Category Archives: News

Weco Travel co-founder of SOIT celebrates 25 years in Poland. On this occasion, on May 25, 2017 at the Ujazdowski Castle in Warsaw held a Gala Birthday event. More than 350 people: customers, partners, and suppliers had a great time, enjoying James Bond theme party.

Weco Travel – a company with Danish roots is a leader in the area of travel management in Poland and in Central Europe. 
The team already has 250 + CE Weco. 
The MICE Department under the regional leadership of Grażyna Grot-Duziak dynamically develops constantly acquiring new employees and partners.

For the last 28 years, TOUR SALON trade fair has been the place for presentation of the latest offers, tourist attractions and promotion of countries, as well as establishing business relations. Region Partner is LUBELSKIE. TOUR SALON is divided into two zones: BUSINESS ZONE and PASSION ZONE to meet the expectations of all participants of the tourism market.

BUSINESS ZONE (open on Friday and Saturday) is designated exclusively for professionals and our VIP guests. In this part of the exhibition there are plenty of opportunities to hold B2B talks using our trade fair service Business Planner of TOUR SALON for matching partners. We offer an abundant programme of conferences, including promoting offers of our international partners, as well. We would love to interest also the Embassy with such opportunity for promoting your country during this event.

PASSION ZONE (open from Friday to Sunday) however, following the motto ,,A bit of summer in the middle of winter” is dedicated to tourists. The zone is also visited by professionals and students for schools of travel and tourism. Moreover, we offer the Tourism Offer Platform, Zone of New Technologies for Tourism Promotion and artistic programme at Culture Scene.

Simultaneously, will be held The Angling Fair RYBOMANIA, The Hunting and Shooting Fair KNIEJE and The Trade Fair of Swimming Equipment and Water Sports BOATEX.

For more information visit: www.tour-salon.pl

The SOIT member – Haxel Events & Incentive celebrates the 25th anniversary on the MICE market.

“We close this year with smiles on our faces – we have completed 42 projects, increased our revenue by over 20% and welcomed four new colleagues to our team. The success our agency experienced this year results from the actions we have initiated in sales support and development of customer-friendly solutions, as well as from focusing our portfolio on quality and customer value.” – summarizes Krzysztof Pobożniak, President of Haxel.

The incentive travel projects have made up the bulk of the company’s revenue.

“We also spent a lot of time looking after our projects in Poland, dedicated to domestic and foreign customers. We are very pleased with all our successful projects, and – what is equally important –with initiating cooperation with many new, industry-leading customers.” – explains Krzysztof Pobożniak.

This year, the Haxel team has welcomed new faces in all its departments. This has helped the company to strengthen the existing competencies in carrying out complex projects across all areas of our operation.

We congratulate Haxel’s team for their achievements and we wish continuing success!

On 26 November new regulations of the Act on Tourist Services came into force in Poland. These regulations introduce additional financial security, referred to as the second pillar, in the event of insolvency for tour operators and travel agents.

In addition to the existing security in the form of an insurance guarantee contract, bank guarantee contract, insurance contract on behalf of clients, or the receipt of funds into an escrow account, the Tourist Guarantee Fund has been established, into which tour operators and tour agents are required to pay monthly contributions.

What is the additional financial security?
In the case of loss of financial liquidity and declaration of insolvency by the organiser or the intermediary, and the exhaustion of funds from the first pillar, the funds from Pillar II, or TFG, will be mobilised. These funds will be used to cover the costs of customers returning to the country and for the reimbursement of payments for unexecuted and prematurely terminated tourist events.

What are the new responsibilities of tour operators and travel agents?
1. Submitting the tax declaration to the Insurance Guarantee Fund (UFG) by the 21st of each month for the previous month. The declaration must indicate the number and type of concluded contracts and the number of customers they cover.
2. Paying contributions to the Tourist Guarantee Fund (TFG) by the 21st of each month for the previous month.
3. Maintain a list of contracts with clients.

Learn more about the new regulations:

The Act on Tourist Services 

Regulation concerning the Tourist Guarantee Fund

The Association of Incentive Travel Organisers is refreshing its brand by introducing a new logo and visual identity. Changing the image is a further step in implementing SOIT’s strategy. The change is accompanied by the launch of the new website: www.soit.net.pl.

In recent months, the association has undergone major changes in connection with implementing the new strategy, which SOIT members have been working on since November of last year. Strategy workshops were held in November and December of 2015. These resulted first in amending the membership criteria in the statute of the Association, which took place in January 2016. Another meeting was held in April of this year and was devoted mainly to the Ethics Commission Regulations, which were adopted during the SOIT member’ conference in Spała in September.

