40 Under 40: Krzysztof Celuch

Krzysztof Celuch, Ph.D., CMM, CITE, CIS, HMCC, CED, 34, works in Warsaw, Poland, as director of Poland Convention Bureau, Polish Tourist Organization and vice-rector of Warsaw School of Tourism and Hospitality Management. As a 2017 40 Under 40 honoree, Celuch discusses his passion for the events industry.

*Connect with Celuch on Twitter and Instagram. What I do: I am responsible for bringing meetings and events to Poland and promoting my destination globally. Daily I am traveling, doing presentations, preparing offers and managing a great team. I am also author of the Poland Meetings and Events Industry Report and Poland Meetings Impact, which help us to measure the significant role of live events. As vice-rector at Warsaw School of Tourism and Hospitality Management (Vistula University Group), I handle international relations and student affairs. I am responsible for the business council and organize conferences like IMEX-MPI-MCI Future Leaders Forum Warsaw. How I got here: I joined the meetings industry as a tour leader for a number of DMCs in 2000. As a journalist over a period of six years, I published more than 100 articles about the meetings and events industry. Later I joined the Warsaw Convention Bureau before it led me to my current roles. In the meantime, I got a Ph.D. in political science from Warsaw University. My greatest career accomplishment: Organizing 12 editions of IMEX-MPI-MCI Future Leaders Forum Warsaw; authoring Poland Meetings Impact, which measures the economic impact of Poland’s meetings industry; and launching the first event management course at a university in Poland almost 10 years ago. Impressive stats: I’ve helped bring 1,500 student attendees to IMEX-MPI-MCI Future Leaders Forum Warsaw. Thanks to my efforts with Poland Convention Bureau, we’ll bring more than 100 association congresses to Poland through 2021. A specific improvement I’ve made: I have changed the image of the Polish meetings and events industry by building a strong, well-known presence in the Europe Convention Bureau with budget, team and marketing activities. Not only have we positioned ourselves as an incentive and meetings destination, but we have also convinced key decision-makers to bring events to Poland. At university I have created Students Club 2B, which is creating future leaders who are changing the world and bringing new value to the global industry. What I’m working on: As a person involved in global associations, I will be responsible for research for Society for Incentive Travel Excellence, which includes few European destinations. Moreover, I am working on several leads of medical associations and am in the progress of helping two Polish medical organizations rebuild their meetings and management model, and this September I will publish a book about cross-cultural communication in the meetings industry. What I do outside of work: I’m very active and I love it. I’m a member of MPI’s international board, SITE, International Congress and Convention Association, DMAI and Union of International Associations. I’ve been a speaker at IMEX, IBTM Series and other industry conclaves, and have been involved with the Convention Industry Council Pacesetter Awards jury, SITE Crystal Awards jury and MPI RISE Award Chair. I’m also a student clubs supporter, journals reviewer, and leader of CSR and political initiatives for the meetings industry.