2025 in Kraków's MICE industry

The past year has shown that Kraków effectively combines experience, openness, and a sustainable approach, strengthening its position on the European business tourism map.

What is worth remembering in the context of business tourism in 2025? What activities did the Kraków Convention Bureau implement to build the image of the city as #TheHostCity?

“The meetings industry in Kraków 2024”

The latest report, compiled in 2025, confirms the continued recovery and strengthening of Kraków's position on the international stage. The number of event participants increased by 35.3%, mainly due to a nearly threefold increase in attendance at international events.

In 2024, a total of 4,647 group business meetings were organized in Kraków, 6.4% more than in the previous year and more than 1.5 times more than in 2022.

Corporate and incentive events were the most numerous category of meetings, accounting for over half of all business events, or 57.9%. In 2024, there was a huge increase in the number of these events – nearly three times more than in the previous year.

Conferences and congresses ranked second in terms of number, accounting for 39.55% of the meeting structure (a decrease of 40.9% compared to 2023). Trade fairs had the smallest share in the overall meeting structure – 2.53%.

The overall structure of meetings was dominated by stationary events, which accounted for 98.94% of all meetings. In addition, domestic meetings (80% share) prevailed over international ones (20%).

Although corporate/incentive events dominated in terms of quantity, gathering 326,156 participants during ... meetings, conferences and congresses enjoyed the highest attendance, with 547,275 people participating last year. Trade fairs/exhibitions attracted 365,703 participants. The number of participants in fairs and exhibitions increased by 86.01% compared to the previous year.

The average length of group business meetings in Kraków in 2024 was 1.87 days. Fairs/exhibitions lasted the longest – over 3 days. Conferences/congresses lasted an average of 1.83 days. Interestingly, hotel facilities became the main hosts, hosting as much as 70% of all registered events.

The full text of the report “The Meetings Industry in Kraków 2024” is available here >>>

GDS Index Report

Kraków, the first Polish city to join the GDS Index, rose to 53rd place in the 9th edition of the report published in 2025. The report, entitled “Shifting Tides,” analyzes sustainability initiatives carried out by 81 destinations around the world.

We are particularly pleased that our city made it to the podium in the “Most Improved Destinations” category, ranking 2nd among the cities that improved their scores the most. This year, Kraków achieved a score of 62.2%, which means an increase of as much as 12.9 percentage points compared to 2024 (49.3%). As a result, the city moved up 19 positions – from 72nd to 53rd place.

The assessment is based on 76 indicators in four areas: destination management, tourism providers, social aspects, and environmental aspects. So where has Krakow made the most progress?

• Tourism market providers (+24.8 p.p.) – there were more hotels and PCO/DMC companies with certificates, awareness of the circular economy increased, and food waste was reduced and better managed.
• Social aspects (+22 p.p.) – improvements were made in terms of accessibility, greater involvement of residents, and responsible management of short-term rentals.
• Environment (+11.2 p.p.) – an increase to 67.2%, thanks to better alignment of urban policy with pro-environmental activities and the involvement of the authorities of Kraków in this process.

The areas that require work are primarily service providers operating in the tourism sector, including hotels and agencies. A key factor for further success will be continued certification – of hotels, conference facilities, tourist attractions, PCO/DMC agencies, and airports. Despite an increase of 24.8 percentage points, this sector achieved a fairly low overall rating. This is an area where Kraków still has a lot of work to do, but at the same time has enormous potential.

Apart from Kraków, other Polish cities were also included in the ranking: Gdańsk, Wrocław, and Szczecin. Szczecin received a special distinction, as it will host the prestigious GDS-Forum & Impact Day event on June 16–18, 2026, dedicated to regenerative tourism and sustainable development of the MICE industry.

Event support

The first half of the year was marked by support for events organized in connection with the Polish Presidency of the Council of the European Union. By June 2025, the Kraków Convention Bureau team had been involved in 18 events organized under the banner of the Presidency, including the conference “European Development. What development policy for a safe, resilient, and globally competitive European Union?” (together with the Ministry of Funds and Regional Policy), the Single Market Forum (with the Ministry of Development and Technology), and the European Defense Innovation Days. The culmination of the Presidency was the 6th Cities Forum, co-organized by the European Commission (DG REGIO), the European Urban Initiative (EUI), and the City of Kraków. The 6th Cities Forum was aimed at decision-makers, urban practitioners, officials, and people promoting sustainable urban development. The event included high-level debates, interactive workshops, and project visits showcasing sustainable urban planning and development.

Participating in the co-organization of the Presidency events was an excellent opportunity to promote the City of Kraków as a dynamic place, open to innovation, cross-sector dialogue, and the development of science and culture. The presence of representatives from various national and international circles allowed Kraków to be presented as a city with a rich tradition, yet modern and actively participating in shaping the future. The joint organization of the Presidency events was not only a logistical success, but also an important step in building a positive image of the city on the national and international arena.

In addition, the Kraków Convention Bureau team was involved in the organization of events such as: ENETS Conference for the Diagnosis and Treatment of Neuroendocrine Tumor Disease, Invest Cuffs, 76th World News Media Congress 2025, MIRCIM, 5th International Conference of the Society for Interdisciplinary Placebo Studies (SIPS), Marie Curie Alumni Association (MCAA) Annual Conference, European Association of Neurosurgical Societies Training SPINE Course, SIE Soroptimist International of Europe Congress, World Conference on Explosives and Blasting EFEE, 23rd International Oral History Conference IOHA; 68th International Police Association Congress IPA, ENVIRA 8 International Conference on Environmental Radioactivity, iwCLL International Workshop on Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia, XXIII Congress of International Association for the History of Religion (IAHR), European Dry Eye Society EuDEC and 100th Jubilee Congress of EOS European Orthodontic Society

A total of 65 events received support, and the Congress Office received 165 inquiries related to the organization of events in Kraków.

