Organisers of congresses and conferences held in the Silesian Voivodeship can apply for funding to arrange visits to selected tourist and cultural attractions. Silesia Unique Venue is the first programme of its kind in the region. The initiative, launched by Silesia Convention Bureau, aims to enrich business events with visits to some of the voivodeship’s leading attractions.
The programme responds to organisers’ interest in giving conference and congress delegates the opportunity to discover the region’s flagship tourist and cultural sites. Demand for these experiences is growing, and organisers are increasingly setting aside time in event programmes to showcase the destination and what it has to offer.
For more than three years, Silesia Convention Bureau has been promoting the Silesian Voivodeship in domestic and international meetings markets.
“We are launching an initiative that will make it easier to organise visits to unique places in our region for event delegates. It will give guests the opportunity to discover the destination they have travelled to for a congress or conference. This adds value for them and gives us another way to build the region’s image and make a tangible contribution to the development of the meetings industry. We have invited seven exceptional venues to join the programme, where a visit is sure to be an unforgettable experience,” says Dominika Wojniak, Project Manager at Silesia Convention Bureau.
Seven venues in four cities
Event delegates will be able to visit:
- Muzeum Śląskie in Katowice
- The headquarters of the Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra in Katowice
- Guido Historic Coal Mine and Queen Louise Adit in Zabrze
- Historic Silver Mine and Black Trout Adit in Tarnowskie Góry
- Tyskie Brewing Museum in Tychy
The selection highlights the diversity of the Silesian Voivodeship’s MICE offer and helps organisers choose a venue suited to the nature of their event and the needs of their delegates.
“The Katowice Culture Zone, which includes Muzeum Śląskie, is a unique ecosystem where culture, science and business intersect with remarkable intensity. For the MICE sector, we offer atmospheric post-industrial spaces, including the former joinery and bathhouse in historic buildings belonging to the former ‘Katowice’ mine. Conference and congress guests can explore galleries of historic, modern and contemporary art, take a spectacular lift to the top of the former ‘Warszawa’ shaft tower, and see the largest collection of outsider art and art brut in Poland. We are very pleased with Silesia Convention Bureau’s initiative, which will introduce the museum’s potential as a business events venue to an even wider audience,” says Łukasz Galusek, Director of Muzeum Śląskie.
“Taking part in the programme is both a distinction and an excellent opportunity to present our region’s remarkable industrial heritage to congress delegates. We believe congress tourism can help build an attractive, modern image of Silesia. The opportunity to combine business events with visits to places that best tell the story of our voivodeship’s history, culture and distinctive character is particularly valuable. We hope the programme will give more visitors from Poland and abroad the chance to discover the tourism offer of our venues,” says Bartłomiej Szewczyk, Director of the Coal Mining Museum in Zabrze.
Who can apply for funding?
Applications may be submitted by organisers of congresses or conferences who belong to one of the three categories specified in the programme regulations:
- organisers of events under the patronage of Silesia Convention Bureau;
- organisers of events who are members of the Silesia Convention Bureau Consortium;
- Polish Congress Ambassadors who are members of Silesia Ambassador Club.
Funding may be awarded only in connection with a congress or conference held in the Silesian Voivodeship. It covers the cost of visiting a selected venue, including admission tickets and a guided tour.
Organisers can now apply for funding for visits. The application form and programme regulations are available on the silesiaconvention.pl website.
