Business tourism in Katowice in 2020-2022.pdf

BUSINESS TOURISM MARKET
IN KATOWICE
IN THE YEARS 2020 - 2022
KRZYSZTOF CIEŚLIKOWSKI
REPORT
Katowice, February 2023

1
Preface
there are dynamic economic changes in Poland and in the world for the years from 2020 to the end of 2022, the
changes caused also by non-economic factors (COVID-19 pandemic or Russian invasion of Ukraine).
All these changes involved great challenges for entities operating on various markets in the economy.
Tourism as a phenomenon resulting from people traveling outside their place of permanent residence has been
particularly strongly affected by these changes. In Poland, the first administrative restrictions aimed at preventing the
spread of the SARS CoV-2 virus were introduced in a very short time, at the very beginning of the pandemic. On March
13, 2019 it came into force, among others e.g. ban on public, state and religious gatherings of more than 50 people.
Restaurants could only deliver takeaway meals. The first period of the pandemic completely stopped the functioning
and development of the meetings industry. In the following months, regulations were introduced enabling the
provision of services on the event market, but with high safety rigors for meeting participants. Only on March 1, 2022,
all restrictions on tourism activities, including hotels, were lifted. To this economic turmoil caused by various changing
national regulations to counter the Covid-19 pandemic we must add changing and inconsistent international
regulations. These factors definitely made it difficult to organize business events and conference meetings.
In 2022, when many companies operating on the events market expected a rebound from negative trends, Russia
launched its invasion of Ukraine and the resulting changes in the economy of Poland and the world are still difficult to
predict.
Despite such an accumulation of various negative factors affecting the event market, the number of recorded
conference meetings and other business events in Katowice in 2022 reached the level of 6,426 meetings
(In 2020 it was 2,033 and in 2021 - 2,465).
This means a slow return to the results from 2019, when Katowice recorded 6,453 business events.
However, the number of participants in business events recorded in 2022 amounted to 552,849 people, which is much
lower than before the pandemic (in 2019, there were more than 1 million participants in conference meetings and
business events in Katowice).
Rebuilding the business tourism market to the levels from previous years, as well as the benefits associated with it, is a
big challenge for all players operating on this market.
High activity in the field of promoting the city of Katowice as an attractive destination on the business tourism market
in Poland and abroad, combining the efforts of various departments in the city responsible for the city's economic
development, as well as promoting other forms of tourism (e.g. leisure time tourism in the field of so-called “city
break”), can bring positive synergy effects and accelerate the process of rebuilding and developing business tourism in
the city.
Entrepreneurs who, despite these economic turbulences, continue to operate on the business events market and
continue to develop their offer (including hotels, restaurants, event organizers, meeting place managers) seem to be
more aware of the need to cooperate in the development of this market in the city.
This report presents an analysis of the business tourism market in the years 2020-2022, along with the calculation of
the basic economic variables, and also refers to the development of this market in Katowice in the future.
feel invited to read this Report
Krzysztof Cieślikowski, PhD

2
Contents
INTRODUCTION....................................................................................................................................................... 3
1 KATOWICE – AN ATTRACTIVE DESTINATION FOR CONFERENCE MEETINGS AND BUSINESS EVENTS........... 6
1.1 KEY INFORMATION FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE BUSINESS EVENTS INDUSTRY IN KATOWICE ................................. 6
1.2 THE MOST IMPORTANT BUSINESS EVENTS IN THE YEARS 2020 - 2022 IN KATOWICE AND MARKET DEVELOPMENT
OPPORTUNITIES ..................................................................................................................................... 11
2 TERMINOLOGY ............................................................................................................................................ 17
3 CONFERENCE MEETINGS AND BUSINESS EVENTS IN KATOWICE................................................................ 19
3.1 MARKET RESEARCH METHODOLOGY FOR ESTIMATING THE DEMAND REALIZED ON THE MARKET OF CONFERENCE
MEETINGS AND BUSINESS EVENTS IN THE CITY OF KATOWICE. .......................................................................... 19
3.2 ANALYSIS OF CONFERENCE MEETINGS. ........................................................................................................ 20
4 PARTICIPANTS OF CONFERENCE MEETINGS IN KATOWICE IN 2022 ........................................................... 27
4.1 METHODOLOGY OF RESEARCH OF CONFERENCE MEETING PARTICIPANTS ............................................................ 27
4.2 RESEARCH SAMPLE.................................................................................................................................. 29
5 RESULTS OF MARKET RESEARCH OF DELEGATES - PARTICIPANTS OF CONFERENCE MEETINGS IN
KATOWICE IN 2022. .............................................................................................................................................. 32
5.1 CONFERENCE ACTIVITY OF DELEGATES IN 2022............................................................................................. 32
5.1.1 Katowice as a destination for delegates compared to the rest of Poland..................................... 32
5.1.2 Trends in delegate activity in attending conference meetings ..................................................... 33
5.2 MEANS OF TRANSPORT USED BY PARTICIPANTS OF CONFERENCE MEETINGS IN KATOWICE...................................... 34
5.3 IDENTIFYING THE MAIN MOTIVATIONS FOR ATTENDING CONFERENCE MEETINGS .................................................. 35
5.4 PERCEPTION OF THE CITY OF KATOWICE AS A PLACE FOR CONFERENCE MEETINGS AND BUSINESS EVENTS IN THE LIGHT OF
DELEGATES' RESEARCH ............................................................................................................................ 36
5.4.1 Identification of the most important attributes of the town for participants of conference
meetings...................................................................................................................................... 37
5.4.2 Determining the level of meeting delegates' expectations by the city of Katowice as a conference
venue........................................................................................................................................... 38
5.4.3 Strengths and weaknesses of the city of Katowice as a good place for conferences in the opinion
of the participants. ...................................................................................................................... 39
5.5 STRUCTURE AND AMOUNT OF EXPENSES OF PARTICIPANTS OF CONFERENCE MEETINGS IN KATOWICE IN 2022........... 40
SUMMARY ............................................................................................................................................................ 43
REFERENCES.......................................................................................................................................................... 45
REPORTS AND STUDIES ........................................................................................................................................... 45
WEB SITES........................................................................................................................................................... 46
LIST OF TABLES...................................................................................................................................................... 47
LIST OF FIGURES.................................................................................................................................................... 48
ATTACHMENTS ..................................................................................................................................................... 49

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Introduction
Recent years will be recorded in the history of the world's economic development as a period of
particularly dynamic changes and turbulence in various areas of the functioning of market entities.
Restrictions on tourist traffic related to preventing the development of the Covid-19 pandemic caused
the collapse of the tourist market around the world on an unprecedented scale. The World Tourism
Organization (UN WTO) estimates that the number of international trips made in 2020 decreased by
72% compared to 2019. The process of rebuilding and developing this market is very difficult. In 2022,
as a result of various economic consequences related to Russian military aggression against Ukraine,
the number of trips in the world was 37% lower than the number recorded before the Covid-19
pandemic. It is estimated that in 2023, tourism in the world will reach the level of 83% of 20191
. This
information could be considered exceptionally optimistic, however, the situation of further Russian
military operations in Ukraine, the threat of escalation of this conflict, prolonged sanctions and
development strongly destabilizes the world economy, especially in Europe.
The business tourism market, especially in terms of organizing large business events and conference
meetings, requires long-term planning, extensive public administration support processes, and
cooperation of market entities from various sectors of the economy for further development. In the
light of Russian invasion of Ukraine, the development of this market in Poland may be hindered by its
direct proximity to the region of military operations. However, due to extensive activities in the field
of support for Ukraine (especially provided by the USA) and in the future, the reconstruction of this
country after the destruction caused by Russia, Polish cities, including Katowice, may become a very
attractive place to build relations between those involved in these party processes.
Despite economic changes, investment projects of private investors are progressing in Katowice
(including, among others: the opening of a new Mercure hotel of the Accor Group hotel chain in
September 2021, and the completion of the reconstruction and expansion of the Diament Plaza Hotel
of the Diament hotel chain in December 2021.) and the previously planned construction of the new
Qubus Hotel is in the process of implementation. In addition, the reconstruction of Hotel Katowice
belonging to the Polski Holding Hotelowy began at the end of 2022. It seems that hotel entrepreneurs
positively assess the possibilities of developing their business in Katowice and count on further
involvement of the city of Katowice in the business tourism market2
. The city administration, in
addition to routine activities to promote the Katowice destination on the business tourism market, is
also developing an offer of city break attractions for people visiting the city of Katowice at weekends
and people on business at conferences, encouraging them to stay longer in the city3
.
1
see in: International Tourist Arrivals, World and Regions. World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), Madrid, January 2023.
(access in 17-01-2023)
2 more in: A. Wieczorek-Hodyra: Hotele w Katowicach wychodzą na prostą. MICE nakręca ruch.,
https://www.propertynews.pl, 17.11.2022,
3 more in: K. Cieślikowski: Raport. Turystyka czasu wolnego w Katowicach. Stan aktualny i możliwości rozwoju. Wydział
Promocji UM Katowice, 2022

4
The goals of this report are to show the changes that have taken place on the market of business
events and conference meetings in Katowice in 2020-2022 and in particular how the demand realized
in 2022 on this market was shaped.
To achieve the goal, active (participant) and passive methods of analysis and observation were used,
using secondary sources and own research.
While carrying out market research and elaborating their results, counts of conference meetings and
other business events (including participants of these events, conference days, durations) carried out
in Katowice in the years 2020 to 2022 were made. The structure of the market (according to generally
accepted criteria described in the study) and seasonality of demand were also identified.
In 2022, surveys were also conducted with participants of selected conference meetings using a survey
questionnaire as a research tool. The conference activity of participants of conference meetings and
business events was characterized (the total number in which they participated in 2022, it was
determined how many of these meetings were meetings in Katowice, what part of those held in
Katowice was related to overnight stays, etc.) and also indicated trends in participation in conference
meetings of study participants compared to previous years.
Market research of conference meeting participants included:
• identification of the means of transport used by participants of conference meetings in
Katowice,
• description of the structure and amount of expenses of participants of conference meetings
in Katowice.
Taking into account the obtained information on the total number of events and the number of
participants in the city of Katowice in 2022, as well as the willingness and structure of their expenses,
the total expenditure of participants of conference meetings and business events in the city of
Katowice was estimated at almost PLN 151 million (PLN 151,266 PLN 340.47).
The report consists of an introduction, five parts, and a summary.
The first part refers to the general characteristics of the city of Katowice, with particular emphasis on
current information on hotel accommodation, completed and planned investments, as well as the
largest conference meetings and business events held in Katowice in the years 2020 - 2022.
The next part is a reference to the terms and concepts used in the Report.
The third part of the Report contains an analysis of conference meetings and other business events
held in Katowice in 2020-2022, preceded by a description of the research methodology.
The fourth and fifth parts of the study refer to the survey of participants of business events in Katowice.
The structure and amount of expenses of participants of conference meetings in Katowice were also
described.

