater interest in the congress segment. In addition to Europeans, there were also customers from the United States and inquiries from India. There was even a client with a strictly marketing brief, which allowed me to move from a DMC offer to a broader, agency-wide presentation showcasing our expertise in other areas. The topic of ESG was also very prominent. Interlocutors want their events to leave a positive mark, a so-called legacy. We receive many inquiries related to this area. More and more often, we have to present certificates of sustainable operation for the venues where we organize events, as well as confirm that our subcontractors meet specific standards. These are elements that are becoming extremely important, especially in EU tenders, emphasized Maja Leśny, Account Manager, Bespoke agency.
Source: pot.gov.pl / Photos: Michał Kalarus
