An international congress often begins with a local champion – a researcher, medical professional, academic, industry expert, business leader or representative of a professional association who is active internationally and can put Poland forward as a potential host destination for a future event. Local Polish Congress Ambassadors Clubs help turn these international relationships and initial opportunities into structured action aimed at securing congresses for Polish cities and regions.
The Polish Congress Ambassadors Programme has been operating since 1998 as a joint initiative of the Polish Tourism Organisation – Poland Convention Bureau and Stowarzyszenie Konferencje i Kongresy w Polsce (SKKP). An important element of the programme is the network of local and regional Congress Ambassadors Clubs, which translate its objectives into practical action at city and regional level.
The network currently comprises seven Clubs operating in Warsaw and Mazovia, Kraków, Wrocław, Poznań, Łódź, the Silesian Voivodeship and the Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship. The newest of them – the Świętokrzyskie Congress Ambassadors Club – was established in December 2025 as the seventh such structure in Poland and the third operating at regional level.
What are the Local Polish Congress Ambassadors Clubs?
Local Congress Ambassadors Clubs implement the objectives of the Polish Congress Ambassadors Programme directly in cities and regions. They work in cooperation with local and regional convention bureaux, supporting academic and scientific communities, business leaders and professional associations in their efforts to attract major international congresses and conferences.
Club members include both individuals who have received the title of Polish Congress Ambassador through the national programme and locally active academics, experts and industry representatives who may in future take on the role of a Congress Ambassador and become involved in bidding for an international event.
Their role therefore goes well beyond bringing together previous award recipients. The Clubs help to:
- identify new congress and conference opportunities
- connect with experts active in international associations, professional societies and scientific organisations
- share knowledge about congress bidding and association decision-making processes
- build local teams capable of preparing competitive city or regional bids
How do the Congress Ambassadors Clubs work?
The process of securing an international congress often begins several years before the event itself. An international association or professional organisation selects its next host destination, and a local representative of the academic, scientific or professional community can play a crucial role in initiating a bid to bring the event to Poland.
A Congress Ambassador brings subject-matter expertise, professional standing, international networks and, importantly, an understanding of the association, its decision-making structures and its congress requirements. A convention bureau, in turn, can provide destination expertise and information about venues and hotel infrastructure, support bid development, help secure partners and letters of support, organise a site inspection and assist in promoting the destination’s candidature.
The local Club creates a platform where potential local hosts, academic leaders and association representatives can connect with the destination’s professional meetings infrastructure.
In practice, the Clubs organise meetings, workshops and presentations, showcase available support mechanisms, connect academic and scientific communities with the meetings industry, and help identify international events for which a city or region could develop a competitive bid.
The importance of this model is also highlighted in the Polish Congress Ambassadors Programme Strategy for 2024-2030, which identifies the need to strengthen existing Clubs, establish new structures and further develop cooperation between Congress Ambassadors and convention bureaux.
Wrocław Congress Ambassadors Club
Wrocław is one of the pioneers of the local model of cooperation with Congress Ambassadors. The Wrocław Congress Ambassadors Programme has been run by Convention Bureau – Wrocław since 2006. The Club brings together representatives of different fields of science, culture and business.
Convention Bureau – Wrocław organises meetings that connect Congress Ambassadors with the local meetings industry, presents developments in the city’s conference, congress and hotel infrastructure, and provides advisory support to academics, experts and other potential local hosts interested in bringing international events to Wrocław.
The Wrocław model also provides tangible examples of successful congress acquisition. Events secured with the involvement of members of the Congress Ambassadors community include the IFLA World Library and Information Congress 2017, ENEA Congress 2018 and European Consortium for Political Research General Conference 2019.
More information: Wrocław Congress Ambassadors Programme
Poznań Congress Ambassadors Club
The Poznań Congress Ambassadors Club combines the potential of the city’s strong academic community with the experience of Poznań Convention Bureau, Poznań Congress Center and Grupa MTP. Its primary objective is to create a platform for inspiration, practical support and the exchange of best practice related to bidding for prestigious international events that could be hosted in the capital of Wielkopolska.