5
The summary includes the most important results of research on the business tourism market in
Katowice, as well as research on participants of conference meetings and business events, including
the estimation of total expenses of participants of these events in 2022 in Katowice.
At the end of the study, there were also references to the prospects for the development of the
business tourism market in Katowice in the light of the results of market research and the ongoing
internal and external changes.
https://us.edu.pl/logo-europejskiego-miasta-nauki-2024-to-znak-integralnosci/

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1 Katowice – an attractive destination for conference meetings and
business events
1.1 Key information for the development of the business events industry in Katowice
Katowice is a city located in the middle of one of the largest urban agglomerations in the European
Union and 290th in the world4
. It is the administrative capital of the Silesian Voivodeship, the most
attractive region in Poland in terms of investment5
. In terms of the strategy of attracting foreign direct
investments in 2022, the city of Katowice was ranked fifth among large cities in Europe in the
prestigious fDi Intelligence Magazine ranking entitled "European Cities and Regions of Future
2022/2023", which assessed the attractiveness of cities for foreign direct investment6
.
Katowice was granted city rights on September 11, 1865 and almost from the very beginning it was a
destination city for many business trips, business events and conference meetings. From 6 to 11
November 1884, in Katowice, then on the border of three partitions, the Zion Lovers Movement
deliberated. This event was called the "Katowice Conference" and was the beginning of the
establishment of the state of Israel. The city of Katowice as a place of conference meetings and other
business events developed along with the economic development of this part of Europe and the
development of transport accessibility (mainly by rail, car and air).
In the first decade of the 21st century, the reconstruction of the city center began (including the "Zone
of Culture" project, which included: the renovation of the Spodek hall, the construction of the
International Congress Center, the seat of the National Polish Radio Symphony Orchestra and the
Silesian Museum, and the reconstruction of the Market Square , around the main railway station).
Today, Katowice has one of the best transport accessibility in Poland,
which is particularly important for the organization of large events. Near
the city there is a crossroads of European communication routes
(motorways A1 and A4 - 20 km from the center of Katowice). The A4
motorway runs through the city (1.5 km from the city centre). And the
existing train connections in the Inter City and Euro City standard allow
you to reach many cities in the country and abroad. The renovated main
PKP Katowice railway station, as well as the developing services for
travelers at the station or in its vicinity - encourage you to visit the city using this means of transport.
With regard to the accessibility of the city by car, in the ranking of the "most congested cities" prepared
by TomTom, which includes 19 large cities in Poland, Katowice ranks last (and 290th out of 390 cities
4 see in: Report. Demographia World Urban Areas. (Built Up Urban Areas or World Agglomerations), 19th Annual Edition:
2022.07. New York 2022
5 see in: Atrakcyjność inwestycyjna województw i podregionów Polski 2016. Red.: S. Szultka, IBnGR, Gdańsk, Fundacja Konrada
Adenauera w Polsce, Warszawa 2016, s. 9
6 see in: European Cities and Regions of The Future 2022/2023. The Best and The Brightest Among Europe’s Investment
Destination. S. 23, in: www.fDiIntelligence.com, http://pl.invest.katowice.eu

7
in the world). The average travel time of 10 km distance is 12 minutes. 10 seconds, with an average
speed of 43 km/h. This result is similar to Dubai (291st place, where it is noted average travel time is
12 minutes 10 seconds, with an average speed of 45 km/h).
The level of congestion in the city of Katowice is one of the lowest among large cities. Katowice - 250th
place in the world, 170th in Europe, - 34 lost hours. The average time spent per day is only 21 minutes
(10 minutes in the morning and 11 in the afternoon)7
. Rush hours on the streets of Katowice are
between 7 and 8 am and 3 and 4 pm. Similar favorable results of the transport accessibility of the city
of Katowice for passenger cars are indicated by other rankings8
.
There are three international airports within 100 km from the city
center of Katowice9
. The closest (30 km from Katowice) is the
International Airport "Katowice-Pyrzowice", which in 2022 served
4,419,090 passengers (which is only 10% less than before the
pandemic in 2019, when 4,843,889 people were recorded)10
. Katowice
Airport is the highest passenger airport in Poland above sea level,
which guarantees the smallest number of foggy days per year among
Polish passenger airports, safety and certainty of timely landings. Such
a location means a high probability of punctual arrivals and departures
for the most important participants of conference meetings and business events. Currently, Katowice
Airport has three terminals with a total capacity of over 8 million passengers per year.
Katowice is home to the country's largest special economic zone
(KSSE S.A.)11
. The Katowice Special Economic Zone was ranked 1st in
Europe and 3rd in the world in the FDI Business Financial Times 2022
ranking of such areas.
In addition, despite the economic turmoil, the number of entities
registered in the REGON register is growing. In 2022, the
headquarters in Katowice were indicated by over 53,000. business
entities, including over 1.3 thousand with foreign capital12
. It also
supports the further development of business and other events in
the city, where both the potential organizers and some of the visitors of these events are located in
the city and in the region.
7 see in: TomTom Traffic Index 2022, https://www.tomtom.com/traffic-index/ranking/, (access in 17.02.2023)
8 see in: The INRIX 2022 Global Traffic Scorecard, http://inrix.com/scorecard/ (access in 18.02.2023)
9 Katowice-Pyrzowice, Kraków-Balice, Ostrawa
10 see in: https://www.katowice-airport.com/pl/nasze-lotnisko/statystyki/statystyki-roczne (access in 17.02.2023)
11 KSSE S.A. covers the Silesia Voivodeship and 6 districts of the Opolskie Voivodeship. Currently, there are over 540
companies operating in it, which have invested a total of about PLN 44 billion and created almost 90,000 jobs.
http://ksse.com.pl/ (access in 17.02.2023)
12 see in: Podmioty gospodarki narodowej w rejestrze REGON. on: https://bdl.stat.gov.pl (access in 15-01-2023)

8
A friendly atmosphere for business is conducive to business tourism. The city administration cares
about the development of transport accessibility for guests visiting conference meetings (car parks,
transfer centers, access roads to meeting places).
The development of various sectors of the economy in Katowice, the growing number of investors, is
also favored by the development of hotel accommodation facilities, as well as the expansion and
modernization of conference facilities in hotels for group meetings.
In December 2022,
there were 25 hotels in the city of Katowice,
with 2,622 rooms.
These hotels could accommodate 4,987 guests in the rooms.
Tab. 1. Hotels in Katowice in December 2022
category
No. of
hotels
No. of
hotel
rooms
Market
share
in %
No. of hotel beds
Market
share
in %
average
number
of hotel rooms
average
number
of hotel beds
5* 1 108 4.1% 196 3.9% 108.0 198.0
4* 9 1,550 59.1% 2,892 58.0% 188.2 372.8
3* 7 357 13.6% 636 12.8% 54.7 108.2
2* 5 394 15.0% 835 16.7% 71.3 154.0
1* 1 124 4.7% 248 5.0% 124.0 252.0
no category 2 89 3.4% 180 3.6% 44.5 90.0
total 25 2,622 4.1% 4,987 3.9% 104.9 199.5
Source: K. Cieślikowski - own research
People visiting the city of Katowice in 2022 could stay overnight in 25 hotels of various categories,
including nine four-star hotels. Hotels of this standard had a total of 1,550 rooms, which is 59.1% of all
rooms in hotels in the city.
It should be emphasized that the average number of rooms in a hotel in Katowice in 2022 was over
104 (Table 1). This is much more than the average in Poland (approx. 55 rooms in a hotel). This means
that hotels in Katowice are able to accommodate large groups of guests interested in different
standards of services provided.
In addition, 16 out of 25 hotels operating in the city of Katowice are hotels belonging to various hotel
chains, which have 2,206 rooms for guests in the city (which is 87.1% of all hotel rooms in the city).
The high level of hotel networking guarantees a predictable and repeatable standard of services for
guests who prefer specific hotel chains. In addition, hotel chains investing in a specific destination

9
themselves become a factor attracting guests (especially business ones) to this city. They have signed
contracts with large corporations and other institutions, whose employees carry out many business
trips, including conference meetings and other business events.
It should be noted that Katowice is located in the central part of the Silesian Voivodeship, where there
are a total of 220 categorized hotels 13
. And the borders of this province are reachable by car in no
more than 80 minutes.
In addition to hotels, there are also many other meeting places in
Katowice prepared for business events. The largest of them are: the
International Congress Center (MCK) and the Spodek Arena. In total,
these two facilities, which are connected by an underground passage,
can accommodate 25,000 people at the same time14
.
The building of the National Polish Radio Symphony Orchestra
(NOSPR) in Katowice, as well as the seat of the Silesian Museum, or
the modern multifunctional building of the Faculty of Law of the
University of Silesia and many others in the center (including modern
conference rooms of other universities) can also be adapted for large business events. In Katowice,
there are also more and more modern office buildings every year, which also offer conference and
training rooms.
Therefore, it can be said that the existing extensive conference and congress facilities create great
opportunities to organize large business events and encourage further investments in the tourist
market of Katowice. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, investors from the hotel market announced that
in the years from 2020 to 2022, 1,083 new rooms in 7 hotels will be made available in Katowice - all
categorized as 4 stars (including: the Mercure Katowice City Center Hotel - 268 rooms , the Hotel
Diament Plaza after redevelopment and extension - 135 rooms, the boutique hotel at Warszawska and
Mielęckiego Streets - 36 rooms, the Hotel Moxy in the Nova Silesia building complex - 144 rooms were
planned there, the Hotel Puro - 200 rooms, the Hotel Vienna House R. evo – 203 rooms, the Hotel
Qubus – 97 rooms). The supply of hotel rooms in Katowice was to increase by 49% more rooms by
202315
. However, the breakdown of one of the most important segments of the tourism market for
hotels, i.e. business tourism, as well as economic changes in the world and in Poland, contributed to
the timely completion of only some of the announced investments (including, among others: the
opening, after reconstruction and extension, of the Diament Plaza Hotel of the Diament hotel chain in
December 2021, or the opening of the Mercure hotel of the Accor group hotel chain in September
2021). Other previously planned investments, including the Qubus Hotel, are again in the process of
13 https://bip.slaskie.pl/dzialalnosc_urzedu/turystyka/obiekty_hotelarskie_skategoryzowane (access in 12.02.2020)
14 see in: http://www.mckkatowice.pl/pl/fakty-i-liczby/21/ (access in 20-01-2020)
15 see in: K. Cieślikowski. Rynek turystyki biznesowej w Katowicach w 2019 roku. Badanie rynkowe uczestników spotkań
konferencyjnych. Convention Bureau Katowice, Katowice 2020

