The ceremonious presentation of the Doctor Honoris Causa degree of the University of Economics in Poznań to Andrzej Byrt PhD., the long-standing President of the Board of Polish Chamber of Exhibition Industry, was held on May 19, 2016, in the auditorium of UEP. The Senate of UEP honoured Andrzej Byrt as the outstanding organizer of international entrepreneurship, an efficient business leader, skilful negotiator and diplomat, developer of relations between science and practice, as well as a recognized speaker and promoter of economic values in international communities. Up till now the honorary doctor’s degree of the University of Economics in Poznań had been presented to 25 particularly distinguished persons with high scientific standing, whose work and achievements fulfil the mission of the University. For many years he had been an employee, the Executive Director, and the Chairman of the Board of Poznań International Fair. At that time he implemented an extensive investment program and expanded the scope of trade events organized by PIF in Poland and abroad, thus increasing the market share of PIF in Poland, and its turnover and profitability. As a diplomatic representative of our country abroad he was a commercial attaché in the Polish Embassy in Brussels (1987-1990), and later he was promoted to the post of the commercial attaché – Head of the Commercial Attaché Office in the Polish Embassy in Brussels. He was nominated twice to the post of the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Poland in the Federal Republic of Germany (1996-2001 and 2002-2006). In 2001 he was an adviser to the President in German and economic affairs. Later on he assumed the post of the Under-Secretary of State in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Poland where he was responsible for bilateral relations between Poland and the European Union member states and the countries of Africa and the Middles East, as well as for economic and cultural affairs and public diplomacy of Poland in the whole world. Since 2014 he has been the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Poland in the French Republic and the Principality of Monaco. Andrzej Byrt is a member of the Economic Committee of the Polish Academy of Sciences, member of the Committee of the Economic Award of the President of Poland and many other social bodies. Also for many years now he has been a lecturer of international economic relations, art of diplomacy, international economic negotiations or the diplomatic protocol. For his achievements so far he was decorated with the Officer’s Cross (1997) and Commander’s Cross (2011) of the Order of Polonia Restituta, Grand Cross with Start and Band of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany (2001), Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Estonia (2002), Cross of Merit of Rhineland-Palatinate (1997), and many other trade decorations and social honours. Congratulations from the exhibition sector! Source: University of Economics in Poznań