Outcome of a pilot study on meetings sector’s economic impact was presented during the Polish celebrations of the Global Meetings Industry Day on 14 April.

On the basis of a study conducted in January 2020, the meetings industry’s contribution was estimated at 1.5% (in relation to GDP), 35 billion PLN (in relation to Polish economy), and 220,000 jobs (in relation to national employment figures).

The discussed pilot study constitutes the first part of the Poland Events Impact project, with successive stages scheduled to take place in autumn 2020.

The compiled results are based on data on 42,349 events staged in 2019 and an econometric model applying data of Statistics Poland and the Z-factor company, developed specifically for the purpose of defining the meetings sector’s impact on national economy. The research involved 90 meeting planners and 125 venue managers.

The data were analysed together by representatives of the academic community (Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń, Vistula School of Hospitality in Warsaw) and industry professionals (Celuch Consulting, Z-factor).

The study represents Poland’s second attempt at defining the economic benefits resulting from event planning. Poland Meetings Impact, Poland’s first report on the economic impact of the meetings industry, was developed back in 2015 under the auspices of MPI Foundation, Polish Tourism Organisation and MPI Poland.

Similar studies are also carried out in Australia, Canada, the US, Mexico, Denmark and United Kingdom.