10
implementation (the end date of construction is December 2023)16
. Moreover it is worth to note that
in December 2022, the Polski Holding Hotelowy signed a contract for the reconstruction of the Hotel
Katowice, which, after an investment worth PLN 130 million, will operate under a new brand and will
offer guests 167 rooms in a four-star standard (the investment is scheduled to be completed in mid-
2024).
It seems that managers from the tourism market positively assess the possibilities of developing their
business in Katowice, although, as recent years have shown, they show great caution in the
implementation of their projects. The city administration took a number of actions to support them in
a difficult situation during the "lockdowns" during the Covid-19 pandemic17
. In addition, apart from
routine activities to promote the Katowice destination on the business tourism market (undertaken,
among others, by the Katowice Convention Bureau or other organizational units of the Katowice City
Promotion Department)18
, the administration of the city of Katowice undertakes various activities in
the field of cooperation with other cities, also for the development of the market of events (not only
business, but also sports, cultural), including, for example: within the framework of the Union of Polish
Metropolises (UMP)19
, and the offer of leisure time attractions for visitors to the city of Katowice at
weekends and for people after conferences and business events is being developed, encouraging the
visitors to stay longer in the city20
. They are organized by city departments (e.g. Convention Bureau),
study tours for representatives of enterprises operating on the business tourism market in Katowice,
industry journalists from Poland and abroad or participants - the most important guests of congresses
in Katowice. These activities, supported by reliable information about the attractions of Katowice and
the surrounding area (delivered in person, in electronic form, as well as in printed form), may
contribute to further creating a positive image of the city of Katowice and extending the stays and
even returning guests for weekend stays.
The changes taking place in Katowice in recent years and the active involvement of the city
administration in the development of business tourism have made Katowice a significant place in the
region for exchanging knowledge, experience and establishing contacts. Katowice is a city recognizable
in the world, as evidenced by, among others, another United Nations event (after the World Climate
Summit) held in Katowice in 2022 - World Urban Forum.
16 see in: https://investmap.pl/qubus-hotel-wznawia-budowe-nowego-obiektu-w-katowicach-wizualizacje.a301681 (access
in 10-10-2022)
17 see in: K. Cieślikowski, J. Kantyka: Sytuacja ekonomiczna i potrzeby organizatorów sektora MICE w Katowicach i regionie
w czasach pandemii. Raport z badań. AWF Katowice, 2020
18 including, among others: participation in international conferences, tourism fairs, investment fairs in the world,
purchasing promotional packages from the organizers of events in Katowice within the city budget allocated for this
purpose, organization of information stands at every major event organized in the International Congress Centre,
meetings with representatives of the hotel industry in the city, etc.
19 see in: K. Cieślikowski: Rynek wydarzeń w największych miastach Polski w 2022 roku. Etap II. Unia Metropolii Polskich,
Warszawa, luty 2023.
20 see in: K. Cieślikowski: Raport. Turystyka czasu wolnego w Katowicach. Stan aktualny i możliwości rozwoju. Wydział
Promocji UM Katowice, 2022

11
1.2 The most important business events in the years 2020 - 2022 in Katowice and market
development opportunities
In the years 2020-2022 many important business events and conference meetings were held in
Katowice. However, in the period from February 28, 2020 to the end of 2021, almost all of them had
to be implemented in a hybrid form (i.e. with limited availability for participants at the event venue,
most participants were registered to participate online). Such a solution, forced by the situation of the
Covid-19 pandemic and the related restrictions, prompted the organizers to invest and prepare
modern rooms for image and sound transmission, expansion of internet connections, purchase of
appropriate software and improvement of communication techniques in the "online" formula. In 2022,
despite the lifting of restrictions on the organization of group meetings from March, investments made
in communication via the Internet, as well as experience gained in the field of online service for
participants of business events, enriched the offer of participation and promotion of conference
meetings in the city of Katowice.
Despite the ongoing covid restrictions, the city of Katowice
started the new year 2022 with an important business and
sports event (in the part devoted to e-sports competition), the
international computer games and software fair Intel Extreme
Masters (IEM). In 2022, this event, along with e-sports
tournaments, was held from February 25 to 27 at the
International Congress Center (MCK) and the Spodek Hall. The
number of participants due to the pandemic restrictions was not more than 6,000 people (in 2019 - it
was over 170,000 people).
One of the great events, significant for the city of Katowice and the economy
of the region, is the European Economic Congress (EEC) in Katowice held every
year. In 2022, its next edition took place in the premises of the International
Congress Center and the Spodek Arena, as well as with the possibility of online
participation. It was carried out on April 25-27, 2022. Over 9 thousand.
participants appeared stationary at the congress, and another 6,000 people
watched (attended) online discussions. The event was visited by over 550
representatives of various media, and over 1,000 panelists took part in 150
thematic sessions. The Congress included 150 debates, presentations and
speeches that developed five main thematic streams: the war in Europe, the
plan for Ukraine; green transformation and economic recovery; global trade and geopolitics;
digitization; learning and competence in the changing world21
.
21 see in: https://strefabiznesu.pl/xiv-europejski-kongres-gospodarczy-2022-podsumowanie (access in 10-12-2022)

12
However, the most important event of the 2020-2022 period was the
World Urban Forum (WUF11), which took place in Katowice from 26 to
30 June 2022. It is the world's largest conference event dedicated to
urban development organized by UN-Habitat, one of the agencies of
the United Nations. For the first time in history, the event was held in
Central and Eastern Europe. The hosts and co-organizers of the 11th
WUF session were the Ministry of Development Funds and Regional
Policy together with the city of Katowice. WUF11 was attended by
a total of 17,000 people, including 10 000 people who came personally
from 174 countries, and over 7,000 people joined "online". The slogan
of the Polish edition of WUF was: "We are changing our cities for a
better future." During the 5 days of the Forum, over 500 discussion sessions, panels and substantive
meetings were held22
. The event was organized in the International Congress Center, the Spodek Arena
and in many other locations (zones) in the city. The infrastructure of the International Congress Center
has been adapted to the needs of people with disabilities. The facility was marked with guide lines for
the visually impaired, the event was serviced by over 40 sign language interpreters, ramps were
prepared and lifts were installed at each of the stages. Many facilities were equipped with induction
loops - these were e.g. information points, registration area, auditorium, Round Table Room, Polish
Pavilion. Tactile maps described in Braille were also prepared. The big attraction that enjoys the
greatest interest at every World Urban Forum is the Urban EXPO. It is an exhibition space where
countries, cities, international and non-governmental organizations and companies present their
pavilions. In Katowice, on the area of 8,000 sq. m. square meters, 89 exhibitors from 43 countries from
all regions of the world set up their stands, including from the USA, Germany, France, Mexico, South
Korea, Indonesia, Kenya and Thailand. Half of the exhibitors came from outside Europe. During WUF11
in Katowice on June 28, 2022, the document "Action Plan for Cities. Model locality" was signed. It is a
record of a common vision of sustainable development, signed by representatives of 104 Polish cities.
The long-term goal of the Action Plan for Cities (PDM) is to educate in the field of sustainable urban
policy and to initiate actions that change cities into green, accessible and productive places.
From June 30 to July 1, 2022, at the headquarters of the National
Polish Radio Symphony Orchestra (NOSPR), a conference of
enterprises and institutions from the modern business services
sector in Poland - ABSL Summit 2022 was held. The conference
includes inspiring speeches and debates on challenges, potential solutions and current and future
trends in the sector. It was attended by 1,100 participants and 100 speakers from Poland and the
world.
22 more on: https://wuf11.katowice.eu/pl/ (access in 12-12-2022)

13
Another important business event that took place in
Katowice in 2022 was the cyclical International Fair of
Mining, Energy and Metallurgy - EXPO KATOWICE. The
largest mining and metallurgical industry fair in Europe.
The event took place from 6 to 9 September 2022 at the
International Congress Center and the Spodek Arena. In this edition, 208 exhibitors were registered,
and within 4 days the fair was visited by 12,000 people from the country and the world23
.
Another important event in 2022 that should be noted is the Local
Government Capital and Finance Forum. It is a cyclical meeting of local
government and business leaders. The 20th edition took place on October
12-13, 2022. The wide topics of many conferences and very interesting
accompanying events are a great place to gain knowledge, exchange
experiences and study trends. The guests of the Forum were: marshals, presidents, mayors, commune
heads, starostes, councillors, treasurers, secretaries and senior officials of the local government, as
well as scientists and industry experts. The 20th edition of the Forum is considered to be the largest
and most important professional conference for local government administration in Poland, during
which current problems of using the resources and assets at the disposal of the local government for
the most effective implementation of local policies, strategies and tasks are discussed.
On October 18 and 19, 2022, the PRECOP 27
conference was held in Katowice. It is a joint initiative
of the United Nations Global Compact Network Poland
and the PTWP Group, the organizer of the European
Economic Congress. 2022, 1,200 participants took part
in over 20 debates, discussions and accompanying events, and over 2,500 people followed the online
broadcast. The purpose of the meeting held at the International Congress Center in Katowice was to
prepare a common position of various environments - primarily business, as well as science, social
organizations and administration, for the Climate Summit in Egypt (COP27).
On November 20-22, the MCK in Katowice hosted the
12th European Congress of Small and Medium-sized
Enterprises. The motto was "Facing the challenges". It
has been the largest meeting of small and medium
enterprises in Poland and Europe for years. Two main
stages and eight thematic paths, 77 panels, workshops and speeches - hundreds of discussion
participants, thousands of listeners in the halls, expert advice and international B2B meetings.
23 see in: https://expo-katowice.com (access in 10-12-2022)

