25th ECM Summer School for the first time in Krakow
ECM Summer School – a regular meeting held by the Association of European Cities Marketing (ECM), is being held this year for the first time in Poland. In August 2011, Krakow will host representatives of the business tourism sector.
Organisation of the event in Krakow is certainly not accidental, as development of business tourism is extremely important for the City. Year by year, Krakow, a city where tradition and history meet modernity, is becoming more and more of a business tourism centre, with about 9,000 business meetings held in Krakow in 2010.
Krakow attracts representatives of the sector both with its cultural heritage (the Old Town was entered on the 1st list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites) and the constant development of the city’s hotel and conference infrastructure (venues under construction include the ICE Congress Centre and a Sports and Entertainment Arena).
ECM Summer School training sessions have been held in various European cities for the last 25 years. While attending the sessions, representatives of the cities concerned with achieving better results in business tourism have an opportunity to share their experiences, knowledge and best practices. For Krakow, hosting the meeting will be an opportunity for reinforcement of its ECM membership and further the progress of collaboration with the Association.
The Summer School is a meeting addressed to those in the early stages of their meetings industry careers, or are engaged in the research on the potential of their cities’ meetings industry. The School’s curriculum is tailored to the latest industry achievements and evolving needs of the students, which makes it a very attractive form of training.
This year's 25th anniversary edition of the ECM Summer School is a response to an offer presenting Krakow as a city for business meetings that was put forth by the Krakow Convention Bureau and the Convention Bureau of Poland in January this year. The ECM made a decision to hold the training sessions in Krakow following a study visit to Krakow on the 29th and 30th of July 2010. Participants of the visit included Andrea Bauer, Susanna Wiener and Pier Paolo Mariotti – representatives of the Association of the European Cities Marketing (ECM).
The 25th ECM Summer School will be held in Krakow between the 27th and 31st of August 2011. ECM participants (annually about 100 people from around the world) will not only explore the latest trends in business tourism, but also have a chance to see the city itself and learn about Krakow's opportunities for business meetings organisers. Workshops will be held at the Hotel Park Inn, and some of the meetings will take place in the premises of the Municipality of Krakow and the Wieliczka Salt Mine.