Club meetings have a strong practical and workshop-based focus, helping potential local hosts better understand the bidding process and the support available within the destination.
A good example was the edition held in March 2025 in the historic interiors of Bazar 1838. More than 30 representatives of Poznań’s academic community took part. The programme combined first-hand experience from researchers involved in organising major international events with presentations of available support mechanisms and opportunities for cooperation with the local meetings industry.
More information: Poznań Congress Ambassadors Club
Kraków Congress Ambassadors Club
Kraków is home to one of Poland’s largest academic communities, making cooperation with researchers, academics and representatives of international associations particularly important for the city’s continued development as an international congress destination.
The Kraków Congress Ambassadors Club works with Kraków Convention Bureau and operates within a broader cooperation ecosystem developed, among other initiatives, through Kraków Network. An important part of its work is identifying academics and professionals whose international activity and association involvement may enable them to initiate bids for congresses and conferences in Kraków.
In December 2025, CKF 13 Centrum Konferencyjne Fabryczna hosted another edition of the “Become a Congress Ambassador in Kraków” initiative. The meeting was aimed both at existing Congress Ambassadors and potential future candidates, while the programme included presentations of the support tools offered by Kraków Convention Bureau and Poland Convention Bureau POT.
This approach was further developed in 2026. As part of Kraków Network 2.0, representatives of academia, public administration and the meetings industry jointly discussed how to increase the number of international scientific and academic conferences held in Kraków, professionalise congress bidding processes and make effective use of the available support mechanisms.
More information: Kraków Congress Ambassadors Club
Congress Ambassadors Club – Warsaw and Mazovia
In October 2024, Warsaw and Mazovia created Poland’s first regional-local model of a Congress Ambassadors Club. It was established by bringing together the existing Warsaw Club and an initiative being developed at Mazovia regional level.
The agreement was signed by the Polish Tourism Organisation – Poland Convention Bureau, Stowarzyszenie Konferencje i Kongresy w Polsce, Warszawska Organizacja Turystyczna – Warsaw Convention Bureau and Mazowiecka Regionalna Organizacja Turystyczna – Mazovia Convention Bureau.
The results of this cooperation were already visible during the next edition of the Polish Congress Ambassadors Programme. Of the 21 people recognised at the 2025 Polish Congress Ambassadors Gala, more than half had been nominated by the Warsaw and Mazovia Congress Ambassadors Club. The Gala itself was held at Matecznik “Mazowsze” in Karolin and was jointly organised by the programme organisers and partners from Warsaw and Mazovia.
Another important initiative was the Club’s December meeting in Warsaw, during which representatives of the academic community were introduced to the combined support offer of Warsaw Convention Bureau, Mazovia Convention Bureau and Poland Convention Bureau POT. This included, among other areas, assistance with event organisation, delegate transport, air travel, site inspections and accompanying programmes.
More information: Warsaw and Mazovia Congress Ambassadors Club
Łódź Congress Ambassadors Club
The Łódź Congress Ambassadors Club was inaugurated on 26 October 2023 as the fifth local Club operating in Poland. It was established through cooperation between Łódzka Organizacja Turystyczna – Łódź Convention Bureau, Poland Convention Bureau POT and Stowarzyszenie Konferencje i Kongresy w Polsce.
From the outset, the Łódź model was designed with a strong practical focus. The convention bureau supports potential Congress Ambassadors from the earliest stage of assessing an event’s potential and feasibility, and can then assist with securing patronage and letters of support, establishing contacts with hotels and suppliers, identifying local partners, developing a professional city bid and organising a site inspection.
Support may continue after the event has been secured and can include event promotion, tourist information for delegates, destination materials, sightseeing programmes and transport solutions.