14
At the end of 2022, on December 4 and 5, the 6th edition of the Silesian
Science Festival was organized at the MCK Katowice. The event, which
aims to promote the achievements of science and scientific research of
Silesian universities. The event on the borderline of a conference meeting
(the event is accompanied by many workshops, conferences), an
exhibition meeting (scientific and research centers install their
promotional stands) and culture (happenings, shows, performances are
organized during the event). In the 2022 edition, within two days, the
International Congress Center was visited by 48,000 people (and another
7,000 followed the festival events online). The event of a regional nature,
however, due to its great importance for Katowice universities as a
platform for cooperation and development, it should be considered as a
very significant contribution to in the development of the market of
events and conference meetings in Katowice. The Silesian Science Festival was organized by three local
government entities (the city of Katowice - the host of the event, the Silesian Voivodeship and the
Upper Silesian and Zagłębie Metropolis - as co-hosts); as well as 9 universities from the Silesian
Voivodeship (including the University of Silesia in Katowice as the originator/inventor)24
.
The year 2022 was exceptionally intense in the number of
important business events in Katowice. Most of them are
cyclical events that took place again in the city.
However, it should be mentioned that at the end of 2021 (on
December 6-10, 2021) the 16th edition of the UN Digital
Summit - IGF 2021 (Internet Governance Forum) was held in Katowice, in the resources of the
International Congress Centre. The conference was held in a hybrid formula. The event gathered over
10,000 people both in-store and online. participants from 175 countries, including 2688 people came
to Katowice. Nearly 200 speakers participated in the debates. The participants discussed the most
important challenges in the modern Internet.
After this summit, only the Spodek Arena hosted the digital Youth Summit (IGF Youth Summit). Young
people from all over the world participated in it. The subject of their deliberations was the same
challenges around which the debate on the main IGF panels took place, among them: development of
the network and providing access to the inhabitants of countries and regions that are a blank spot on
the map of connections with the global network, security (including the security of financial
transactions, installations against cyberattacks and international cooperation in the field of combating
online crime), protection of privacy and personal data, counteracting disinformation and manipulation
of societies online, cooperation with global digital corporations and regulations concerning their
activities, sustainable development, environmental protection, counteracting climate change and
adapting to its effects.
24 see in: https://www.slaskifestiwalnauki.pl/podsumowanie-6-sfn-katowice (access in 8-02-2023)

15
The largest conference meetings and other business events are
held at the International Congress Center (ICC) in Katowice. It is
also the largest covered conference area in Poland. In the period
from January 1 to December 31, 2022, 301 various events
(business, sports, cultural) were organized at the ICC Katowice
and the Spodek Arena.
These events were attended by 688,621 stationary people. Including 128 conference meetings and
other business events attended by 234,087 people (compared to 727,823 in 2019).
In 2022, a total of 6,426 business events
were held in the city of Katowice
and with total number of attendees of 552,849 people.
In 2019, the best year for business tourism in Katowice, there were 6,453 events attended by 1,020,187
people. The following years are the time of the COVID-19 pandemic and related restrictions25
which
contributed to the decline of these numbers (in 2020 to 2,033 events and 208,158 people; in 2021,
2,465 events and 272,105 people were recorded).
In 2022, the city administration continued to promote Katowice by the usage of events organized in
this city. The effect of this activity is involvement (including purchasing promotional packages) in
conference meetings and other business events. This contributed to rebuilding the number of events
in 2022. On the other hand, the number of participants in these events almost doubled compared to
2021, but only reached half the value from 2019.
In the nearest future, a strong impulse for the development of the event market will be a series of
activities undertaken by consortium members of the agreement for the implementation of the
European Capital of Science project Katowice 2024. On September 22, 2022, representatives of seven
universities in the Silesian Planetarium26
, the city of Katowice (strategic partner), the Silesian
Voivodship and the Upper Silesian-Zagłębie Metropolis signed an agreement on cooperation for the
European City of Science 2024. Katowice is the first city in Poland and the first in history from Central
and Eastern Europe to be awarded the title of European City of Science. This distinction has previously
been awarded to: Stockholm, Munich, Barcelona, Turin, Dublin, Copenhagen, Manchester, Toulouse,
Trieste and Leiden. The award of the title means that in 2024 the greatest contemporary science
authorities will come to Katowice. The title of the European City of Science has been awarded every
25 see in: Podsumowanie lockdown-u w Polsce. Związek Przedsiębiorców i Pracodawców, Warszawa 2021
26 Akademia Muzyczna im. Karola Szymanowskiego w Katowicach, Akademia Sztuk Pięknych w Katowicach, Akademia
Wychowania Fizycznego im. J. Kukuczki w Katowicach, Politechnika Śląska, Śląski Uniwersytet Medyczny w
Katowicach, Uniwersytet Ekonomiczny w Katowicach, Uniwersytet Śląski w Katowicach (lider konsorcjum)

16
two years since 2004. Its goal is also to support self-education, scientific integration, interest in science
among younger generations. The institution awarding the title and organizing the ESOF conference is
EuroScience (European Association for the Advancement of Science and Technology).
Along with the distinction, Katowice received the right to co-organize the European Open Science
Forum and to host the European Open Science Forum in 2024 (EuroScience Open Forum 2024). The
conference is held regularly every two years and is dedicated to research and innovation, which is
crucial for the future of the world27
. The award of this title and the organization of the ESOF2024
conference are the result of recognizing Katowice and other partners of the consortium as experienced
co-organizers and hosts of global events.
It is also a great opportunity for the development of the market of business events and conference
meetings, and at the same time a special challenge for the city and the entire academic community.
The title of European City of Science strengthens the international profile of the community in a given
city, increases the involvement of residents, entrepreneurs and the scientific community in local
problems, triggers public investment in regional science and its infrastructure, and is also an
opportunity to stimulate tourism.
27 See in: https://www.gov.pl/web/edukacja-i-nauka/katowice--europejskie-miasto-nauki-2024 (access in 15-11-2022)

17
2 Terminology
As in previous years, in reports on the business tourism market in Katowice, the adopted concepts and
criteria for divisions are based on the same recommendations found in studies by many authors in
Poland and abroad, as well as international institutions responsible for collecting data on the tourism
market.
Business tourism is understood as the participation of participants/delegates in group meetings (the
UN WTO specified that the minimum number of people for a meeting to be considered a group
meeting is 10)28
related to the work of the participants. It should be noted that the concept of "business
tourism" is different from the concept of "business travel". Davidson emphasizes the more general
term "business travel", which in the literature on the subject29
is defined as all trips whose purposes
are related to the work or interests of the traveler including "individual business trips"30
as well as
"business tourism", i.e., trips and participation in group meetings.
In its annual reports on the meetings industry in Poland, the Poland Convention Bureau (PCB) also
refers to such a division and distinguishes the following four groups of conference meetings and
business events: conference/congress, corporate event, incentive event and fairs/exhibitions. Business
tourism is all business trips to various group meetings including: group meetings (many types of events
such as conferences, training seminars, new product launches and annual general meetings); Incentive
travel (usually luxury travel to attractive destinations financed by the employer to its employees as a
reward for winning a job-related competition or for acting as part of a sales team); exhibitions
(including fairs and consumer events); corporate tourism (luxury entertainment offered by companies
to their most valuable clients or potential clients during prestigious sports and cultural events).
The facilities where conference meetings and other business events are held have been divided by PCB
into four groups:
- exhibition / congress center (exhibition / congress center built for a specific purpose, which
does not have accommodation),
- hotel (hotel with conference rooms, accommodation is provided and made available together
with meeting rooms)
- facility / room for special events (facility / room for special events - without accommodation,
but with conference rooms; it can be a facility built or rebuilt for special events, restaurant,
bar, film facility, public park, castle, sports facility, etc.
- exhibition/congress centers built for a specific purpose are not included here;
28 see in: Global Report on the Meetings Industry, UN WTO, Madrid 2014, s. 10; Measuring the Economic Importance of the
Meetings Industry. Developing a Tourism Satellite Account Extension. UN WTO, Madrid 2006, s. 13
29 see in: R. Davidson, B. Cope: Turystyka biznesowa. Konferencje, podróże motywacyjne, wystawy, turystyka korporacyjna.
Polska Organizacja Turystyczna, Warszawa 2003, s. 4.
30 Individual business trips are characterized by a lack of freedom in choosing the place and time of their implementation,
they are routine - carried out as part of official duties, often carried out alone (presentations, consultations, research,
one-on-one meetings).

