Vistula as a Co-organiser of the 21st IMEX-MPI Future Leaders Forum Poland

On 13 April 2026, the 21st IMEX-MPI Future Leaders Forum Poland took place at the Golden Tulip Warsaw Centre Hotel – a unique event aimed at students interested in the meetings industry, career development, and building relationships with industry professionals.

The Future Leaders Forum is the only student-focused conference in Central and Eastern Europe dedicated to the meetings industry. Vistula is one of only eleven organisations worldwide licensed to host this event, which confirms its strong position in the international educational and industry environment.

This year’s programme featured numerous speeches and panel discussions devoted to professional development, networking, leadership, and current challenges in the tourism, hospitality, and events sectors. Participants began the day with registration and morning coffee, followed by the official opening of the event.

One of the first programme highlights was a presentation by Sonia Kovalova of AstraZeneca, titled “Networking: The Skill Nobody Teaches You,” focused on the importance of building professional relationships. This was followed by the panel “Future Leaders in Tourism: Careers, Balance & Ambition,” featuring representatives of the tourism and events industries, who discussed career paths, ambition, and work-life balance. Participants also attended a presentation by Martin Destais of Accor, “Hospitality Promises for the Next Generations of Leaders,” as well as a talk by Danuta Marcinkowska of Louvre Hotels Group on corporate social responsibility in hospitality: “Behind Every Stay: CSR in Hospitality from Strategy to Action.”

Another interesting part of the programme was the yoga session, which introduced participants to the themes of wellbeing and balance – both essential in today’s work environment. After the coffee break, the “Fail Fest” panel took place, during which invited guests shared their experiences related to professional challenges, mistakes, and the lessons learned from them. This was followed by Zuzanna Rowińska’s presentation, “Influence Before Title,” showing that impact and agency can be built even before taking on formal leadership roles.

The programme also included a summary of the art competition “„When we meet we change the world – Spotkania kreują przyszłość”, which provided a creative complement to the event and highlighted the role of meetings, relationships, and collaboration in shaping the future.

An important part of the event was also the University Challenge Semifinal – the semifinal round of an international competition for students. The IMEX-MPI-MCI University Challenge was created in 2009 to encourage students to showcase their creativity and talent based on a competition brief. The winner of each semifinal earns the opportunity to compete in the final during IMEX Frankfurt 2026, with airfare and accommodation funded by the MPI Foundation.

In this year’s edition, participants prepared individual projects focused on the use of artificial intelligence in the event industry. The task involved developing a concept showing how AI can support event planning, marketing, attendee experience, event operations, and data analysis.

The semifinal at the Future Leaders Forum took the form of presentations delivered before the jury and the audience. Each student had 10 minutes to present their project. The winner of the regional round advanced to the final at IMEX Frankfurt 2026, where they will once again present their concept to an international jury.

After the competition segment, participants took part in the networking session “Let’s plan your career,” which created space for conversations with experts, the exchange of experiences, and planning further professional development. The event concluded with a summary of the day and the announcement of the University Challenge results.

Participation in the Future Leaders Forum offers students not only an opportunity to develop professional competencies, but also a chance to gain inspiration, learn about current industry trends, and practise effective networking. This year’s edition once again showed how important collaboration, courage in presenting one’s ideas, and readiness to operate in an international environment truly are.