This year has been exceptionally intense in my professional life at the organisation where I work. To remind you, I am employed at the Poland Convention Bureau, which is part of the Polish Tourism Organisation.
Education
In last year’s summary, I wrote about completing postgraduate studies in “Internet Marketing” at the Kozminski University in Warsaw. This year, I decided to take a more relaxed approach to education, focusing on attending training sessions and self-learning online. Particularly valuable was participating in an AI training organised by Sprawny Marketing and attending the “I Love AI” event in April as part of the “I Love Marketing” conference at Multikino in Warsaw.
This year was remarkable in terms of the further development of artificial intelligence and AI tools. I improved my skills with tools that were already familiar to me (ChatGPT, and more) and explored new ones, such as Fireflies AI and NotebookLM by Google. It’s an extraordinary time, and I’m delighted to utilise these technologies in my work.
Digital Marketing
I have been working intensively on creating engaging content for our social media profiles: LinkedIn, Instagram (which is increasingly important), Twitter X (which is less prominent), and more. Additionally, I wrote numerous articles for our website and press releases and collaborated with trade media in Poland and abroad. This resulted in our high position in activities in MICE trade shows and a large number of articles in MICE media, both abroad and in Poland.
I have also been continuously developing the website meetings.poland.travel. Although it is still far from its ideal look and full functionality, I view this as an ongoing process, with completion aimed for 2025.
Trade Fairs
MCE Central & Eastern Europe 2024, Salzburg
At the start of the year, I had the opportunity to represent Poland together with the Silesia Convention Bureau and Mazovia Convention Bureau during B2B workshops in Salzburg (MCE Central & Eastern Europe 2024). These were three intense days of table talks and a presentation on the main stage of the Salzburg Congress Centre. A fun highlight was winning an award for being the most active person on social media. The original Mozartkugeln chocolates were absolutely delicious!
IMEX Frankfurt
IMEX Frankfurt is one of the most important trade events for the Polish Tourism Organisation. This year, our Musical Ambassador, Basia Giewont, gave her final live performances during “Musical Mornings,” held over three May mornings in the Gallery between Halls 8 and 9. The event was a tremendous success, attracting numerous visitors.
We also received a report from Zenus AI, which analysed the engagement and sentiment of those stopping by to listen to Basia’s music. The results were outstanding! I am proud that our national stand once again promoted Poland and supported our industry partners. These were the best trade fairs in years.
IMEX America, Las Vegas
This year, I participated for the first time in IMEX America in Las Vegas, which turned out to be the best trade fair in my career. At Mandalay Bay Convention Centre, I held numerous pre-arranged business meetings, both at our stand and in other locations. On Monday, I represented Poland at “IMEX Smart Monday by MPI,” where I presented at the “Best of Europe” event and engaged with hosted buyers about organising events in Poland.
The trade fair was exceptionally intense -I managed to hold 25 meetings at the national stand and finally met in-person industry leaders I had only interacted with online, such as Julius Solaris and Nick Borelli.
Read my article IMEX Frankfurt 2024 takeaways on innovation and inspiration.
IBTM World, Barcelona
The trade fair year concluded at IBTM World at Fira Gran Via in Barcelona. The national stand’s new location attracted many visitors. A true hit of the event was the coffee enriched with chocolate and salt from Wieliczka, which drew long queues every day.
Projects and Business Trips
Spotlight on Poland, Wrocław
For the second time, I was involved in organising the Spotlight on Poland. I was responsible for recruiting hosted buyers and inviting experts for two panel discussions. I am delighted that Sina Bunte and Anna Peters accepted the invitations, with Anna even agreeing to travel by train from London to Wrocław (three trains via Brussels and Berlin, totalling 17 hours of travel).
During the fam trip, we visited Hotel Monopol, Hydropolis, Zamek Topacz, Centennial Hall, DoubleTree by Hilton, and other locations.
Eventprofs Creators Lab – Laboratorium Twórców
We entered the second year of the educational project “Creators’ Laboratory.” As its author and coordinator, I did not anticipate such success- the project was a finalist in the MP Impact Awards 2024. Between 2023 and 2024, we held 14 sessions with over 780 participants, delivering more than 70 hours of workshops and consultations.
Read Laboratorium Twórców Named MP Impact Awards 2024 Finalist!
Business Trips
This year was rich in business trips related to our projects and other events. A few highlights include the Congress Ambassadors Gala in Katowice, organising a press tour with the Silesia Convention Bureau to Wisła, Katowice, and Zabrze, “Let’s Meet Gdańsk,” “Łódź Creates Meetings,” and a training session in Lubelskie, where Patryk Wikaliński conducted a mobile photography workshop.
I am truly glad that at the Poland Convention Bureau, we can carry out projects full of passion, commitment, and creativity, which are recognised both in Poland and internationally.
Awards
I was nominated and won in two categories in the “100 The Most Influential People in Events Industry by Eventex” awards: “The 100 Most Influential People in the Event Industry in Europe for 2024” and “The 100 Most Influential Venue Professionals 2024.” This is an incredible honour and a testament to the recognition of my work in the industry.
Discover influential people in the Events Industry.
Writing and Photography
I continued writing a monthly column for “Think MICE” magazine, sharing knowledge about internet marketing, AI tools, and industry events. Find out more here Think MICE.
On Instagram, I published over 220 posts, bringing new energy to my profile. I hope to return to instameets and mobile photography initiatives in 2025.
Follow me on Instagram @jaroslaw_marciuk and LinkedIn @jaroslawmarciuk.