18
- university (university school with conference rooms, educational institution with or without
beds - accommodation, e.g., in dormitories).
The term conference meeting and other business event used in this Report refers to a group meeting
(at least 10 people), lasting at least 4 hours and held outside the principal's seat. Such meetings differ
in terms of: duration, number of participants, spatial scope, purpose and subject matter of the
meeting, degree of formalization. Therefore, the following can be distinguished: congresses,
conventions, conferences, forums, assemblies, symposiums, seminars or trainings, workshops, galas
or conclaves. In this Report, conference meetings and other business events include all these types of
meetings, as well as trade and promotional fairs and exhibitions; both opened and not opened
meetings31
.
The term "participant of conference meetings - delegate" refers both to "business tourists" (meeting
participant traveling on business who meets the criteria adopted in the definition of a tourist according
to the terminology recommended by the UN WTO, i.e. stays away from the place of permanent
residence for at least 24 hours and uses public accommodation), as well as other persons who have
moved for business purposes to group meetings (described earlier) to the conference venue, do not
spend the night in the visited place (one-day visitors), but use conference services, infrastructure
prepared for these meetings.
The business tourism market in subjective terms consists of the following group of entities/players:
- I group - producers/providers of partial services (accommodation facilities, facilities, transport
services, catering services, supporting services; other local entrepreneurs)
- II group - specialized intermediaries and acting on behalf of principals and acting on behalf of
producers/suppliers of partial services
- III group - institutional buyers and conference participants32
.
It should be noted that the business tourism market is dominated by institutional demand, which is
identified/reported earlier than individual demand. However, participants in conference meetings
(delegates) have a choice of various additional services, means of transport, as well as various forms
of meetings, venues, costs of participation and time of implementation.
When they choose conferences, they take into account official motives for participation, as well as
unofficial (individual) ones, which were also assessed in the report. Observation of preferences and
behaviors of conference meeting participants, as well as their expectations and expenses, is an
interesting subject of observation for people managing various organizations operating on the
business tourism market.
31 The term "opened meetings” refers to conference and other business meetings open accessibility to all interested persons,
while the term "not-opened meetings" refers to conference meetings available only to a specific (named list) group
of some persons.
32 see in: K. Cieślikowski: Zarządzanie turystyką biznesową. Wybrane aspekty globalne i lokalne. AWF Katowice 2015, s. 27-30

19
3 Conference meetings and business events in Katowice
3.1 Market research methodology for estimating the demand realized on the market of
conference meetings and business events in the city of Katowice.
In order to achieve the objectives of conducting business tourism market research in Katowice,
conference meetings and other business events held in the years 2020 - 2022 in this city were counted.
In addition, direct research was carried out using a questionnaire addressed to participants of selected
business events and conference meetings in 2022.
In order to be able to compare the obtained results with other cities, the selection criteria and
nomenclature of events recommended by the Poland Convention Bureau operating at the Polish
Tourist Organization (POT) were used in the Katowice research. At the same time, in the Katowice
study, the minimum number of participants in a group of people at a counted meeting was maintained
at the level of at least 10 people (used in previous years in the studies of the Convention Bureau
Katowice, POT and further recommended by the UN WTO). This is necessary to identify trends in the
business tourism market in Katowice and to include the results of previous years' market research in
the analysis.
During the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions, in the years of 2020 and 2021, information on the business
tourism market was collected by maintaining direct contact with entities operating on this market, as
well as during online meetings between the Katowice city administration and representatives of the
MICE industry in Katowice. The effect of this was, among others, the study "Economic situation and
needs of the organizers of the MICE sector in Katowice and the region during the pandemic."33
. In
addition, the problems of the functioning and development of the event market encountered in the
city of Katowice were taken up in discussions at international meetings and with representatives of
other cities in Poland.
From the beginning of October 2022 to the end of January 2023, direct contact was established with
the managers of 35 key facilities for the market of conference meetings and business events in
Katowice.
Their potential to provide services for business guests was verified. Forms were then sent to count the
business events and conference meetings that took place at their meeting facilities in 2022 (as well as
in 2020 and 2021). At the end of December 2022 and in January 2023, completed forms with detailed
or general characteristics of conference meetings and business events held in 20 facilities were
received. These facilities have conference rooms and other rooms also used for business meetings.
Repeated contacts with event venues (including telephone interviews and face-to-face meetings)
made it possible to obtain information about business events from 33 venues, including:
33 see in: K. Cieślikowski, J. Kantyka: Sytuacja ekonomiczna i potrzeby organizatorów sektora MICE w Katowicach i regionie
w czasach pandemii. Raport z badań. AWF Katowice, 2020

20
- 2 exhibition / congress centers,
- 17 hotels with conference rooms,
- 6 facilities for special events with conference rooms, including cultural facilities,
- 8 universities with conference rooms.
Venues listed above are some kinds of research panel, to which requests have been addressed for
many years to obtain: the number of business meetings held in their material resources of the event
facility (marking meetings longer than 1 day) and the number of participants in these meetings. These
data are qualified by months.
Some venues (e.g., MCK Katowice) have prepared detailed characteristics in accordance with the
recommendations of the Poland Convention Bureau operating at the Polish Tourist Organization, and
even indicate events qualified for ICCA (International Congress and Conferences Association) statistics.
However, due to the high level of detail of the PCB criteria of the collected data, simplified forms were
introduced in the process of carrying out the research in Katowice, including the variables necessary
to estimate the size of the business tourism market in the city.
3.2 Analysis of conference meetings.
The total number of counted conference meetings and other business events in the surveyed facilities
in Katowice in 2022 was: 6,426 (Fig. 1), and the number of participants in these meetings is 552,849
people (Fig. 2).
Fig. 1. Number of conference meetings and business events in Katowice in the years 2015 - 2022
source: K. Cieślikowski - own research
6 594 6 317 6 334 6 170 6 453
2 033
2 465
6 426
0
1 000
2 000
3 000
4 000
5 000
6 000
7 000
2015 r. 2016 r. 2017 r. 2018 r. 2019 r. 2020 r. 2021 r, 2022 r.
NUMBER
OF
BUSINESS
MEETINGS
2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022

21
In the last year before the COVID-19 pandemic, 6,453 business meetings were held in Katowice,
attended by 1,020,187 people. The following years were the time of the pandemic and the related
restrictions, which resulted in a drastic decrease in these numbers.
In 2020, 2,033 business meetings were recorded in Katowice (i.e. 68.5% less than in 2019), and in 2021
there were 2,465 meetings, which meant an increase year on year, but less by 61, 8% than in 2019
On the other hand, the number of participants in business meetings in Katowice in 2020 who took part
in these events personal was 208,158 (79.6% less than in 2019), and in 2021 there were 272,105
personal participants (i.e. less by 73.3% compared to 2019). The year 2022, which was already
characterized by a large number of events, was marked by the number of participants, which
amounted to 552,849 people (there was a large increase compared to 2021), but it was still a smaller
number and by as much as 45.8% than in 2019 r.
Fig. 2. Number of participants in conference meetings and business events in Katowice in the years
2015 - 2022
Therefore, the process of rebuilding the business tourism market after the COVID-19 pandemic is
progressing dynamically. The number of events organized in the city of Katowice is almost at the same
level as in 2019, but the number of people participating stationary is at a much lower level.
In 2022, the number of one-day business meetings amounted to 4,897 (Fig. 3), which accounted for
76.2% of the total number of 6,426. This means that the number of one-day events in 2022 slightly
exceeded the number of such meetings in 2019, when 4,842 events were recorded.
On the other hand, business meetings lasting two days and longer accounted for 23.8% of the total
held in Katowice in 2022. Their number of 1,529 events was lower than in 2019 (then it was 1,611).
582 495
762 538 826 883
757 630
1 020 187
208 158 272 105
552 849
0
200 000
400 000
600 000
800 000
1 000 000
1 200 000
2015 r. 2016 r. 2017 r. 2018 r. 2019 r. 2020 r. 2021 r, 2022 r.
NUMBER
OF
PARTICIPANTS
IN
BUSINESS
MEETINGS
2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022

22
Fig. 3. Structure of conference meetings and business events market in Katowice in the years 2015
- 2022, concerning duration of the meetings
Analysis of business events in Katowice, taking into account the place of their implementation (type of
conference facility) in 2022, it can be seen that 5,362 business events were held in hotels (Fig. 4), which
is 83.4% of the total number of events in Katowice (5 451 events in 2019). Compared to 2021, this is
an increase of 180.3% (at that time, 1,913 business meetings were held in hotels).
On the other hand, 1,064 business meetings in 2022 were held in "other venues" in Katowice (which
accounts for 16.6% of all events). Compared to 2021, this is an increase of 92.7% (at that time, 552
meetings were held in such facilities).
However, referring to the time before the pandemic, it can be noted that the number of events
organized in 2022 in "other facilities" (1,064) slightly exceeded the number from 2019 (1,002 events).
This may be due to the increased activity of academic centers that are making up for the time of
canceled and postponed conference meetings, and have also started the process of preparing for the
implementation of the "Katowice European Capital of Science" project.
However, when analyzing the structure of the total number of participants in business events in
Katowice in 2022 (552,849 people) taking into account the type of conference facility (Fig. 5), it should
be noted that the proportions between hotels and "other facilities" are reversed, i.e. 33, 8% of
delegates (186,738 people) attended business events in hotels, and 66.2% (366,111 people) in facilities
other than hotels”.
5 454
4 991 4 736 4 561 4 842
1 335
1 794
4 897
1 147
1 326 1 598 1 609
1 611
698
671
1 529
0
1 000
2 000
3 000
4 000
5 000
6 000
7 000
2015 r. 2016 r. 2017 r. 2018 r. 2019 r. 2020 r. 2021 r, 2022 r.
NUMBER
OF
BUSINESS
MEETINGS
spotkania jednodniowe spotkania trwające dwa dni i dłużej
2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022
one-day meetings two days or more

23
Fig. 4. Structure of conference meetings and other business events in Katowice in the years 2015 -
2022, taking into account the type of conference facility
Fig. 5. Structure of participants in conference meetings and other business events in Katowice in
the years 2015 - 2022, taking into account the type of conference facility
In addition, the number of participants in events in hotels increased from 105,066 people in 2021 to
186,738 people in 2022 (i.e. by 77.7%), while in "other facilities" from 167,039 people in 2021 to 366
111 people in 2022 (i.e. by 119.2% y/y).
958 765 997 859 1 002
376 552
1 064
5 636
5 552 5 337 5 311
5 451
1 657
1 913
5 362
0
1 000
2 000
3 000
4 000
5 000
6 000
7 000
2015 r. 2016 r. 2017 r. 2018 r. 2019 r. 2020 r. 2021 r. 2022 r.
LICZBA
SPOTKAŃ
BIZNESOWYCH
inne obiekty hotele
378 892
573 258 615 086 565 206
811 554
136 290 167 039
366 111
203 603
189 280
211 797
192 424
208 633
71 868
105 066
186 738
0
200 000
400 000
600 000
800 000
1 000 000
1 200 000
2015 r. 2016 r. 2017 r. 2018 r. 2019 r. 2020 r. 2021 r. 2022 r.
LICZBA
UCZESTNIKÓW
inne obiekty hotele
2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022
NUMBER
OF
BUSINESS
MEETINGS
2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022
NUMBER
OF
PARTICIPANTS
IN
BUSINESS
MEETINGS
Other than
hotels
hotels
Other than
hotels
hotels

24
This is due to the growing number of visitors to conference meetings and other business events
(including fairs and exhibitions) held in the Spodek Hall and the International Congress Centre.
Another element of the analysis of the business tourism market in Katowice is the schedule of
conference meetings in the months of the calendar year - the so-called seasonality (fig. 6).
Fig. 6. Distribution of conference meetings and business events by month in the years 2020 - 2022
in Katowice
The largest number of conference meetings and business events was usually held in October. Such a
structure of the distribution of the number of events can be noticed only in 2022. The years 2020 and
2021 are characterized by a variable number of events in individual months, caused mainly by more or
less severe restrictions on the organization of business events for the meetings industry.
In 2020, the largest number of events in Katowice were organized in February (457 events), i.e. before
the restrictions in force due to the development of the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2021, the largest
number of events took place in September (512 events). This is the period when the organizers used
relaxed sanitary safety regulations and tried to organize as many events as possible before the flu and
viral season, which is autumn and winter in Poland.
The year 2022 is characterized by much greater demand on the business tourism market in Katowice
than in 2020 and 2021. Even the number of events recorded in December 2022 - 612 events, which
was usually a month with a small number of business events per year, in 2022 the number of such
369
457
324
4 16
39 42
142
374
172
54 40
19 19
44
138
220
328
172
220
512
369
258
166
344
307
584
616
676
574
269 245
666
800
733
612
0
100
200
300
400
500
600
700
800
900
I II III IV V VI VII VIII IX X XI XII
Number
of
business
meetings
months
2020 r. 2021 r. 2022 r.

