The Association of Incentive Travel Organizers, SITE Poland, organized the first edition of the conference #ResponsibleIncentiveTravelDay, which took place at the Hilton Warsaw City Hotel on April 25, 2024. The partner of the event was the Polish Tourism Organisation – Poland Convention Bureau, and the main goal of the event was to promote sustainable development in business tourism, especially in the hotel industry, business travel and incentive travel.
What was initially intended to be an intimate discussion turned into a seven-hour conference with the participation of 20 panellists, several presentations, and films. Thanks to the cooperation of the board and experts, including MICE Expert Grażyna Grot-Duziak, Beata Koziarska, Emilia Kubik, and Grażyna Łukaszyk, the event became a platform for deep reflection on sustainable tourism.
Session I Responsible Incentive Travel Organizer
The first session focused on current trends and challenges in sustainable development in business tourism. The session began with a lecture on the Impact of Tourism on the Environment by Dr. Eng. Mikołaj Troczyński – Specialist in Renewable Energy Sources at the Sustainable Development Team of the WWF Poland Foundation.
https://youtube.com/watch?v=5Z_qveuxZmU%3Fsi%3DOBQfFC8AMox1uDAU
Then Beata Koziarska (President of Emoveo Group, Vice President of SITE Poland) and Grażyna Łukaszyk (Business Partner NU Horizons, Member of the Board of SITE Poland) led an expert panel. Panelists representing agencies, hotels, airlines, and the younger generation discussed tools for implementation, agency certification, and the need to adapt to changing market realities.
- Dr. Eng. Mikołaj Troczyński
- Łukasz Pawelczak – President of UTE Group
- Grażyna Grot-Duziak – MICE Expert, Board Advisor of SITE Poland
- Nikola Naus – Junior Project Manager at Weco-Travel Services, President of the 2B Scientific Circle, SGTiH Vistula
- Agnieszka Gletkier – Director of Sales Central Eastern Europe, Hilton Worldwide Sales
- Piotr Szczęśniak – President of the Management Board of Profitravel Services sp. z o.o., member of APJC Poland on behalf of the Polish Chamber of Tourism
Session II Sustainable Destinations – Poland
The first part of the second session was prepared by the Poland Convention Bureau, which proved that the slogan “Poland, more than you expected” is not just a slogan. Representatives from various cities showed that Poland already offers many sustainable solutions on a global level, although it must be honestly admitted that our country is only at the beginning of the way. Warsaw, Gdańsk, Łódź, Kraków, Silesia, and Wrocław convention bureaus presented initiatives in sustainable development.
The session was prepared and led by Aneta Książek – Head of Meetings and Events Bureau at the Poland Convention Bureau (PCB) at the Polish Tourism Organization, and the following experts took part:
- Wiktoria Król-Cieciorowska – Vice President of the Board of the Convention Bureau – Wrocław
- Małgorzata Przygórska-Skowron – Head of the Tourism Department, Bureau of Congresses, Kraków Convention Bureau
- Łukasz Wysocki – President of the Management Board of the Gdańsk Tourist Organization, Gdańsk Convention Bureau
- Filip Płodzień – Head of Tourism Promotion and MICE – Warsaw Convention Bureau
- Sebastian Gronet – Project Manager of the Silesia Convention Bureau
- Jakub Rosły – Head of the Łódź Convention Bureau – Łódź Tourist Organization
https://www.instagram.com/reel/C6Qga1YIboK/embed/?cr=1&v=14&wp=648&rd=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.pot.gov.pl&rp=%2Fen%2Fpoland-convention%2Fnews%2Fthe-responsible-incentive-travel-day-2024-at-the-hilton-warsaw-city-hotel#%7B%22ci%22%3A0%2C%22os%22%3A525%2C%22ls%22%3A166%2C%22le%22%3A501%7D
Session II Sustainable Destinations – World
In the second part of the session, which was led by Jarosław Hulboj, Operations Director | BCD Meetings & Events Poland, invited guests from abroad also participated. They were:
- Piotr Cieślak – Managing Director, Poland, Travelmediate, President of SITE Poland
- Katarzyna Kajak – Country Manager Poland, Mauritius Tourism Promotion Authority (MTPA)
- Indre Slyziute – Inbound Markets Manager, Lithuania Travel National Tourism Development Agency
- Ilyaas Narker – Group Sales Manager – Green Route, South Africa
- Fredi Fontanot – Director, Slovenian Convention Bureau
- Agnieszka Gletkier – Director of Sales Central Eastern Europe, Hilton Worldwide Sales
- Adam Kuna – Managing Director BCD Travel Poland
Session 3: Responsible Tourist
The final debate involving journalists, travelers, and industry experts, led by Emilia Kubik (Director of Polish Office, Travel Advance, Board Member of SITE Poland) and special guests Paweł Kunz and Michal Cessanis (Journalists from National Geographic Traveler), was a true source of emotions and inspiration. During the discussion, many important issues were raised, including the identification of the responsible tourist and the significance of conscious traveling. Questions about the boundaries of comfort in travel and willingness to give up certain comforts for the sake of the environment opened up interesting fields of reflection. Another topic was the role of tourism rankings and their impact on travel trends. Part of the discussion was also devoted to the presentation of the results of the “Individual Tourist” survey, which not only surprised the respondents themselves but also opened up new perspectives in understanding the needs and expectations of travelers.
The event was hosted by Sergiusz Ryczel.
The #ResponsibleIncentiveTravelDay conference showed that incentive agencies play a crucial role in promoting sustainable development in business tourism. Collaboration between agencies, destinations, hotels, and DMC partners is essential to create attractive and sustainable incentive programs. The event also raised awareness that much is already happening in terms of sustainable travel, but there are many opportunities for further development and co-creation of innovative solutions in the market.