Trade fairs, inspection visits

Participation in business tourism trade fairs is an important part of the Congress Bureau's activities due to the consistent promotion of Kraków abroad in the field of conference tourism – trade fairs provide an opportunity to present the comprehensive offer of Kraków's business tourism industry on foreign markets.

In 2025, representatives of the Kraków Convention Bureau took part in the flagship events IMEX Frankfurt and Las Vegas and IBTM Barcelona, as well as more intimate B2B meetings such as Europe Congress and The Meetings Space. In total, 325 B2B meetings were held during 9 MICE events. In addition, representatives of the Convention Bureau participated in meetings organized by the ICCA association – the association's annual congress in Porto and the meeting of the ICCA CEC Central and Eastern Europe branch in Poznań.

In connection with the preparation or acquisition of congresses for future years, we co-organized nearly 30 visits for congress planners, including Intele Travel, Cities Forum, WordCamp Europe, Europhyton Society, Haca Studio, Oligonucleotide Therapeutics Society OTS, European Plastics Distributors Association EPDA 2026, European Academy of Paediatric Dentistry EAPD, European Society of Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine ESPRM, and Pain and Spine Intervention Society (IPSIS).

Some of the visits were a direct result of discussions held over the past few years during trade fairs and B2B meetings.

We have also co-organized fam trips for professional conference and congress organizers

from the US (together with the Polish Tourist Organisation's Foreign Centre in Chicago), Japan (together with LOT Polish Airlines), Spain (with the Polish Tourist Organisation's Foreign Centre in Madrid), and we also cooperated with the Event Industry Association.

In 2025, we had the unique pleasure of hosting members of the Congress Network Finland in Kraków – 22 representatives of the Finnish MICE industry. During their annual trip, the so-called “benchmarking trip,” guests had the opportunity to familiarize themselves with key conference facilities in Kraków. In addition, a networking meeting was organized, bringing together Congress Network Finland and Kraków Network. This event was a unique opportunity to exchange knowledge and experiences between leaders of the MICE sector from Poland and Finland. The panel was planned so that members of Kraków Network could benefit from and be inspired by the advanced/impressive sustainable development activities carried out by the Finnish MICE industry.

Cooperation with the industry in Kraków, Poland.

The Kraków Network project, originally developed by the Kraków Festival Office and then by Kraków5020, was transferred to the structures of the City of Kraków in 2025. It currently operates within the Department of Tourism, in the Congress Office, under the new name Kraków Network 2.0.

The Kraków Network 2.0 project continues to focus on building an integrated community of entities from the MICE sector, which through cooperation strive to increase the number of business and scientific events taking place in Kraków. In 2025, members met twice, debating, among other things, the premium offer in Kraków.

The Kraków Network 2.0 community is growing rapidly – its LinkedIn profile is already followed by over 650 people, and its Facebook community has over 630 followers.

In order to further integrate the local industry, a series of meetings called “Otwarta Bracka” (Open Bracka) was launched. This unique initiative, addressed to all representatives of the tourism industry, is a new space for discussion, exchange of experiences, and joint building of the future of tourism in our city. “Otwarta Bracka” is an invitation to talk, exchange ideas, and jointly seek solutions that will help develop responsible, sustainable, and modern tourism. The next meetings will take place in January at Bracka 10, at the headquarters of the Department of Tourism.

Kraków in the rankings

The ICCA Globe Watch: Business Analytics 2024 report has once again confirmed Kraków's growing position in the global meetings and events industry. The city ranked 42nd in the world, tied with Edinburgh and Kyoto, hosting 49 international association meetings.

In the ranking of European cities, Kraków took a high 26th place. Poland also did well in the ranking as a country – 191 events allowed it to take 19th place in the global ranking of countries.

According to the latest report by the Union of International Associations (UIA) – International Meetings Statistics Report 2024, Kraków ranked 31st in the world, hosting as many as 55 association events. Compared to the previous year, this is an increase of 11 positions and 23 more meetings – the result of the dynamic development of the MICE sector in the city. Kraków is thus the highest-ranked Polish city in the UIA 2024 ranking. Our country ranked 21st in the world in terms of the number of international association meetings. This is another year in which both Kraków and Poland remain at the forefront, confirming their growing attractiveness to organizers of congresses, conferences, and international events.

Promotional activities

We are active on social media, including LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, and our website www.convention.krakow.pl.

As part of our activities, in 2025 alone, we published five interviews from the “Wide Open for Sustainable Meetings” series with industry representatives: PURO Hotels in Kraków, Radisson Blu and Park Inn by Radisson, Grand Ascot Hotel, Obwarzanek Museum, and Mercure Kraków Stare Miasto.

The total reach of our publications in 2025 exceeded 250,000 views, and we have already published over 700 materials on all platforms. We send out a newsletter every month, and our communities are constantly growing – we already have over 1,300 followers on LinkedIn and over 4,300 followers on Facebook. The record-breaking post in 2025 had 3,728 views!

We also have a constantly growing database of newsletter subscribers – we encourage you to join us to stay up to date with the most important industry information and news from Kraków.