The first in-person workshop of the Poland MICE Masterclass, a new programme launched by the Poland Convention Bureau of the Polish Tourism Organisation and led by Ciara Feely, took place in Warsaw on 9 September 2026. The initiative is designed to strengthen the sales capabilities of Poland’s meetings industry and support the Polish Tourism Organisation’s partners in winning more international business events for Poland.
The first workshop was held at Novotel Warszawa Centrum and marked the beginning of a programme scheduled to run throughout 2026 and 2027. It is aimed at partners of the Poland Convention Bureau – Polish Tourism Organisation: representatives of city and regional convention bureaux, Recommended Professional Congress Organisers (PCOs) and Recommended Incentive Travel Companies (ITCs).
Employees of the Poland Convention Bureau – Polish Tourism Organisation are also taking part. What brings all participants together is their work in the international meetings market. Whether they represent a company, city or region, when speaking to an international client they collectively contribute to presenting one destination – Poland.
Sales starts with understanding the client
The first Poland MICE Masterclass was not a conventional presentation-led training session. Instead, it began from the client’s perspective, asking why an organisation decides to bring people together at an event in the first place and what outcome it ultimately wants to achieve.
Participants worked with a customer empathy map, analysing areas including how clients think, the challenges they face, the outcomes they expect and their behaviour. Subsequent exercises explored the reasons organisations hold events and the differences between the perspective of a company or association and that of an agent representing the client.
This practical approach develops one of the core principles of the 7 Steps to WIN™ methodology: before proposing a specific hotel, venue, city or programme, the salesperson needs to understand the client’s objectives. The aim is to move away from simply presenting a ready-made catalogue of possibilities and towards becoming a partner who helps identify a solution that responds to a genuine business need. The Irish expert emphasised the importance of asking the right questions, building trust and moving beyond straightforward product presentation.
“Killer Questions” instead of ready-made answers
A significant part of the workshop focused on the questions that should be asked during conversations with international clients. The workbook prepared by Ciara Feely contains a dedicated “Killer Questions” section, where participants recorded questions they wanted to start using in practice.
Teams then worked on a sample enquiry concerning an international event for the technology sector. The task was not to identify a hotel or attraction as quickly as possible. Participants first had to establish what additional information they needed from the client before they could design the right solution.
Only once the objectives had been identified did the process move on to generating ideas. The workbook summarised this sequence through two consecutive questions: “What do I need to understand before suggesting a solution?” and “Ideas to explore once the objectives are clear”.
From a trade show meeting to a genuine business opportunity
One of the reasons for launching the Poland MICE Masterclass is the importance of international trade shows to the work of the Poland Convention Bureau and its partners. The programme has been developed for representatives of Poland’s meetings industry who conduct business meetings at events such as IMEX Frankfurt, IMEX America and IBTM World in Barcelona.
The project aims to improve both the effectiveness of these conversations and the quality of the proposals prepared afterwards. The objective is not simply to capture a hosted buyer’s attention during a short appointment, but above all to identify the client’s potential, agree on the next step, prepare a tailored proposal and develop the relationship consistently.
This is particularly important because participation in international trade shows and the organisation of the Polish National Stand are among the Poland Convention Bureau’s key activities. Investing in the capabilities of the professionals representing Poland is therefore intended to directly support the effectiveness of the country’s presence in international markets.
Working together to strengthen Poland’s position
The Poland MICE Masterclass goes beyond developing individual sales skills. The project also creates a platform for professionals from different parts of Poland’s meetings industry to work together.
When announcing the launch of the programme, Ciara Feely highlighted this aspect:
“The inaugural Poland MICE Masterclass brings professionals from across the Polish meetings industry together to share knowledge, challenge one another and work collectively to promote Poland at the most important trade shows and industry events.”
In practice, this means exchanging experience between convention bureaux, PCOs and incentive travel organisers, as well as working together on how to communicate Poland’s value proposition more effectively in an internationally competitive market.
“What I really liked about today was that even before we started, participants were coming up to me, thanking me and telling me how much they had been looking forward to the day. Having that energy, that level of engagement and seeing people who genuinely want to take what they do to the next level is something very special. What I particularly enjoyed during the workshop was seeing industry representatives really take to heart the importance of listening to their clients. It is not simply about telling people about their country. They genuinely care about the experience an event organiser wants to create and the impact they ultimately want to achieve,” Ciara Feely added at the end of the Warsaw session.
Photo gallery from the workshop
Poland MICE Masterclass in Warsaw – just the beginning
The workshop at Novotel Warszawa Centrum opened a longer training programme. Two online sessions will take place later in 2026, on 24 September and 22 October. The next stage will focus on preparing more effective sales proposals. Further in-person workshops are planned for the first quarter of 2027.
“The training with Ciara Feely made a strong impression on me, and I came away with specific ideas that I already know I will want to put into practice. I particularly liked the format, especially working in groups made up of people from different parts of the industry – PCOs, convention bureaux, venues and DMCs. It helped me see how differently we can approach the same situations and how much can be learned from people who work at different stages of the process every day. What stayed with me most, however, was the approach to the client. Ultimately, the client is interested in their needs, their event and their challenges. I think this will be particularly useful during trade shows, where meetings are very short, and will help turn those conversations into meaningful next steps. I am very much looking forward to the next parts of the programme,” said Dagmara Łukaszewska, International Congress Acquisition Specialist at Grupa MTP – Poznan Congress Center.
The programme does not end with the training sessions. It also includes practical assignments and proposal development, feedback from Ciara Feely, the possibility of qualifying for a smaller coaching group, access to educational materials and recordings, and several months of post-training support. An important element is putting the knowledge gained directly into participants’ day-to-day work.
This reflects the overall character of the Poland MICE Masterclass: the objective is not simply to acquire knowledge, but to translate it into better client conversations, more competitive proposals and greater effectiveness in attracting international meetings and events to Poland.
“Thank you very much for organising the Poland MICE Masterclass sessions. It was a genuinely valuable and intensive experience, with a great deal of practical knowledge, inspiring conversations and, above all, an excellent opportunity to organise what we already know and look at many issues from a new perspective. Thank you for creating this space for exchanging experience. I hope there will be many more meetings and initiatives like this,” said Monika Bączek-Bochenek, Head of DMC & Partner at JAN-POL DMC Poland.
Important: Only participants who attend all Poland MICE Masterclass sessions – both in person and online – will receive a certificate of completion.
Ciara Feely – bio
Ciara Feely is an international sales and business development expert specialising in the meetings, events and hospitality sectors. For more than 20 years, she has supported hotels, DMCs, conference venues and Convention Bureaux in developing sales, building client relationships and winning business. She is the creator of the 7 Steps to WIN™ methodology and author of Steps to WIN in the Meetings Market. She is also actively involved with Meeting Professionals International (MPI), including MPI UK & Ireland. LinkedIn profile and website.
