Organisation of international congress: World Meeting Karcher, Krakow, Poland 2009.
2009-07-30
Karcher is one of the most recognizable German brands and a worldwide leader in clearing device production. Once a year the managing directors of the company’s branches from all over the Word meet at the Karcher World Meeting. The complete provision and organization of the conference has been entrusted by Karcher to the event-factory agency. For 5 days guests from 90 countries where Karcher has its branch offices participated in talks, meetings and workshops. There were plenty of special attractions during the accompanying parties and events, which provided all the participants with unforgettable memories from Cracow.
The organization of this congress in Cracow confirms the ever more visible trend showing Poland’s growing popularity, and especially Cracow as a business tourism destination. Corporations and companies not only from Europe but from all over the world are choosing Cracow with increasing frequency, for a variety of reasons. First of all the unique historical backdrop, the city’s charm and magic attract more and more tourists, the very high level of service, good hotel infrastructure in Cracow and finally the one of a kind places associated with Cracow, such as the Royal Castle in Niepołomice, Wieliczka Salt Mine, where the underground chambers offer practically limitless possibilities for events, company meetings, conference and congress organization and other company parties.
Congress and business tourism in Poland has one more very important benefit for our foreign partners, one that is hard to overlook in these turbulent economic times. The complex, highest standard services are priced much lower than other European countries, which along with the growing number of professional, specialized companies and agencies, such as our own, in the congress and conference organization industry, guarantees the best quality for a reasonable price.
The Karcher World Meeting Congress – was held on 26 - 31 July 2009. Event-factory was responsible for the complete organization of the congress in Cracow. The conference service encompassed the full range of event organization. Event-factory provided congress and conference rooms in Cracow, as well as attractive locations for the informal events and meetings. The congress was inaugurated by an opening conference held in the historic interiors of the Municipal Council Session Room at the Wielkopolski Palace (current seat of the Cracow City Council). The participants had the opportunity to see such characteristic places as the Wawel Royal Castle, Royal Castle in Niepołomice, Wieliczka Salt Mine, one of the oldest buildings at the Jagielonnian University – the Collegium Maius and the Archeological Museum Gardens. These were the venues which hosted various points on the congress program.
For two days the conference guests participated in works hops which were organized at the Royal Castle in Niepołomice, where they could learn the newest products and technologies introduced by Karcher. Several exposition points were organized on the grounds, which presented the new product range for 2010.
The most important point of the congress program was the meeting in the Wieliczka Salt Mine. 110 m underground in the Drozdowice IV chamber we serviced the Worldwide Growth and Targets 2009 conference, where the company strategies for 2010 were discussed. During the meeting in the mine, which in 1978 was entered on the UNESCO World Heritage List, the guests took the scenic tour along the underground lakes, mine shafts, salt chapels and beautiful salt sculptures. The Mine program was highlighted by a special surprise concert. The organization of a concert 101 m underground in the monument al Saint Kinga chapel was a huge surprise and enhanced the artistic experience. The concert featured a specially prepared program performed by the Cappella Cracoviensis conducted by Jan Tomasz Adamus with world renowned soprano Aleksandra Buczek. The evening in the mine was finished off with a gala dinner in the largest underground chamber – the Warsaw Chamber located at 125 under the surface.
The meeting also included a sports competition and integration event. Team Karcher participated in a football tournament, where 8 teams competed the Skotniki Sport Centre. The final event was organized at the Archeological Museum Gardens in Cracow. In order to best present Poland’s culture and traditions the party was highlighted by folklore elements. The band Siwy Dym performed world hits specially arranged to include folk highlander sounds and traditional instruments such as bagpipes, fiddles, trumpets and flutes. Hostesses in business suits were replaced by highlander women in traditional attire as well as bandits who presented traditional arts and crafts. One could taste original Zakopane cheese, take a sip of zyntyca or personally make an oscypek - traditional Polish Highlanders' cheese.
The meeting was finished off with a unique pyrotechnics show. Karcher’s official song: Phats Waller’s Spring Cleaning was accompanied by a special pyrotechnic show, which featured special fire sculptures with a pyrotechnic Karcher logotype finale. The 3.5 minute show included 3.5 m special flower and plant motifs flash various colors. Suffice it to say that after the show, Karcher President Hartmund Jenner said: „I have seen gigantic fireworks show in Sydney or New York, but I’ve never seen anything like this. This was spectacular”.
Event-factory’s responsibilities included complete technical conference services. At all locations we provided sound systems, architectural lighting as well as intelligent light devices and multimedia projection systems, which applied multimedia projectors (Sanyo PLC-XF47 15 000 ANSI. PLC XF-45 10 000 ansilumen power, Sanyo PLC XF-60 6500 ansilumen power), as well as multi screen projections on plasma screens and a Folsom realization system. The agency also took care of the polygraphic materials, conference material printing and exposition, branding and advertising material production. For the conference we prepared video materials as well as product films and animations. Additionally the agency was responsible for all the transfers and organizing the company help desk at the hotel as well as the locations where the congress events took place.
The complete provision and organization of congresses and conferences in Cracow and other Polish cities is a strategic area of activity for event-factory, which is connected to other areas of our activity such as event services and organization. It is one of the areas in which we have been seeing constant business growth along with the organization and provision of mass events, concerts and festivals.
