Three decades ago, no one imagined that Kraków would give rise to a company that would in time become one of the key players in Poland's trade fair and congress industry and quickly gain recognition on the international stage. Today, Targi w Krakowie is celebrating 30 years in business, summing up its journey from a local event organiser to the position of market leader.
Kraków roots, international reach
Targi w Krakowie was founded in the 1990s, at a time of dynamic political and economic transformation in Poland. Four people with different interests and professional backgrounds decided to join forces to make a shared dream come true. “From the very beginning we had a vision: we wanted to build a company that would be a significant organiser of trade fairs and congresses in Central and Eastern Europe. Those were completely different times and a different reality from today. We created practically everything from scratch. There were no ready-made solutions or proven templates. Nobody taught us how to organise events – we learned on the job, by observing, talking and adapting good ideas to our own realities,” emphasises Ewa Woch, President of Targi w Krakowie.
On 13 February 1996, the company officially began operating. Initially the team consisted of six people, and the entire office shared a single Macintosh computer, for which there was a constant queue. The internet was in its infancy and no one in the country was yet using the word “event”. The first trade fairs were held wherever possible: in sports halls, in tents and even in the Aviation Museum – among the aircraft. From the very beginning, the strategic goal of Targi w Krakowie was to organise trade fairs and conferences. As early as 1996, the first major event took place – Międzynarodowe Targi Wyposażenia Hoteli i Gastronomii HORECA® (International Trade Fair of Hotel and Catering Equipment). A total of 180 exhibitors presented their offer on 1,700 m² of space, and the fair was visited by 5,000 people. Today, the event attracts more than ten thousand participants a year.
A year later, Targi w Krakowie organised the first Międzynarodowe Targi Książki w Krakowie® (International Book Fair in Kraków). At that time, 150 exhibitors took part. Today it is the largest literary event in Poland, bringing together more than 500 exhibitors and nearly 60,000 visitors.
Step by step, the local company grew in strength, building recognition and its position as one of the key players in the country's exhibition industry. Importantly, Targi w Krakowie not only survived numerous economic changes and crises – including the global challenges of the pandemic – but also consistently expanded its offer with each passing year.
EXPO Kraków – a turning point in the company's history
A milestone in the history of Targi w Krakowie was the construction of the EXPO Kraków International Exhibition and Convention Centre – the most modern multifunctional venue in the region, which was built in just 228 days and which, since its opening on 14 May 2014, has become a symbol of the company's move to an international level of operations. The investment, financed entirely from Targi w Krakowie's own funds, was built on the site of the former “Prefabet” plant in Kraków's Czyżyny district and opened a new chapter not only in the history of the company but also in the development of the city. EXPO Kraków – designed in line with the idea of sustainable development, with flexible, modular exhibition and conference spaces totalling 14,000 m² – quickly became a key point on the business and cultural map of Europe, hosting more than 100,000 participants from all over the world each year, attracting prestigious trade fairs, congresses, conferences and special events, and playing an important role in shaping the city. The creation of EXPO Kraków has had a real impact on the development of the local economy and labour market through the direct employment of dozens of people and indirect support for hundreds of businesses in its environment – from hotels, restaurants, shops and taxi networks to event agencies, photographers, set designers, sound and lighting technicians and many other event industry specialists. The venue quickly became a centre for the exchange of contacts, knowledge and experience, which every year hosts outstanding experts, scientists and cultural figures from all over the world, including Nobel laureates, acclaimed writers and linguists, outstanding athletes, master chefs and motorsport stars, confirming its role as a place where face-to-face meetings inspire, stir emotions and genuinely shape the future.
Meetings as a driving force of development
Today, Targi w Krakowie organises more than 100 events a year, including around 20 events of its own and nearly 60 congresses, conferences and special events, bringing together around 3,000 exhibitors and 160,000 visitors each year. The team is made up of four Management Board members and nearly 70 employees, and the quality and effectiveness of its work are confirmed by prestigious Polish and international awards, such as the UFI Marketing Award – the most important award in the exhibition industry – received in 2025 and presented by UFI – The Global Association of the Exhibition Industry.
As the company's representatives emphasise, its success is owed above all to the people who have been co-creating the history of Targi w Krakowie for 30 years. “Over these three decades we have been extremely fortunate with our people: committed, responsible and dedicated to their work, able to take responsibility for projects and see them through to the end. Several people who have been with us from the very beginning still work with us today; they helped create the first events and have tied their entire professional lives to Targi w Krakowie. It is people – their experience, passion and loyalty – who are our greatest treasure,” says President Ewa Woch.
Three decades of experience, thousands of completed projects and even more plans for the future mean that Targi w Krakowie is entering its next years of operation with the energy of a 30-year-old and the conviction that the best is yet to come.