Poland - exceeding your expectations - Business Works

Poland – a long experience in exceeding your expectations

H ere is some information about the highpoints of Polish incentive and conference travel, showing you what stands behind the swift rise of Poland as one of Europe’s favourite business and tourist destinations.

“ ... by the imperial crown I swear that the news brought to us did not give justice to what we have seen here ...”
Otto III, Holy Roman Emperor, when visiting Poland in AD1000

A fascinating history, interesting traditions, unique and unexplored nature, a modern infrastructure, competitive prices - both on the effective and practical side, Poland provides many reasons to look no further.

You can take a quick look through our introduction of Poland, but there is a great deal more to discover. Poland is an ideal place for the organisation of many different types of conferences and attractive incentive programmes. Business people, especially those participating in incentive meetings, will feel comfortable in an environment equipped with the latest hi-tech facilities and surrounded by the ambience of traditional Polish hospitality. Anyone seeking exceptional, unique and unconventional conditions for the organisation of business meetings will be very satisfied with facilities in Poland.

Last year, Krzysztof Celuch of the Polish Tourist Organisation undertook research into the levels of satisfaction of over 100 German and UK meeting planners who had recently held their business events in Poland. Both countries are key incoming markets for business tourism in Polish cities, as German and UK companies have invested heavily in Poland and there are fast-expanding transport links between these countries. The objectives were to identify these planners’ perceptions of Poland’s strengths and weaknesses as a meeting destination and to determine what Polish cities’ Convention Bureaux should do in order to attract more meetings from these two countries.

The results of the survey (the Poland Conference Market Survey) were extremely encouraging for the Polish business tourism industry. Planners were asked about their three main reasons for choosing Poland as the destination for their meetings. Considerations of cost were clearly uppermost in the minds of many: 74% of respondents mentioned ‘Value-for-money’ as one of their main reasons; while 58% claimed that a ‘Business connection with Poland’ had been an important factor in their decision to hold business tourism events in Poland; and 58% said that Poland’s ‘Heritage and history’ was one of their deciding factors. Encouragingly, as many as 42% of the UK and German planners cited ‘Previous experience of using Poland as a destination’ as one of their most important reasons for choosing Poland, suggesting relatively high levels of repeat business. Poland’s central European location was also mentioned as a motivating factor. One German planner commented: ‘We hoped to attract more delegates from Sweden, and, being just across the Baltic, Gdansk therefore seemed a good choice’.

The ‘value-for money’ factor will, undoubtedly, be a major advantage for Poland in these times of cost consciousness. Companies will be attracted to destinations such as Poland, where they can give their staff a highquality conference or incentive travel experience without being accused of profligacy. Poland is well-connected by budget airline routes to other European countries and this is yet another factor in its favour right now.

Poland is a quality destination for business tourism. Over 90% of the planners whom we surveyed for the Poland Conference Market Survey reported that they were either ‘Very Satisfied’ or ‘Quite Satisfied’ with the following elements of their meetings: the hotels they used, the appearance of the venues, the variety of restaurants and the opportunities for excursions. The highest satisfaction ratings (70% or more ‘Very satisfied’) were achieved for: the service provided at the conference venues, in addition to tour guides and interpreter services. Very few elements were identified by planners as requiring major improvement. Only the levels of service at some Polish airports and certain technical services at a number of venues were considered to be in need of improvement.

Polish companies operating in the business tourism arena need to maintain this reputation for quality - not only their quality facilities, but also the quality of service for which Polish hospitality employees are now renowned, thanks to the large number of young Poles working in hotels, bars and restaurants in other European countries. At times like the present, all business tourism destinations are competing much harder, to fight for international conferences and win them for their countries. Polish companies operating in business tourism must do everything they can to collaborate with their Convention Bureaux - the organisations responsible for winning international conferences and bringing them to Polish cities - not only Warsaw, but, of course, the other cities which are proactively marketing themselves as business tourism destinations, through their excellent Convention Bureaux: Krakow, Gdansk, Poznan, Torun and Wroclaw.

Over the past 5 years, the staff at all of these Convention Bureaux have all been working extremely hard to win international conferences in an increasinglycompetitive market. There have been many high-profile successes – the recent United Nations Climate Change Conference held in Poznan is a very good example of Poland winning and hosting a large and complex international business tourism event.


