The Polish Tourism Organisation, through Poland Convention Bureau, presented Poland’s meetings industry at IMEX America 2026. At booth E1726, the offer was showcased by Poland Convention Bureau, Warsaw Convention Bureau, Kraków Convention Bureau and ICE Kraków Congress Centre. The 15th edition of the trade show took place at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas from 13 to 15 October 2026. IMEX America is an international trade show for congress and conference organisers, corporate meeting planners and incentive travel professionals.
Poland’s National Stand in Las Vegas
The Polish delegation included:
- Dr Karina Przybyło-Kisielewska, Vice-President of the Polish Tourism Organisation
- Jarosław Marciuk, Chief Marketing Specialist at Poland Convention Bureau POT
- Monika Kubiak, Polish National Tourist Office North America, Chicago
Also exhibiting alongside Poland Convention Bureau were:
- Kraków Convention Bureau
- ICE Kraków Congress Centre
- Warsaw Tourism Organisation – Warsaw Convention Bureau
Poland Convention Bureau promoted Poland as a destination for international congresses, conferences, corporate meetings and incentive travel programmes. It helps organisers assess the offer of Polish destinations and connect with local partners, including convention bureaux, congress venues, hotels, professional congress organisers (PCOs) and incentive travel companies.
“In conversations with clients, a personal connection with Poland often came up. Many people mentioned Polish roots in their family, a Polish spouse or a previous visit to our country. Poland was also associated with safety. That is a very positive and important perception. Representatives of Asian markets, including Singapore, Japan and South Korea, also showed interest in Poland’s offer, asking about opportunities to organise incentive travel programmes and congresses,” said Dr Karina Przybyło-Kisielewska, Vice-President of the Polish Tourism Organisation.
The participation of Warsaw Convention Bureau and Kraków Convention Bureau allowed the two cities to present their offer, while ICE Kraków Congress Centre provided information about Kraków’s congress infrastructure.
“We held many valuable meetings at IMEX America and met people who had not previously considered Poland for their projects. During our conversations, it became clear that they wanted to include the country in their offer. At the Polish National Tourist Office in Chicago, we support Poland’s presence at trade events connected with the MICE and tourism sectors. We welcome opportunities to work together and invite you to get in touch. We can offer support, market knowledge and valuable contacts,” said Monika Kubiak of Polish National Tourist Office North America in Chicago.
Events accompanying IMEX America
The trade show programme began with Smart Monday powered by MPI, held on 12 October. The day focused on professional development, sharing knowledge and experience, and building business relationships across the international meetings industry. The programme gave participants the opportunity to explore current MICE trends and challenges and connect with potential business partners.
“For national tourism organisations, participation in trade shows such as IMEX America in Las Vegas is one of the more significant items in the budget for promotional activity. I deliberately use the word ‘investment’ rather than ‘cost’, because we believe that the meetings and relationships developed at these events by convention bureaux, DMCs and congress venues can bring tangible benefits over the longer term. They can lead to concrete enquiries about congresses, conferences and incentive travel programmes in Poland. The timeframe may be two or three years, or even five years in the case of larger congresses. For incentive travel, it may be one or two years,” said Jarosław Marciuk of Poland Convention Bureau.
On the second day of the trade show, representatives of Poland Convention Bureau and Kraków Convention Bureau took part in the traditional IMEX Run. The event provided an additional opportunity for networking and for members of the international MICE community to connect.
“Trade shows involve much more than simply being present at your stand. It is worth taking part in educational sessions, presentations and accompanying events such as the ICCA Reception, the PCMA Reception, industry association meetings and the IMEX Run. These are excellent opportunities to connect with people who might not otherwise visit the stand and to build valuable business relationships for the future. Smart Monday by IMEX, organised in partnership with MPI, is also an important initiative that provides a strong start to the trade show. Success, however, depends on the work done before arriving in Las Vegas. It is worth becoming active on the IMEX online platform as much as a month in advance. That way, once on site, you can build on your earlier work through valuable meetings and lead generation that may ultimately bring events to Poland,” added Jarosław Marciuk.
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IMEX America 2026 in figures
According to figures published by the organiser, IMEX America 2026 attracted 18,200 participants, including 6,292 buyers. The hosted buyer programme welcomed 4,857 participants. The trade show featured 3,800 exhibiting companies from more than 90 countries.
A total of 96,000 scheduled meetings took place at Mandalay Bay Convention Centre in Las Vegas: 82,000 one-to-one appointments and 14,000 group meetings and booth presentations. The organiser reported that these represented 48,000 hours of business conversations.
This year’s edition was the largest in IMEX America’s history in terms of exhibition space.
Polish exhibitors and visitors share their views
“Our participation in this year’s IMEX America in Las Vegas once again confirmed the strong international awareness of Poland’s potential and its city offer. Over three days of intensive meetings, we held a series of constructive conversations with partners from around the world. There was strong interest in practical solutions: questions covered popular hotels and event venues, as well as the distinctive activities and experiences Warsaw can offer event participants. We mainly spoke with international agencies looking for ready-made itineraries for trips to Europe, clients returning to Poland for fresh inspiration, and associations planning prestigious academic conferences well in advance. We have many exciting projects and new opportunities for growth ahead,” said Maciej First, Project Coordinator at Warsaw Convention Bureau.
“IMEX America 2026 was extremely busy for us: I held more than 30 meetings over three days. Compared with previous years, the trade show brought many new developments, although the current situation is specific: the event was not quite as crowded, and doing business is not straightforward for everyone at the moment. Even so, we are working to find the best solutions, expand our network and build relationships with new partners. I am very glad I was there and had the chance to meet both old and new friends. I believe 2027 and 2028 will bring even better prospects,” added Tamás Varga, Director of Operations at I Like MICE.
“I work for Epic International, an incentive travel agency. I visited the Polish stand at IMEX America to learn more about the country and what it can offer organisers. I was also interested in Polish cities as places to live. My brother is preparing to move to Poland, so I asked which cities might be a good choice for someone in their twenties. After our conversation, I felt that Warsaw could be a good fit for him,” said Tegan Feil, Vice-President of Sales & Marketing at EPIC International.
Polish DMC representatives share their views
“We introduce clients to Poland, its attractions and the possibilities for creating incentive travel programmes here. After they have explored a range of European destinations, we encourage them to consider Poland as well. We often hear clients say that Poland is ‘more than you expected’. Clients of our business partners are also beginning to ask about our offer themselves. We are receiving enquiries from markets where we did not expect such strong interest. Clients mention Kraków, Warsaw, Gdańsk and Zakopane, but they are increasingly asking about other Polish destinations that had not previously been on their radar. This shows that interest in Poland is broadening and that international organisers are recognising more opportunities to deliver programmes here. I think this is our moment,” said Magdalena Rembek, MICE and Leisure Project Manager at Bespoke DMC Poland.
“We are very pleased with our participation in this year’s IMEX America in Las Vegas. Poland is steadily strengthening its presence in the US incentive travel market. At Mazurkas DMC Poland, we are delighted by the strong interest both in our incentive programmes and in Poland as a destination for delivering them,” said Marta Kicler, Business Development Director at Mazurkas DMC Poland.
Prepared by Jarosław Marciuk, IMEX America
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