Polish Chamber of Exhibition Industry has published the latest Report Exhibitions in Poland. This is the twenty-first issue of the annual PCEI Report, regularly published since 1994. It presents the situation and the condition of the exhibition market in Poland in 2013. The core of the Report is the statistical data of the exhibitions organized last year in Poland by the members of PCEI and audited for the six time by CENTREX – the International Exhibition Statistics Union. The Report presents the statistics of 216 trade fairs and exhibitions organized by 21 organizers. The statistical parameters of exhibitions in Poland in 2013, i.e. the exhibition space contracted to exhibitors, the number of exhibitors and the number of visitors, confirm that it was a good year for our sector. The research by PCEI and CENTREX shows that 27,828 exhibitors participated in trade fairs and exhibitions, 4,380 of which were from abroad. The offers of these entrepreneurs presented on 683,469 sq. m. of the contracted space, were studied by 1,249,352 visitors, including professionals representing various sectors, as well as consumers, both from Poland and from abroad. The Report presents detailed exhibitions statistics in two categories: according to cities and according to sectors, whereas in the latter case the official classification of CENTREX and UFI was applied. In most European countries year 2013 was marked by the first signs of the end of the recession. In Poland 2013 meant the slowdown of the GDP growth – to the level of 1.4%. Nevertheless, despite these unfavorable conditions, exhibitions fared relatively well. The fifth year of global recession had the most serious, negative impact on the condition of the Polish economy in the first half of 2013. In various sectors of the economy it might have looked differently, and it probably did, but the first half of 2013 was marred by the growing pessimism: fewer exhibitors than forecasted, smaller contracted space, decreased range of services. The turnaround was experienced in the middle of the year, in June, firstly in the sectors dealing with exports, and later it spread to the other related industries. After the summer we were sure that the economic situation had recovered and the prospects for the future looked better, said Mr. Andrzej Byrt, PhD, the President of the Board of PCEI in one of the interviews. The market results show unwavering interest in trade fairs and exhibitions in Poland shown by exhibitors and visitors from Poland and abroad. This confirms the important role of the geopolitical location of Poland in the development of the Polish exhibition market – between the West and the East of Europe. The exhibition centers in Poland have become the meeting place for business from the West and from the East, undoubtedly with great benefit for many sectors of the Polish economy. Polish exhibition organizers, aware of this fact, constantly work on improving the effectiveness of reaching the right target groups of visitors and mobilizing them to visit exhibitions designed for business. It is clear that the good results of Polish exhibitions are the result of the consistent development of the condition of the exhibition infrastructure, the growing quality, the wide range of trade fair services, and finally the quality of the events themselves. In the opinions of exhibition organizers, also the level of professionalism of visitors is growing which translates into quality. Business visitors which appear at exhibition stands today are much better prepared for meetings. The leading exhibition organizers and operators of exhibition venues are investing in the infrastructure and are diversifying their services. The calendar of trade fairs and exhibitions in Poland is changing and expanding. The form of many exhibitions, which are recognized brands in their respective sectors, is gradually improving. Specialist exhibitions tailored for specific market segments and clients’ need have been strengthening their position on the market for several years now. In the last three years Polish exhibition companies invested approximately PLN 300 million in modern infrastructure. Thanks to this the total of almost 100 thousand square meters of modern exhibition and conference venues appeared in many locations in Poland. Never before has the infrastructure been so modern, says Mr. Andrzej Byrt, the President of the Board of Poznań International Fair since 2011. What bore fruits is the consistent strategy of investments in modernizing the exhibition and congress infrastructure, expanding the scope of rendered services while increasing their professionalism, and diversification of the exhibition portfolio, adds Mr. Przemysław Trawa, Vice-President of the Board of Poznań International Fair. Exhibitors and visitors now use modern, dynamically developing, modernized and newly built exhibition centers. Within the last two years the exhibition map of Poland has been enriched by, among others, the Exhibition and Congress Center AmberExpo in Gdańsk, the Exhibition and Congress Center in Opole, the Exhibition and Congress Center EXPO in Kraków. Last year was the first full year of operations of Gdańsk International Fair in the new location – the Exhibition and Congress Center AmberExpo. This modern location offers services at the highest European standards both in the field of exhibitions and congresses. New possibilities of the modern infrastructure in AmberExpo boosted the development of many brands of our exhibitions., said Maciej Glamowski, Vice-President of Gdańsk International Fair). The Exhibition and Congress Center EXPO in Kraków, opened in 2013, is unquestionably one of the most modern venues of that type in Poland. The ideally located, multifunctional venue allows for the organization of events of almost any character., underlined Grażyna Grabowska, President of the Board of Targi w Krakowie. The investment in Opole is an example that also smaller cities see the importance of exhibitions and are investing in exhibition infrastructure. The modern Exhibition and Congress Center in Opole, which started operations in January 2013, will soon become an important institution of the business environment which is proven by the quickly filling calendar of events for 2014., said Mirosław Pietrucha, director of the Exhibition and Congress Center in Opole. Report is avialable HERE. Source: Polish Chamber of Exhibition Industry