25
events was even greater than the best month in 2021 (in September 2021 there was 512 events in
Katowice).
This means that the whole year of 2022 was very busy for the conference meetings and business events
industry, especially its end. Entities operating on the business tourism market made up for the time of
pandemic restrictions and losses caused by them, rebuilding their organizational (personal, personal)
capabilities necessary to handle business meetings. Throughout the city, material resources for
conference meetings have also increased (the Diament Plaza hotel was opened after reconstruction,
and a new Mercure hotel in the city center was opened).
Tab. 2. Seasonality on the market of conference meetings and business events in Katowice in 2022
Conference
meetings
participants
Conference
days
months
No. of
meetings
Share
In %
No. of
participants
% No. of days %
January 344 5.4% 43 896 7.9% 450 5.7%
February 307 4.8% 28 276 5.1% 408 5.1%
March 584 9.1% 41 363 7.5% 741 9.3%
April 616 9.6% 79 704 14.4% 777 9.8%
May 676 10.5% 93 296 16.9% 860 10.8%
June 574 8.9% 35 973 6.5% 694 8.7%
July 269 4.2% 18 476 3.3% 335 4.2%
August 245 3.8% 16 883 3.1% 303 3.8%
September 666 10.4% 47 426 8.6% 836 10.5%
October 800 12.4% 63 709 11.5% 970 12.2%
November 733 11.4% 56 603 10.2% 890 11.2%
December 612 9.5% 27 244 4.9% 698 8.8%
total 6 426 100.0% 552 849 100.0% 7 962 100.0%
Source: K. Cieślikowski – own research
Summing up the year 2022, it can be seen that the largest number of business events in Katowice took
place in October - 800 people, which is 12.4% of the whole year (Table 2). On the other hand, the
largest number of participants of conference meetings and business events in 2022 appeared in
Katowice in May - 93,296 people, i.e. 19.9% of all delegates throughout the year. In addition,
throughout the year, all events lasted a total of 7,962 days. The most conference days were in October.
In the holiday months (July and August), the demand for conference meetings and business events was
traditionally the lowest throughout the year.
Having data on the total number of conference meetings and business events in Katowice in 2022
(6,426, events) and on the number of conference days of organized events (7,962 days), it can be

26
concluded that the average duration of conferences in Katowice in 2022 was 1.24 days (i.e. it was
slightly shorter than before the COVID-19 pandemic in 2019, when it was 1.28 days).
In 2022, a total of 552,849 people attended meetings, conferences and other business events,
including 186,738 people in hotels in Katowice (i.e. 34% of all participants in group business meetings),
and 366,111 participants in other conference facilities, i.e. 66% (fig.7)
Fig. 7. The structure of participants in conference meetings and business events in Katowice in
2022, taking into account the type of conference venue.
Taking into account the number of business events and participants, broken down by conference
facilities, it can be indicated that the average number of participants in a business event held in 2022
in a hotel in Katowice was 35 people (in 2019 it was 38 people), while in other facilities 344 people (in
2019 it was 810 people). In 2022, in the case of hotels, business meetings are slightly smaller in terms
of the number of participants than in 2019, and much smaller in the case of "other facilities".
The number of events in Katowice in 2022 has almost reached the level from 2019, but the number of
participants in these events is still almost half the number before the pandemic. The analysis of their
behavior on the business tourism market in 2022, as well as the structure of expenditure, will allow to
estimate the impact on the region's economy.
other than
hotels
366 111
66%
in hotels
186 738
34%

27
4 Participants of conference meetings in Katowice in 2022
4.1 Methodology of research of conference meeting participants
As part of the study of the business tourism market in Katowice in 2022 the behavior and expectations
of conference meeting participants were again taken into account (their activity on the business
tourism market, preferences, size and structure of expenses, etc.).
To achieve the objectives of the study, the survey method was used, with the use of a questionnaire
of questions as a research tool. The process of direct research was preceded by talks with facility
managers and conference organizers about the need to research the business tourism market and to
obtain consent for research with participants of such events.
Questionnaires (surveys) were issued before the beginning of the conference meeting and collected
during the break and just after the meeting. Persons prepared to carry out this study, who also
provided additional information to the participants of the meetings in case of any additional questions
or doubts. The survey, supported by direct contact from the research team, ensured high
maneuverability and accuracy of the collected information (it was assumed that the survey will be
completed by approximately 25% to 40% of participants of a given event).
Information collected from 309 participants from 7 conference meetings was analyzed. These
meetings were attended by a total of 880 people (these were business meetings with a different
number of participants (from 25 to 300), and the participants came from various locations (including
from abroad), which allowed to define these events as: 1 event - regional/ provincial, 5 events -
nationwide, 1 - international).
The selection of conference meetings and places (facilities) as well as the research sample was
deliberate, so that it was possible to conduct research with participants of various conference
meetings and generalize the results for the entire city of Katowice. The survey was carried out:
• in various places in the city of Katowice (in the very center, outside the center)
• in various conference facilities (3 business meetings in conference hotels, 3 meetings
in a multifunctional conference center without accommodation facilities, 1 meeting
in an academic facility)
• in meetings held on different days of the week (1 - Tuesday, 3 - Wednesday, 1 - Thursday, 1 -
Friday, 1 - Saturday)
• participants represented various organizations: enterprises (companies), as well as non-profit
organizations and public institutions.
An additional research assumption concerned the period of research implementation similar to that in
previous years and the relatively short time of research implementation (from October 10 to
December 15, 2022), so that various internal factors did not significantly affect the results of the

28
research (e.g., different willingness of participants to use the services catering and other expenses
outside the conference facility, participation in other events, etc.).
Conducting the research process according to the above assumptions required, among others:
• catching up with people managing conference facilities and convincing them of the need to
conduct research on participants of conference meetings also carried out in their facilities -
located in the city of Katowice,
• obtaining information from facility managers about conference meetings held/planned
in October, November and December 2022,
• contacts with the organizers of conference meetings in order to obtain consent to conduct
research on the participants of their meetings,
• direct contact with participants of conference meetings during the research "in the field"
(conference facility).
The survey of participants of conference meetings in Katowice in 2022 for the purposes of preparing
the report included the following stages:
I. Verification of the research tool developed in previous years
II. Identification of event venues and selection of conference meetings for research
III. Receiving permission to conduct research
IV. Conducting surveys - collecting research data
V. Entering and coding the obtained data
VI. Counting and preparation of results
VII. Analysis and interpretation of results
VIII. Preparation of conclusions for the Report
In order to carry out the research and achieve the assumed goals, a questionnaire was developed and
tested, consisting of 10 questions (open and closed, questions in the cafeteria structure, questions
using a 5-point Likert scale) and a metric, as in previous years. The questionnaires along with the cover
letter were approved by the organizers of business events.
The questionnaire with questions was handed to the participants before entering the conference
rooms along with information and a request to complete the questionnaire and return it to persons
marked during the conference or to specially prepared (described) urns for completed research
questionnaires.
Then, the collected information was entered and coded in a computer program for further analysis
and providing conclusions.

29
4.2 Research sample
The research sample consisted of 309 participants from 7 different conference meetings, held in
various conference facilities in the city of Katowice in October, November and December 2022. The
analysis of the age structure of the study participants shows that 63.9% of them were aged 25–44. Of
these, 33.9% of all study participants were participants in conference meetings aged 35-44, and 30.0%
aged 25-34 (Fig. 8).
Fig. 8. Structure of research sample by age
The share of women in the research sample was 58.3%, while that of men was 41.7% (Fig. 9)
Fig. 9. Structure of the research sample by gender
6.8%
30.0%
33.9%
21.2%
5.5%
2.6%
0,0%
5,0%
10,0%
15,0%
20,0%
25,0%
30,0%
35,0%
40,0%
d
o
2
4
l
a
t
2
5
-
3
4
l
a
t
a
3
5
-
4
4
l
a
t
a
4
5
-
5
4
l
a
t
a
5
5
-
6
4
l
a
t
a
6
5
l
a
t
i
w
i
ę
c
e
j
Women
58.3%
Men
41.7%
->25 y. 25-34 y. 35-44 y. 45-54 y. 55-64 y. 65 y. or more

30
75.7% of delegates participating in conference meetings represented companies and this was the
largest group of people among the respondents. People representing non-profit organizations
(including: universities, schools, foundations, associations) accounted for 12.6%, and employees of
state and local government administration accounted for 11.7% of participants (Fig. 10).
Fig. 10. Structure of conference meeting participants by type of organization they represent
23.5% of the surveyed participants of conference meetings declared that during their stay at the
current conference they indicated costs related to accommodation in Katowice (Fig. 11). Their
behavior, expectations and the structure of expenses may differ from those of the participants who
came to the business event and did not take advantage of accommodation in Katowice, which is why
in the further part of the study they were subjected to a separate analysis - distinguishing their results
from those delegates without accommodation.
Fig. 11. The structure of the surveyed participants of conference meetings, taking into account the
cost of accommodation in Katowice
companies
75.7%
non-proft org.
12.6%
governmrnt
administration
11.7%
without
accommodation
70.6%
with
accommodatin
29.4%

