More than 150 professionals from 121 companies and organisations took part in Destination Poland Green Academy, a project delivered by SITE Poland for the Polish Tourism Organisation’s Poland Convention Bureau. The programme brought the MICE industry together for six workshops in Bydgoszcz, Kielce, Lublin, Poznań, Łódź and Katowice.
The 2025–2026 programme comprised:
- Six regional workshops
- Seven interviews with workshop participants for the Green Talks series
- A session at Responsible Incentive Travel Day 2026
- A Polish – and English-language e-book
- An entry in the SITE Global Excellence Awards
Can events in Poland be sustainable, appealing and competitive while making the most of local resources? Destination Poland Green Academy showed how combining knowledge with practical experience and local collaboration can help make this possible.
Six cities, one shared goal
Each workshop combined presentations, industry discussion, examples of local good practice, group work and networking. Participants explored global trends and the role of ESG in the meetings industry, then applied what they had learned to develop sustainable event concepts against a set of agreed criteria.
The workshops focused on how local resources can strengthen Poland’s MICE offer. These included cultural heritage, regional products, visitor attractions, local services and the knowledge and involvement of local communities.
The workshops tool place in those venues:
- Bydgoszcz – 28 November 2025, Qubus Hotel Bydgoszcz
- Kielce – 5 December 2025, Odyssey ClubHotel Wellness & SPA in Dąbrowa near Kielce
- Lublin – 20 February 2026, Lubelskie Conference Centre
- Poznań – 13 March 2026, PURO Poznań Old Town
- Łódź – 15 May 2026, Hampton by Hilton Łódź City Centre
- Katowice – 8 June 2026, Mercure Katowice Centrum
Participants also learned about the SITE Poland Sustainable Tourism Manifesto, which sets out 10 practical principles for responsible event planning. The principles provided a framework for the workshop exercises.
Destination Poland Green Academy was created to show that sustainability in MICE does not have to involve complicated procedures. It starts with informed decisions, collaboration and making good use of what each destination has to offer. The workshops showed that Poland already has many examples of good practice, as well as significant potential for further development – says project creators and trainers Grażyna Grot-Duziak and Beata Koziarska.
Partners in Poland
Together with SITE Poland experts Grażyna Grot-Duziak and Beata Koziarska, we explored how local resources can strengthen a destination’s competitive position, how to design events in line with ESG principles, and how partnerships can benefit destinations as a whole. The project also showed that Polish cities and regions are not starting from scratch. Many already have valuable social, environmental and educational initiatives. These initiatives often need to be identified, brought together and integrated into a coherent destination development strategy. Destination Poland Green Academy helped make them more visible and showed that cities outside the GDS-Index can also build their profile through sustainable development – added Aneta Książek, Director of the Poland Convention Bureau at the Polish Tourist Organisation.
Local initiatives, practical solutions
In each city, participants explored examples of initiatives already being delivered locally. The workshops therefore went beyond discussing ESG in principle, showcasing solutions in hotels, event venues, visitor attractions and other organisations.
The discussions also highlighted challenges shared across the industry: the need for continued education, stronger collaboration among MICE stakeholders and more effective use of local resources in destination promotion.
Green Talks shares good practice
The Green Talks interview series was another key part of the project. It featured conversations with professionals from local tourism and MICE sectors, sharing practical approaches to sustainable development and ideas that other organisations and destinations can adapt.
Green Talks:
- Interview #21: A Raftsman’s Passion on the Vistula
- Interview #22: Premium Poland at WOWLand: Authenticity at the Heart of Sustainability
- Interview #23: Building a Credible Sustainability Profile for Venues with Reliable Data
- Interview #24: The MTP Group’s “Green Events” Strategy
- Interview #25: Ecology of the Mind: Participant Well-Being as the Future of Responsible Business
- Interview #26: Mercure Katowice Centrum: A Systemic Approach to ESG
- Interview #27: Where Flavours Tell a Story: Chata Olimpijczyka Jasia i Helenki in Wisła
The interviews now form a lasting resource for the industry. Explore Green Talks on the SITE Poland website.
An e-book for future reference
The project’s e-book, Destination Poland Green Academy, is available in Polish and English. It documents the programme and provides additional educational materials, recommendations for the MICE industry and practical tools, including templates for preparing sustainable event proposals.
Turning sustainability into standard practice
The project’s findings reflect a lasting shift in the MICE industry: sustainability is becoming an integral part of event planning. Many organisations are still at an early stage, making education, the exchange of experience and collaboration important to further progress.
International recognition
The project was entered in the Sustainability & Social Impact category of the SITE Global Excellence Awards 2026. The nominees are due to be announced in December 2026, with the winner to be selected at SITE’s global conference in Vancouver.
The conclusion of the project’s second stage in 2026 also marks the end of Destination Poland Green Academy. Its outcomes—six workshops, the Green Talks interviews, an e-book, examples of good practice and practical tools—remain available to the industry and can support the continued development of responsible business tourism and MICE in Poland.
Source: Grażyna Grot-Duziak, MICE Expert and Senior Board Advisor, SITE Poland.
Project partners: Bydgoszcz Convention Bureau, Świętokrzyskie Convention Bureau, Lubelskie Convention Bureau, Poznań Convention Bureau, Łódź Convention Bureau, Silesia Convention Bureau, Qubus Hotel Bydgoszcz, Odyssey Club Hotel Wellness & SPA in Dąbrowa, Lubelskie Centrum Konferencyjne, PURO Hotel Poznań Old Town, Hampton by Hilton Łódź City Center, Mercure Katowice Centrum.
Media partners: waszaturystyka.pl MICE Poland THINK MICE MeetingPlanner.pl