The key achievement of the Club’s first stage of activity is therefore the creation of a clear pathway for potential Congress Ambassadors – from an initial idea and an international association contact through to the development of a professional bid for Łódź.
More information: Łódź Congress Ambassadors Club
Silesia Ambasador Club
Silesia Ambasador Club was officially inaugurated on 11 March 2025 during the second Silesia Ambasador Day. It became Poland’s second regional Polish Congress Ambassadors Club.
The format of the inauguration itself reflected the regional character of the initiative. The meeting was held 320 metres underground at the historic Guido Mine in Zabrze and brought together more than 50 representatives of academia and business. When the Club was established, Silesia Convention Bureau also reported that, over the previous two years, six people nominated by the bureau had received the title of Polish Congress Ambassador.
Silesia Ambasador Day has become a signature initiative of the regional Club. Its third edition took place on 8 May 2026 in Wisła. Club members and representatives of the academic and business communities explored the conference and event potential of Cieszyn Silesia and the Beskid Mountains, broadening awareness of opportunities for hosting business events beyond the region’s largest metropolitan centres.
More information: Silesia Congress Ambassadors Club
Świętokrzyskie Congress Ambassadors Club
The Świętokrzyskie Congress Ambassadors Club is the newest structure in the current network. The agreement establishing it was signed on 5 December 2025. It therefore became the seventh Club in Poland and the third operating at regional level.
The initiative, developed by Świętokrzyskie Convention Bureau and Regionalna Organizacja Turystyczna Województwa Świętokrzyskiego, is intended to create a permanent cooperation platform for representatives of academia and business and to support the identification, preparation and development of regional bids for conferences and congresses.
Given its relatively short period of operation, the Club’s most important achievement to date is the establishment of a permanent regional cooperation structure and the inclusion of the Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship in the nationwide network. This provides a foundation for systematically identifying academics, experts and industry representatives with international networks and association links who could become local champions for future congress bids.
More information: Świętokrzyskie Congress Ambassadors Club
The Clubs are also identifying the Congress Ambassadors of the future
The role of local Clubs is not limited to cooperation with existing Congress Ambassadors. In 2026, they were directly involved in the pilot Young Polish Congress Ambassador programme.
Its aim is to identify and engage a new generation of people connected with associations, academia, culture, sport and business who may in future play an active role in attracting international meetings and congresses to Poland. Candidates may be nominated directly by the Clubs, while those applying independently can receive a recommendation from a local Club.
Seven Clubs, one shared goal
Wrocław brings two decades of experience to the network. Poznań consistently connects its academic community with the professional meetings industry. Kraków draws on the potential of one of the country’s largest academic centres. Warsaw and Mazovia are developing a city-region cooperation model. Łódź has created a practical pathway of support for potential Congress Ambassadors. Silesia is strengthening regional networks around Silesia Ambasador Day, while the Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship is building a new support structure for future congress bids within the Polish Congress Ambassadors Programme.
Each Club operates somewhat differently because every city and region has its own academic communities, sector specialisations and competitive strengths. They are, however, united by one goal: to turn the knowledge, international networks and association engagement of Polish experts into concrete opportunities to secure new congresses and conferences for Poland.
This is where the local and national levels of the Polish Congress Ambassadors Programme come together. An Ambassador’s international networks and association relationships may initiate the process; a local Club and convention bureau can then help turn the opportunity into a professional bid, while Poland Convention Bureau POT and the programme’s partners can support subsequent efforts to secure the event for Poland.
Are you connected with an international association?
Are you active in an international association, scientific committee, professional society or industry organisation? Are you involved in selecting host destinations for future congresses, or do you know of an international event that could be brought to Poland?
You do not need to understand the entire bidding process or prepare the bid on your own. Contact your local or regional convention bureau. Its team can help assess the event’s potential, develop a city or regional bid, identify suitable partners and venues, plan a site inspection and advise you on the available forms of support.
