Third edition of the report on the business tourism market in Katowice has just been released. Findings were based on primary researches including a survey conducted amongst conferences participants in 24 venues. The publication was prepared on behalf of the Katowice City Hall’s Convention Bureau.
About 0,5 million people attended 7 042 business meetings in Katowice in 2014. This is 17% more than in the year before. 1 127 meetings lasted two days or longer (+11,3%). The average number of participants was 75 (85 in 2013).
Studying the research carried out in the recent years on the market of conference meetings and business events in Katowice one can observe that the majority of conference meetings are organized in spring (March, May) and autumn (October, November).
For the purpose of the research on conference participants in Katowice, a survey-based method was chosen, with a questionnaire as a research tool, accompanied with a covering letter explaining the importance of the research. Surveys were conducted from 6th to 21th of November 2014 with 267 participants of six different conference meetings.
Most of the surveyed conference participants in Katowice came from the Silesia voivodeship (43,4%), which proves that there is still a strong internal demand for conference meetings in this region – the number is higher than in 2013 when 34,7% of the partakers were from the region. The second largest group came from the Mazovia voivodeship (11,6%), the third from Małopolskie (11,2%) and the fourth from Dolnośląskie (8,2%).
Almost every fifth delegate participating in the survey (19%) had overnight accommodation during his/her stay (26,1% in 2013). 70% of the attendees reached the business meetings in Katowice by car, while 16,1% used trains and 11,2% arrived in the City by plane.
Among the most important reasons behind participation mentioned by them are: acquisition of knowledge and establishment of new contacts, low costs of participation, convenient distance from place of residence. The same main reasons were pointed out by the participants surveyed in 2013.
In 2014 the average expenses incurred by a conference participant held in Katowice amounted to PLN 175,59 (PLN 197,41 in 2013 and PLN 234,2 in 2012), with delegates staying overnight having spent on average PLN 642,4 (PLN 579,2 in 2013 and PLN 445,8 in 2012), of which PLN 286,2 was for accommodation (PLN 282,8 in 2013 and PLN 263,6 in 2012). Delegates who did not use accommodation services spent on average PLN 144,9 in Katowice (PLN 139,6 in 2013 and PLN 133,3 in 2012).
94% of delegates (90% in 2013) declared that they would come to the same facility again and 91% respondents would return to Katowice to take part in a conference meeting again (87% in 2013).
The research was conducted by PhD Krzysztof Cieślikowski, an analyst of the business tourism market and academic teacher.