The objective of refreshing the identity is to emphasize the changes within the organisation and strengthen the image of SOIT. The new logo will reflect the values professed by the organisation and its members – professionalism, reliability, dynamism and modernity. Our goal is for the SOIT brand to send a message to the industry and customers that an agency affiliated with SOIT guarantees professionalism and the highest quality services, as well as travel safety, summarizes Sebastian Słoniewski, CEO of SOIT.

The refreshed SOIT logo refers to the mark, which has been in force since the founding of the Association in 2009. The motive to create a new SOIT mark also lay in the wish to adapt the Association’s image to the needs and aesthetics of the contemporary market. The new mark is entirely based on the leading aesthetics of flat design, allowing for easy use of the mark in various fields of operation. The new identity system coherently addresses the issue of presenting the logo on a variety of media.

The reveal of the new SOIT image took place during the Columbus Day jubilee gala, held on 17 November in STIXX Bar&Grill in Warsaw, attended by over 100 invited guests – SOIT members, corporate clients and industry partners.

SOIT members and our guests have celebrated the 5th jubilee edition of Columbus Day: the incentive travel day. Every year as part of this event, we have been organising a charity auction of travel memorabilia brought by SOIT members from around the world.

During this year’s gala, more than 100 people, including SOIT members, corporate clients, industry partners and media representatives, celebrated in the atmosphere of travelling around the world. The guests were given a good laugh thanks to a stand-up by Karol Modzelewski, known among other things from his performances in Kuba Wojewódzki’s show. As always, the auction of travel memorabilia provided by SOIT members, conducted by Jarek Jatel from the Widelec cabaret, served as a highlight of the event.

The participants could bid for exceptional souvenirs, figurines and sculptures from Zimbabwe, Panama, Bali, Palau, Myanmar, Malaysia or Japan, original spirits from Mauritius, Nepal and Italy, cigars straight from manufactories in Cuba and the Dominican Republic, as well as unique books with autographs of authors, photographs, paintings and many other items. During the auction, we raised the amount of PLN 22,100, which was contributed to the project entitled “Budujemy Nowy Dom” [We Are Building a New House], carried out by Joanna Radziwiłł’s Opiekuńcze Skrzydła [Caring Wings] Foundation. The auction will allow us to cover the cost of installing central heating and to buy a stove. Thanks to SOIT members, the children under our care will have a warm and cosy home. Thank you for your kindness and for remembering about us, says Magdalena Kryńska, president of the Foundation.

Our guests could also take part in a business card lottery and have a chance to win the first prize – a double ticket to Dubai, sponsored by the Emirates airline, the Main Event Partner.

The fifth, jubilee Columbus Day has been beyond all doubt the best one so far, sums up Sebastian Słoniewski, President of SOIT. The event has been attended by very many people, including both the invited guests and SOIT members. Once again, we have proven that our meeting with clients, partners and guests is not only a social event, but most of all a noble cause. We have managed to auction the donated memorabilia for a total of over PLN 22 thousand and allocate these funds for needy children. I find it extremely inspiring that in spite of internal competition, we are able to join forces for a common idea. We hope that our guests will not forget about Columbus Day and that it will remain a joint celebration of both corporate clients and SOIT members for many years to come.

The Columbus Day Gala was held on 17 November at STIXX Bar&Grill in Warsaw.

Main Event Partner: Emirates Airline

The Gala Partners: Agencja Berm Creative Production Group, Rajt, Imperium Group, Agencja Artystyczna Antrakt, Code & More Software House, Folkstar i marka Lirene.

Prizes for the business card lottery winners have been sponsored by the following hotels:
Double Tree by Hilton Bratislava, Qubus hotels, Qubus Krakow, Hotel Mościcki**** Resort & Conference in Spala and Bonifacio SPA & Sport Resort.

Photographs by: Katarzyna Cegłowska www.ketti.pl

Photo galery on Facebook >>>

Web site: www.columbusday.pl

Mobile application:

– Android

– iPhone/iPad

The members of SOIT met at a team-building congress in Spała. Productive discussions, ambitious plans for the future and fantastic active entertainment.

The association’s members met on 2-3 September at the SOIT congress in Spała. Participants were the guests of Mościcki**** Resort & Conference.

The meeting agenda included substantive and integration areas. For the second time this year, as part of the congress, a General Assembly was held, which enacted the Ethics Committee Regulations. The Committee is a new arbitration-consulting body of the Association, which was established by the General Assembly in January of this year. The Regulations contain a set of key principles for the organisation of the committee’s work and decision making.