31
In order to estimate the total expenses of all participants of conference meetings and business events
in Katowice, it is very important to distinguish the size and structure of expenses incurred by overnight
and non-overnight participants of conference meetings and other business events in Katowice.
However, in order to show the total expenses of participants of conference meetings in Katowice in
2022, average values from surveys should be taken into account (according to their type structure),
and the final calculations should take into account the identified share of overnight stays in all
conferences in Katowice declared by respondents throughout the year (as in Fig. 13).
Fig. 12. Geographical distribution of participants of conference meetings in Katowice
source: K. Cieślikowski – own research
Most of the surveyed participants of conference meetings held in Katowice (Fig. 12) came from outside
the city of Katowice, but still from the Silesian Voivodeship (46.6%). Other voivodships where the
surveyed participants came from were: Mazowieckie - 15.2% of all the respondents, Małopolskie -
11.1%. In 2022, participants from abroad in the research sample accounted for 1.0%. The smallest
number of people in the research sample were people who came from the following voivodeships:
Kujawsko-Pomorskie, Warmińsko-Mazurskie and Świętokrzyskie (0.6% of each). People from outside
the city of Katowice were surveyed.
46.3%
15.2%
11.7%
4.9%
4.5%
2.3%
1.9%
1.9%
1.9%
1.9%
1.6%
1.6%
1.3%
0.6%
0.6%
0.6%
1.0%
0,0% 10,0% 20,0% 30,0% 40,0% 50,0%
śląskie
mazowieckie
małopolskie
wielkopolskie
dolnośląskie
lubuskie
lubelskie
opolskie
podlaskie
zachodniopomorskie
łódzkie
podkarpackie
pomorskie
kujawsko-pomorskie
świętokrzyskie
warmińsko-mazurskie
zagranica
foreigners
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50%

32
5 Results of market research of delegates - participants of conference
meetings in Katowice in 2022.
5.1 Conference activity of delegates in 2022.
5.1.1 Katowice as a destination for delegates compared to the rest of Poland
For delegates coming to conferences, the city of Katowice is an important point on the map of
conference meetings in Poland. The respondents (309 people) declared that in 2022 they participated
in a total of 1,315 conference meetings (on average, one person attended 4.3 conferences). 40.1% of
these conference meetings (i.e. 527 meetings) were held in Katowice (Fig. 13.).
Fig. 13. Structure of all conference meetings attended in 2022 by respondents by conference
location
source K. Cieślikowski – own research
26.2% of all conference meetings, which the participants of the study declared for 2022 and held in
Katowice, were organized with an overnight stay in Katowice (Fig. 13). The rest of the conference
meetings (73.8%) were events attended by these delegates in Katowice, but without accommodation
in this city.
Fig. 14. The structure of all conference meetings in 2022 held in Katowice by respondents,
including accommodation.
with
accommodation
26.2%
without
accommodation
73.8%
other
59.9%
Katowice
40.1%

33
In 2022, the participants of the study took part in an average of 4.26 conference meetings, including
1.61 meetings in Katowice (tab. 3).
Tab. 3. Average number of conference meetings of delegates in 2022 by type of organization
delegates
in total
company
representatives
Non-profit and
administration
representatives
Average number of meetings in total 4.26 4.21 4.40
Average number of meetings in Katowice 1.71 1.68 1.77
Delegates who represented companies attended conference meetings slightly less often than other
people - the average number of meetings in 2022 was 4.21 (including 1.68 in Katowice). On the other
hand, delegates representing a non-profit organization or public administration participated in an
average of 4.40 conference meetings in 2022 (tab. 3).
5.1.2 Trends in delegate activity in attending conference meetings
Taking into account the activity of delegates in participating in conference meetings in 2022, it can be
seen that for 69.8% of the respondents, the total number of their conference meetings in 2022,
compared to the previous year, did not change.
Tab. 4. Activity of delegates on the conference meetings market in 2022 compared to 2021
decrease in the
number of
conference meetings
number of conference
meetings at the same
level
increase in the
number of conference
meetings
How many of them indicated 7.5% 67.2% 25.3%
Average change in the number of
conference meetings
- 43,5% 100,0% + 77,7%
Only 7.5% of delegates indicated that their activity on the market of conference meetings decreased.
They showed an average decrease in the number of events in which they participated y/y by -43.5%.
On the other hand, for 25.3% of the survey participants, the number of conference meetings increased
in 2022 by as much as 77.7% compared to 2021 (Table 4).

34
5.2 Means of transport used by participants of conference meetings in Katowice
Most of the respondents came to conference meetings in Katowice by car (73.1% of indications). 25.9%
of participants used rail transport and 7.1% used taxi services (Fig. 15). The number of indications
exceeds 100.0% because some participants of the study indicated several means of transport that they
used when coming to the conference meeting.
Fig. 15. Distribution of participants of conference meetings in Katowice by means of transport used
for arrival in 2022.
The percentage of delegates using a car as a means of transport to conferences is higher for people
representing companies (76.1%) and for those participants who do not use accommodation - 78.4%
(Tab. 5).
Tab. 5. The usage of means of transport by various groups of delegates - participants of conference
meetings in Katowice in 2022
Participants in
total
Delegates
representing
companies
delegates from the
organization non-
profit and public
administration
delegate
without
accommodation
accommodated
delegate
car 73.1% 76.1% 64.0% 78.4% 60.4%
railway 25.9% 21.8% 37.3% 18.8% 41.8%
TAXI 7.1% 7.3% 5.3% 5.5% 9.9%
public transportation 6.5% 6.0% 8.0% 7.3% 4.4%
long distance bus 4.2% 3.0% 8.0% 3.7% 5.5%
plane 1.6% 1.7% 1.3% 0.9% 3.3%
73.1%
25.9%
7.1%
6.5%
4.2%
1.6%
osobowy samochód
PKP
TAXI
Lokalna komunikacja miejska
Autobus dalekobieżny
Samolot
0,0% 10,0% 20,0% 30,0% 40,0% 50,0% 60,0% 70,0% 80,0%
plane
long distance bus
public transportation
TAXI
railway
car

35
37.3% of delegates from non-profit organizations and public administration used the railway when
coming to Katowice, while among people representing companies this percentage was 21.8%.
Significantly more people from companies also indicated the use of taxi services during the conference
- 7.3%, while the percentage of indications among the participants of the organization non-profit and
public administration for this means of transport was only 5.3% (Table 5)..
5.3 Identifying the main motivations for attending conference meetings
In order to determine the main motivations for participation in conference meetings, the delegates
indicated the importance of a given factor on a 5-point Likert scale when making decisions about
coming to the conference. A list of 12 factors (4 official: gaining knowledge, establishing new business
contacts, promoting your own company / institution, knowing about the activities of competitors; and
8 unofficial - personal, which participants rarely mention to their supervisor at work or to an
accountant when they intend to go to a conference). Delegates' research showed that the most
important motivator for participation in conference meetings (Table 6) is "gaining knowledge" with an
average score of 4.52 (on a five-point Likert scale, where 1 meant "not very important" and 5 - "very
important"). Then, "reaching business contacts" - 4.07.
Tab. 6. Official and unofficial motives for attending conference meetings in 2022.
Participants
in total
Delegates
representing
companies
delegates from
the organization
non-profit
and public
administration
delegate
without
accommodation
accommodated
delegate
gaining of knowledge 4.52 4.59 4.32 4.52 4.53
making new business contacts 4.07 4.09 4.03 3.99 4.28
promotion of your own company /
institution
3.63 3.65 3.55 3.55 3.82
knowledge of competitor activities 3.54 3.63 3.23 3.51 3.60
relatively low participation costs 3.35 3.34 3.40 3.37 3.31
close proximity to the place of
residence
3.35 3.40 3.19 3.48 3.05
social and personal aspect of Public
Relations
3.22 3.24 3.13 3.14 3.42
certificate of participation/diploma 3.13 3.10 3.23 2.98 3.52
reputation of the conference facility 3.07 3.05 3.15 3.00 3.25
leisure and recreation opportunities 2.71 2.76 2.53 2.63 2.91
other attractions, e.g. membership
cards. Bonuses, shopping discounts
2.36 2.35 2.40 2.29 2.55
shopping in the conference city 2.15 2.12 2.24 2.10 2.27

36
The least important for the respondents, as in previous years, was the possibility of shopping in the
city of the conference 2.15.
Despite the small importance of this factor when choosing a conference, a significant number of
participants decide to spend their free time shopping in shopping malls in Katowice and therefore incur
significant expenses, and some indicate shopping centers in Katowice ("large selection of new
shopping malls" ) even as an advantage of the city.
Analyzing the results in tab. 6., it can be noticed that delegates representing companies attach more
importance than others to "gaining knowledge" (4.59), "knowing about the activities of competitors"
(3.63), or "close proximity to the place of residence" (3. 40) than other participants.
On the other hand, representatives of non-profit organizations and state and local government
administration attach more importance than representatives of companies to receiving a "certificate"
(3.23) or "reputation of the facility" (3.15)..
Taking into account the division of participants into those using accommodation and non-users, it can
be noticed that the following are definitely more important for those staying overnight: "establishing
new business contacts" (4.28), "participation certificate/diploma" (3.52). On the other hand, for non-
accommodated, “close proximity to the place of residence” is more important (3.48).
5.4 Perception of the city of Katowice as a place for conference meetings and
business events in the light of delegates' research
In order to determine the attractiveness of the city of Katowice for conference participants, two
questions were included in the research questionnaire. One of them allowed to identify the most
important advantages of the conference destination in the opinion of the respondents (features were
listed and participants were asked to respond to each of them by inserting "x" in a 5-point Likert scale
from 1 to 5, where 1 - "not very important", and 5 - "very important"). The second question (placed
further in the questionnaire) referred to the level of fulfillment by Katowice of these factors
determining the attractiveness of a destination as a conference destination (the same features/factors
were listed, where 1 meant that the city "meets to a small extent" and 5 - "works perfectly"). The
difference between the average results for individual attractiveness features/factors (the difference
between expectations and fulfillment in the opinion of delegates) allows to show the strengths and
weaknesses of the city of Katowice as an attractive destination on the conference market in the
perception of conference meeting participants.

