Polish Chamber of Exhibition Industry has been operating since 2006 as an economic chamber of companies in the exhibition sector and industries related to the organization of trade fairs, exhibitions and events. Between 1993 and 2006, the organization operated under the name Polish Trade Fair Corporation. The seat of PCEI is located in Poznań. In 2018 the organization will celebrate its 25th anniversary.
The members of PCEI are above all exhibition organizers and operators of exhibition and conference venues in Poland, providers of services of design, construction and furnishing of exhibition stands, organizers of participation of Polish companies in exhibitions abroad and representatives of foreign exhibitions in Poland, as well as companies dealing with advertising, marketing, IT services, the media, catering and accommodation for exhibition clients.
The mission of Polish Chamber of Exhibition Industry is to:
- serve as a universal platform of cooperation for all players of the exhibition market in Poland,
- integrate members and increase their identification with the sector, build motivation to work together and the culture of cooperation that would multiply and protect the economic interest of the members.
- be an effective platform for lobbying actions for the benefit of the Polish exhibition market,
- promote participation in exhibitions as an effective element of marketing and communication strategy of enterprises,
- promote the highest international standards for statistical data of exhibitions and fundamental terms and definitions used in the exhibition sector,
- act with the purpose of increasing standards of exhibition services in Poland,
- provide up-do-date sector knowledge and offer opportunities of education and legal advisory to the players of the exhibition market in Poland.
For many years now lobbying has been an important area of activities for PCEI as an economic chamber. In the recent years the Chamber has had a few accomplishments in this field through active participation in the process of amending, for instance, the law regulating security of mass events (exclusion of trade fairs and exhibitions), and the act on industrial property rights (reintroduction of the exhibition priority). In 2017 PCEI actions focused on the amendment of the income tax law and the act on trading ban on Sundays. PCEI lobbying actions can be so effective thanks to its membership in the Polish Chamber of Commerce.
In line with its mission, PCEI continuously promotes exhibitions as one of the most important instruments of direct communication and marketing for enterprises from various sectors of the economy and encourages entrepreneurs to participate in exhibitions as exhibitors and visitors. By supporting cooperation between partners and the players of the Polish exhibition market, the Chamber facilitates the exchange of information and experience between its members and carries out joint projects with their active participation. At the same time the Chamber promotes transparency of the Polish exhibition market through audits of statistical data of exhibitions in cooperation with the international auditor CENTREX – the International Exhibition Statistics Union.
Since 2016 PCEI has been conducting the nation-wide campaign “Exhibitions Offer More” (www.targidajawiecej.pl )
Thanks to the active membership in UFI, the Global Association of the Exhibition Industry, PCEI stays in touch with the most important exhibition markets in Europe and in the world. The key partners of PCEI also include national exhibition industry associations: the above mentioned CENTREX union (Central Europe), AUMA (Germany), AEFI and CFI (Italy), UNIMEV (France), RUEF (Russia), IFES and others. Together with them PCEI actively supports the projects which the international community of exhibition industry experts believe to be essential for the development of the sector globally.
Source: Polish Chamber of Exhibition Industry, 2018.