During the meeting, a new visual identity of the Association was presented, which will have its premiere in the autumn of 2016. Members also summarised the current SOIT strategic activities and designated goals for the next several months.

After busy and fruitful deliberations there was time for integration and entertainment: kayaking on the river Pilica and exploring the area. Spała is a picturesque village with a remarkable history. Some of the summer residencies here belonged to the likes of Czars Alexander III and Nicholas II, President Stanisław Wojciechowski and President Ignacy Mościcki. This unique atmosphere guaranteed an inspiring atmosphere and a meeting organised at the highest level.

SOIT welcomes a new member. Sylwia Sadoch is the first member who joined the Association after the criteria change.

The Incentive Travel Organisers Association welcomed a new member: Sylwia Sadoch of Travel Concierge. Sylvia is the first member who joined SOIT after membership criteria were changed. In January of this year, the General Assembly adopted a resolution changing the criteria. Statutory changes were approved by the court in May of this year.

Starting this year, SOIT supporting members may be companies whose average annual income from incentive travel in the last three years amounts to a minimum of 3 million PLN. In addition, candidates for membership are required to have insurance warranties amounting to a minimum of 500,000 PLN, and must demonstrate the absence of arrears of public debt. The number of recommendations from member companies for new member candidates was also increased (from 2 to 4).

I hope that through my membership in SOIT I will have an impact on the perception of our industry and the processes occurring in it. Not without significance is the ability to use the knowledge and experience of both other members and the association, Sylwia Sadoch explains her decision to join.

Sylwia Sadoch has been part of the tourist industry since 1999, when she took her first professional steps at Orbis, while still completing her studies. After that, for ten years she ran and managed incentive travel agencies until she started her own business in 2011. She is the initiator and co-owner of Travel Concierge. She graduated from the Technical School of Hotel Management, Graduate School of International Trade and Finance, and the College of Insurance and Banking. She is also a member of SITE (Society for Incentive Travel Excellence). At work she appreciates honesty and integrity. Privately, she is a wife and mother of two daughters, perfectly combining private life with work.

2016 is marked by the success of SOIT members in industry competitions. On 23 June we learned the results of the eleventh Golden Arrow competition.

Since 2006, the Direct Marketing competition, “Golden Arrow” has been organised by the Polish Association of Marketing and VFP Communications. Every year it attracts more and more participants, and analyses and assesses the biggest campaigns. The main objective of the contest is to promote efficiency in marketing. The jury assesses both the development of a marketing campaign strategy, as well as creativity and freshness of approach, which should be defined by the individual campaign elements. Agencies compete in 15 categories.

The following agencies received nominations in the category incentive travel Programme: United Partners for the Cuba – Caribbean Time Machine programme for Orlen Oil, and Incentive Care for the HP GO! Namibia 4X4 programme for Hewlett Packard Enterprise Poland. The jury appreciated both agencies, which received Golden Arrow 2016 honourable mention awards during the final Gala. Congratulations!

Agency United Partners celebrated a double success, as they also won first prize in the category of Direct Shipping BtoB – receiving the Golden Arrow for the project: Casanova in Old Havana.

– We are thrilled that another jury in Poland appreciated our creative ideas. To have our projects stand out in a competition so strongly represented by direct marketing agencies from across Poland is extremely difficult. We managed to win two awards tonight and prove that incentive travel is an area in which creativity and a good idea are just as important as in other areas of marketing communications, – said Cezary Wilemajtys, president of United Partners, during the ceremony.

– We are very proud of our Golden Arrow honourable mention award. It is one of the most prestigious marketing awards on the Polish market. In the category of programme incentives, it is not only the creativity and great execution that count, but also increasing sales results, which makes the programme cost-effective for our customers and motivates participants. This is why this award is particularly valuable to us, – summarises Agnieszka Lewandowska, vice president of Incentive Care.

Another SOIT member meeting this year was held on 28 April in Villa Foksal. The aim of the meeting was to discuss and create the Ethics Committee Regulations – the arbitrary-consulting body of the Association. The role of the Ethics Committee is to safeguard the values of SOIT, the good working practices of members of the Association, and good practices on the incentive travel organisation market.

A representative of the Office of Pałucki Trusiński oversaw the work on the Regulations.

In the second half of the meeting we combined business with pleasure. Agata Pater and Katarzyna Czajka, representatives of Emirates Airlines, talked about new products offered by the Emirates group, and the extraordinary expansion plans of Dubai, thanks to which Dubai, as a destination for MICE, may still surprise us.