Polish Chamber of Exhibition Industry has presented the twenty second Report of exhibition statistics – Exhibitions in Poland 2014. The Report contains statistical data of over 200 trade fairs and exhibitions organized in Poland in 2014, confirmed by an audit carried out by CENTREX – the International Exhibition Statistics Union. The statistics gathered by PCEI concern trade fairs and exhibitions organized by 18 Polish organizers. Polish exhibitions once again noted the growth of parameters, which confirms their competitiveness and the leading position in the Central European exhibition market. The Report Exhibitions in Poland is a publication containing high-quality, reliable statistical data, whose aim is to reassure marketing specialists from many sectors of the economy that the budgets allocated to participation in exhibitions in Poland were spent correctly. Due to the 2-year organizational cycle of some of the leading exhibition brands in Poland, the statistical data presented in the latest PCEI Report were compared to 2012. According to Polish Chamber of Exhibition Industry and CENTREX, the total contracted exhibition space in Poland amounted to 817,481 sq. m., which means a 10-percent increase. (742,369 sq. m. in 2012). 28,799 exhibitors participated in trade fairs and exhibitions organized last year. Their number grew by 3.5% on 2012 when 27,810 exhibitors took part in exhibitions organized in Poland. Polish exhibitors did not fall behind. There were 660 more of them than two years ago (+2.8%). – The growth of exhibition space contracted at Polish events, attended mostly be Polish companies, which has been a continued trend in the last several years, proves the good situations of companies from many sectors of the economy. This is undoubtedly the result of the visible economic recovery we have been experiencing in Poland in the last few years – estimates Przemysław Trawa, Chairman of Poznań International Fair, President of the Board of PCEI. Growth was also noted in the category of foreign exhibitors at events organized in Poland. It reached 7% in comparison with the previous editions of the events, which only proves the attractiveness of the Polish market for foreign clients. The exhibitors’ offer at trade fairs and exhibitions in Poland in 2014 attracted 1,378, 209 visitors. This is a 10.3% increase on last year and 18.5% growth on the compared 2012. According to PCEI research, the number of visitors at approximately 200 trade fairs and exhibitions in Poland has been growing steadily since 2009. Two approaches to statistics The Report presents data in two formats: according to cities and according to sectors. The PCEI data show that the biggest group of exhibitors used the events organized by Poznań International Fair, Targi w Krakowie and Gdańsk International Fair. Similarly the organizers from Poznań, Kraków and Gdańsk contracted the largest exhibition space. This is the definitely the consequence of the continually developing exhibition infrastructure. It is confirmed by Grażyna Grabowska, CEO of Targi w Krakowie, Vice President of PCEI: – First of all we have completed the construction of our new venue – EXPO Kraków. This translated into higher attendance of exhibition participants and increased the interest of organizers of all kinds of events. Interesting conclusions can be drawn from the analysis of exhibition statistics in the approach by sector. The leader among the 22 sectors listed in the Report is exhibitions devoted to leisure, hobby and entertainment. Those exhibitions target general public and they are visited in order to experience a certain level of emotions. Examples of events of that kind are Poznań Game Arena which attracts gamers, Boat Show in Łódź for sailors, or Cavaliada – an equestrian festival organized in Poznań, Warsaw and in Lublin. Equally high position is noted by events from the building and engineering sectors. The tendency observed on the Polish market connected with the growing importance of exhibitions targeting general public is confirmed by statistical data published by European trade fair organizations and UFI, the Global Association of the Exhibition Industry (in the Report Euro Fair Statistics 2014). New face of exhibitions According to experts today we are dealing with three types of exhibitions: the first one is the well known contracting fairs, the second one is the more popular event fairs (automotive or angling fairs for instance), and the third one, which can hardly be referred to as exhibitions , are expositions which accompany conventions or sports events. Those changes are the consequence of the strategy of diversification implemented exhibitions companies which is based on expanding portfolios with new products and new markets. – Widely understood exhibitions are currently changing their functions and image. The sector now has professional organizers of conferences, conventions, events and exhibitions accompanying other events of sports, cultural, social and trade character. They strongly influence and change the exhibition sector. Exhibition organizers expand their operations with organization of events and conventions. In turn, the organizers of events and conventions are starting to operate in both overlapping areas. – says Przemysław Trawa, Chairman of Poznań International Fair, President of the Board of PCEI. – All these changes and particularly the growing potential of exhibitions are reflected in the policy of exhibition venues. Many new venues focus on multifunctionality already at the design phase and they assume also the possibility of organizing trade fairs and exhibitions. Some of the existing venues are planning modernization intended to supplement their offer with a convention function, which is becoming an inseparable element of exhibitions. – underlines Żaneta Berus, CEO of Expo XXI Warsaw, Vice President of the Board of PCEI The aforementioned changes on the exhibition market are confirmed by the data presented in the PCEI Report. They show that in the total number of all events organized in the trade fairs venues operated by PCEI members, 13.8% are trade fairs and exhibitions whereas 86.2% are conferences, conventions, sports and cultural events. Complete PCEI Report Exhibitions in Poland 2014 is available free of charge on the PCEI website.