37
5.4.1 Identification of the most important attributes of the town for participants of
conference meetings
Delegates' research showed that the most important attribute of the conference destination choosing
for the participants are: transport accessibility (where: "transport accessibility for access by car
reached an average value" - 4.07, while "communication accessibility for access by public transport" -
3.54) and “wide and diversified accommodation” – 3.77 (tab. 7).
Tab. 7. Attributes of the conference venue in the light of research of participants of conference
meetings and business events in Katowice in 2022.
Participants
in total
Delegates
representing
companies
delegates from the
organization non-profit
and public
administration
delegate
without
accommodation
accommodated
delegate
transport accessibility for
access by car
4.07 4.09 4.00 4.07 4.06
wide and diversified
conference base
3.77 3.70 3.97 3.70 3.93
wide and varied
accommodation base
3.70 3.67 3.77 3.55 4.06
public transport
accessibility
3.54 3.46 3.78 3.42 3.83
wide range
restaurants
3.34 3.34 3.36 3.26 3.55
opportunity to explore the city
and the surrounding area
3.17 3.14 3.26 3.08 3.40
other conference meetings at
the same time
3.06 3.03 3.16 2.99 3.24
many cultural and
entertainment facilities
3.05 2.99 3.23 3.00 3.15
parks and green
area
2.87 2.75 3.24 2.88 2.84
many cultural and sports
events in a town
2.82 2.79 2.90 2.78 2.93
many shopping
centers
2.52 2.49 2.59 2.48 2.60
Less important for the attractiveness of cities as conference destinations, in the opinion of conference
meeting participants, are such features as: "many shopping centers in the city" - 2.52 and "many
cultural and sports events in the city" - 2.82.
The test results presented in Tab. 7 indicate that delegates representing companies attach slightly
more importance than others to: "accessibility by car" (4.09), while participants of non-profit
organizations and administration pay more attention to "accessibility by public transport" – 3.78. For
delegates using accommodation in Katowice, the "broad and diverse accommodation base", "broad
and diverse gastronomic base", as well as "the possibility of visiting the city and the surrounding area"
are definitely more important (3.40).

38
5.4.2 Determining the level of meeting delegates' expectations by the city of Katowice as
a conference venue.
Delegates perceive the city of Katowice as an attractive destination on the business tourism market
primarily due to: "a wide and diverse conference base" - 4.01, then "transport accessibility by car" -
3.95 (tab. 8).
Tab. 8. Assessment of the attractiveness of Katowice as a meeting place based on research by
participants of conference meetings and business events in Katowice in 2022
Participants
in total
Delegates
representing
companies
delegates from the
organization non-
profit
and public
administration
delegate
without
accommodation
accommodated
delegate
wide and diversified
conference infrastructure
4.01 4.00 4.04 4.00 4.03
transport accessibility
for access by car
3.95 3.93 4.01 3.94 3.95
wide range
restaurants
3.81 3.84 3.73 3.86 3.70
wide and varied
accommodation base
3.78 3.75 3.88 3.75 3.85
public transport
accessibility
3.73 3.64 4.01 3.71 3.77
many cultural and entertainment
facilities in the village
3.49 3.45 3.63 3.55 3.36
many shopping
centers
3.48 3.45 3.58 3.56 3.29
opportunity to explore the city and
the surrounding area
3.39 3.36 3.52 3.43 3.30
many cultural and sports events
in a town
3.33 3.31 3.41 3.37 3.25
parks and green
areas
3.27 3.26 3.32 3.32 3.16
other conference meetings and
business events at the same time
3.23 3.22 3.26 3.32 2.99
Analyzing the results showed in tab. 8, it can also be noted that the participants representing the
companies rated the city of Katowice higher than the others in terms of "wide and diversified
gastronomy infrastructure" (3.84). On the other hand, participants representing non-profit
organizations and public administration highly rated Katowice for "communication accessibility by
public transport" - 4.01.
Participants of conference meetings who stayed overnight rated the city of Katowice slightly higher
than others in the following criteria: "many cultural and entertainment facilities in the town", "many
shopping centers in the town", "possibility to visit the city and its surroundings" (tab. 8).

39
5.4.3 Strengths and weaknesses of the city of Katowice as a good place for conferences in
the opinion of the participants.
The strengths of the city as an attractive destination for conference participants are those
features/attributes that the delegates indicate as very important to them and are well met by the
destination. As a result of the difference between the average of fulfillment and the average of
importance, these characteristics will receive a positive value (i.e., exceed expectations).
The city of Katowice, in the light of the research of participants of conference meetings in 2022, meets
the expectations of delegates in almost every feature of a conference destination that is important for
delegates (tab. 9).
Tab. 9. Features of the city of Katowice exceeding the expectations of conference participants in
2022
how important are the
following features for
delegates?
how does the city
of Katowice meet
these features?
Katowice as a
conference city - result
transport accessibility for access by car 4.07 3.95 -0.12
wide and diversified conference base 3.77 4.01 0.25
wide and varied accommodation base 3.70 3.78 0.08
public transport accessibility 3.54 3.73 0.19
wide and diverse gastronomic base 3.34 3.81 0.47
opportunity to explore the city and the
surrounding area
3.17 3.39 0.22
other conference meetings and business
events at the same time
3.06 3.23 0.17
many cultural and entertainment facilities
and places
3.05 3.49 0.44
parks and green areas 2.87 3.27 0.41
many cultural and sports events in a town 2.82 3.33 0.51
many shopping centers 2.52 3.48 0.97
The most important for delegates, "transport accessibility by car", despite many road difficulties
related to the reconstruction of the main communication routes to the city, only slightly differs from
expectations (-0.12). On the other hand, "communication accessibility for access by public transport"
exceeded expectations by 0.19 (in assessments on a five-point Likert scale).
In other features/attributes of a destination attractive to delegates, Katowice exceeded delegates'
expectations. Expectations were exceeded the most for the features: "many shopping centers" - the
result was 0.86; and in the case of features: "Many cultural and sports events in a town" by 0.47, "Many
cultural and entertainment facilities in a town" by 0.97; and "many cultural and sporting events" by
0.51, and "a wide and varied gastronomy base" by 0.47.

40
5.5 Structure and amount of expenses of participants of conference meetings in
Katowice in 2022
All participants as respondents (309 people) during their stay at their conference were asked to
provide the structure of expenses incurred in the city of Katowice. Taking into account the expenses
of only participants who declared such in Katowice (54.4% of all respondents), it was calculated that
the average amount of expenses incurred in Katowice for various services and material goods
(excluding travel and return costs) per person amounted to PLN 496.13 in 2022 (PLN 432.96 in 2019).
It should be noted that:
- 54.4% of the respondents indicated some expenses in Katowice (excluding the costs of getting
to and from the city),
- 29.4% of all surveyed respondents (it was 54.2% of delegates who showed any expenses in the
city) declared expenses for accommodation in connection with participation in the current
conference meeting.
A large share (45.6%) of delegates who did not declare any expenditure in Katowice may be due to the
proximity of Katowice to their place of residence (significant share of delegates from the Silesian
Voivodeship - see Fig. 12), and thus the fact that they purchase goods and services before or after
conference meetings in another city or purchasing only fuel in Katowice, as well as staying at
a conference in the city of Katowice too short for them (4 to 8 hours).
Respondents who declared expenses incurred for accommodation (overnight participants) in Katowice
in 2022 spent a total of PLN 837.73in the city of Katowice in connection with their participation
in the conference (PLN 749.04 in 2019), in including only for accommodation PLN 413.47 (in 2019
it was PLN 399.22).
Taking into account the average stay in Katowice of a conference participant incurring accommodation
costs (2.04 days), it can be assumed that delegates staying overnight in the city of Katowice spent on
average PLN 409.85 per day in 2022 (in 2019 it was PLN 365. PLN 39), including PLN 202.29 for one
night, accommodation (PLN 194.74 in 2019).
Delegates who declared any expenses incurred in Katowice, but did not use the accommodation, spent
on average only PLN 172.33 in Katowice (in 2019 it was PLN 178.06)
At the same time, 56.0% of the respondents "without overnight stay" did not declare any expenses in
Katowice and the average time of their stay at the conference in Katowice was 1.42 days. This means
that the average value of expenses of all study participants not staying overnight in Katowice (who
incurred any expenses) per one conference day was PLN 121.43 in 2022.

41
Taking into account the structure of expenses of the respondents not staying overnight in Katowice in
2022 (Table 10), it can be seen that these people spend the most on shopping in shopping malls, 37.1%
of their total expenses, followed by food services (29.4 % - total catering services in the conference
facility and outside the facility).
On the other hand, the analysis of the structure of the total expenses of the respondents staying
overnight in Katowice allows to conclude that in 2022 the expenses for accommodation accounted for
an average of 49.4% of all expenses incurred in Katowice. Shopping expenses of overnight stayers
accounted for 13.6% and on catering services in the facility and outside the facility in total 21.0%.
Tab. 10. Structure of total expenses of conference participants spent in Katowice in 2022
Expense structure
delegates without
accommodation
Expense structure of
accommodated delegates
accommodation
services
0.0% 49.4%
restaurants in the conference
venue
11.8% 10.0%
restaurants outside the
conference venue
17.6% 11.0%
additional fees and conference
materials
11.1% 5.3%
local transport in the destination
(e.g., public. TAXI)
5.6% 2.8%
recreation and entertainment in
the conference venue
1.9% 2.4%
recreation and entertainment in
Katowice
10.4% 5.3%
shopping in galleries,
shopping streets
37.1% 13.6%
parking 4.4% 0.2%
total 100.0% 100.0%
It should be noted that the surveyed participants of conference meetings also showed a varied
willingness to incur various expenses in Katowice (tab. 11).
In the case of delegates without accommodation on the conference in Katowice, 22.0% of them spent
an average of PLN 36.0 on restaurant services at the conference facility, and 19.6% of them spent an
average of PLN 60 on restaurants services outside the conference facility PLN 60.0 (in the city). The
highest average amount of PLN 246.2 was spent by non-accommodated delegates, on shopping in
shopping malls, shopping centers. 10.1% of the delegates indicated these expenses.
In the case of conference meeting participants who had accommodation during the conference in
Katowice, 52.7% of them also spent PLN 159.38 on average on catering services in the conference

Business tourism in Katowice in 2020-2022.pdf

Business tourism in Katowice in 2020-2022.pdf

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