Some of Poland's highlights

Poland has a rich history and a tradition of hospitality, natural delights and wonderful cuisine. Here are but a few “tastes”:


Warsaw

Warsaw’s Old Town, completely destroyed during WWII, has been painstakingly rebuilt using 18th century paintings, pre-war photographs and plans. Since 1980 it has been on the UNESCO List of World Heritage as one of the world’s most extraordinary examples of urban reconstruction.


Cracow

In Cracow the passing of every hour is marked by a bugle played from the tower of St Mary’s Church. The bugle call is cut abruptly in mid-tune as a reminder of the legendary 12th century trumpeter shot through the neck by an arrow when sounding the alarm at the sight of the approaching Tartar horde.


Blossoms


Pieniny- Dunajec River

Beauitiful Poland

Cut in two by the Dunajec River, the picturesque Pieniny mountain range is best admired from the river. The local raftsmen - flisacy – possess skills which go back generations. They will take you down the river from where you will be able to admire the stunning beauty of the Pieniny landscape.


Tatra Mountains

Forested uplands, granite ridges and rushing streams cascading through picturesque valleys are some of the natural grandeur which creates the magnificent mountain landscape of Poland, the Tatras. All this can be summed up on the shores of the post glacial lakes of the region, the most beautiful of which according to legend is connected to the sea some thousand kilometres to the north. Morskie Oko, the Eye of the Sea.


Vitality


700 years of experience

Health treatment traditions in Poland go back to the 13th century. The first sanatorium in Cieplice, for example, was built by Joannite monks in 1288. During the centuries that followed, the sanatorium gained a certain reputation and welcomed many distinguished guests among them Polish and German monarchs, the writer Goethe, and the future US President, John Quincy Adams. Today, Cieplice is just one of 43 Polish health Spas, offering more than 45,000 sanatorium beds.


Flavours


Naturally tasty

Poland, as each country with a long cultural heritage, has developed a very distinctive cuisine. Ten centuries of Polish history have been marked by significant influences from other civilizations. That is why Polish cuisine is so original and full of flavours from distant lands. It combines the refined and elegant savours introduced centuries ago by aristocratic courts with the wild, mysterious flavours of the Lithuanian forests, the sweet aroma of dishes served for the Jewish Sabbath supper and the fierce, rare taste of steak Tartare. This extraordinary mélange varies from region to region and from town to town, enriched everywhere by the purest ingredients from Polish nature.


Pierogi

Probably the most widely recognized Polish dish is pierogi. This simple recipe owes its popularity to the great variety of its fillings, making pierogi a delicious entrée, main course or dessert. The most traditional pierogi are prepared with fried mushrooms and onion, minced meat or cabbage. Fillings can also be sweet – blueberries with sugar and cinnamon, cherries, apricots or one of the favourites in Poland: cottage cheese with vanilla and egg yolk stirred in with sugar.


Zurek Soup

A true Polish specialty is soup, in fact soups because they come in over 200 essential varieties. Among them, white borsch is considered the most Polish of all.


Na zdrowie!

A journey through Polish cuisine is not complete without sampling Poland’s unique beverages. Some of the best beers in Europe produced in towns in the southern mountains of the country, an extensive selection of wines, traditional spirits, including the world’s best brands of vodka, these are all part of Polish tradition.


Find out more ...


The Convention Bureau of Poland is a governmental institution - a division of the Polish Tourist Organisation - focused on the promotion of Poland’s unique qualities as a business tourism destination, as well as on providing free of charge, unbiased professional advice to those considering Poland as a location for their future events. For that we:

  • organize familiarization trips and site inspections;
  • contact with local convention bureaux and tourist authorities;
  • furnish you with impartial advice with regard to venues, hotels, PCOs & DMCs, and incentive ideas;
  • put together Polish promotional materials for your mailings and participant resources.

You can meet us at the main business tourism fairs and exhibitions, consult our website, or simply contact us - we will be happy to assist you:


For more informationon on Poland, macroeconomic indicators or business and investment opportunities, please contact:
t: +44 (0) 300 303 1812
f: +44 (0) 300 303 1814
e: infodesk@poland.travel
w: www.poland.travel
w: www.polandconvention.pl

Travel Advice & Information Desk
Polish National Tourist Office
Westgate House
West Gate
London
W5 1YY




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