The report “The Meetings and Events Industry in Poland 2025” aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the current state of the meetings and events industry in our country, based on data from 2024. The sixteenth edition of the publication, in addition to a summary of events organized in Poland, also includes an extensive study entitled “GDS Index Poland: a map of sustainable cities” and a glossary of terms and concepts specific to the meetings industry.
For the purposes of this year’s report, city and regional convention bureaux provided data on meetings and events organized in 2024 with at least 50 participants. The results of the analyses presented in the report are based on information about 18,934 events reported by cities and 873 events reported by recommended PCOs and ITCs.
We are happy to report that we are having another better year! The meetings industry in Poland has undergone a significant transformation, evolving from a niche sector into an important part of the national economy. The establishment of the Polish Tourist Organization in 2000 and Poland’s accession to the European Union, which accelerated a number of key investments, also had a significant impact on this transformation. These, in turn, contributed to the dynamic growth and professionalization of the industry. One of the key elements of the transformation was the creation of modern conference and exhibition facilities, as well as the establishment of municipal and regional convention bureaux. Currently, in addition to the Poland Convention Bureau, which was established in 2002, there are 14 offices operating in various parts of Poland, of which four centers—Krakow, Gdańsk, Wrocław, and Szczecin, have opted for specific and measurable solutions by joining the prestigious international initiative Global Destination Sustainability Index (GDS-Index) in 2022-2025, said Rafał Szmytke, President of the Polish Tourist Organization.
Key results
Compared to 2023, the number of reported events remained at a similar level – only a slight increase of 22 meetings was recorded nationwide. However, the structure of the types of events organized has changed.
In 2024, corporate and incentive events dominated, accounting for 49 percent of all meetings, an increase of 8 percentage points over the previous year.
Conferences and congresses accounted for 46 percent of events, down 8 percentage points, while trade fairs and exhibitions maintained their share at 5 percent.
Corporate and incentive events
In 2024, 9,201 corporate and incentive events were held in Poland, attended by a total of over two million people. The main organizers remain companies, accounting for 79 percent of the market, with associations, non-profit organizations, and government and public institutions accounting for a smaller share. The vast majority of meetings are short-term – 64 percent last one day, about one-third last two or three days, and only 6 percent last four days or longer, giving an average duration of 1.7 days. The most popular location is hotels, which host 72 percent of events.
In presenting the latest edition of the report, we would like to thank the thirteen city and regional convention bureaux and ZEN.COM Expo – the Exhibition and Congress Center of the Podkarpackie Province, which joined in collecting data in its area. We would like to thank and congratulate all our recommended congress and incentive travel organizers on their successful projects. They provided data compiled in the chapter on the analysis of meetings and events organized by them in 2024. After many years, we are returning to the glossary of terms and abbreviations in the Report, hoping that it will facilitate access and familiarize people outside our community with our activities. I also cordially invite you to the green part of the Report, i.e., the chapter devoted to the activities of cities and the meetings industry for sustainable development, said Aneta Książek, Head of the Meetings and Events Office – Poland Convention Bureau POT.
Conferences and congresses
In 2024, 8,784 conferences and congresses were organized in Poland, attended by nearly 2.5 million people, confirming their significant position in the domestic meetings market. The trade and service sector had the largest share, accounting for 40 percent of events, followed by the humanities, economics and politics, and medicine sectors.
Most conferences took place in May, June, October, and November. The main organizers were companies, which accounted for more than half of the events, followed by government and public institutions, associations, and non-governmental organizations. Compared to corporate events, there is a significantly higher share of the public sector and NGOs.
Most conferences and congresses were one-day events (69 percent), and hotels were the most popular venues, followed by conference facilities, exhibition and congress centers, and universities, which play a significantly greater role in this segment than in the case of corporate events.
Trade fairs and exhibitions
According to the report, 949 trade fairs and exhibitions were held. They attracted over 4.5 million participants, which means that despite the relatively small number of events, they generate huge attendance and are the most capacious format on the Polish MICE market. The average duration of an event is 3.4 days, which is significantly longer than in the case of conferences or corporate events.
Additional materials in the report
The report also summarizes Poland’s position in the latest ICCA and UIA rankings. According to the ICCA ranking, Poland remained among the leading destinations, ranking 19th in the world. This is an important signal confirming the significant role of our country in the global meetings industry – in the previous ICCA ranking, Poland was in 17th place, and two years ago in 23rd place. In the UIA ranking, Poland was in 23rd place.
The publication contains detailed data on cities and regions, which are covered in 14 pages.
The publication is also complemented by the study “GDS Index Poland: map of sustainable cities” and a glossary of 60 key terms in the meetings industry.
The report “The Meetings and Events Industry in Poland 2025” and graphics are available at: https://www.pot.gov.pl/pl/raport-przemysl-spotkan-i-wydarzen-w-polsce
Source and graphics: Poland Convention Bureau / Polish Tourist Organization
