The first edition of Made in Poland took place on September 19, 2014, at Mairie du 17e in Paris. It was attended by journalists and representatives of public institutions, Polish diaspora activists, and invited guests from the Czech Republic, France, Greece, the Netherlands, Lithuania, Latvia, Germany, Poland and Sweden.
This year, the second edition of the conference aimed to develop a strategy for the creation of the image of Poland in the world, and the promotion of Poland as a brand.
The two-day conference was held in the building of the Polish Embassy and the Scientific Centre of the Polish Academy of Sciences in Paris. The first part of the conference was held in French. It consisted of several lectures, combined with discussion. Danuta Kemblowska-Dupieu and Claudine Kieda raised the issue of cooperation between Polish and French polytechnics, and showed the routes through which cooperation between French and Polish universities may bring clear and measurable results. Among the invited guests were also Mr. Jean Launay, member of the French parliament, Mr. André Kaspi, president of the Groupe d’Amitié France-Pologne and prominent historian, and the acclaimed architect Mr. Jean Michel Coget. Mr. Bejamin Mallo, the deputy mayor of Paris’ 17th district, also accepted an invitation, and presented his connections with Poland and Poles.
The second part of the conference, addressed to the Polish-speaking audience, started on Friday morning.
Friday morning started the second part of the conference addressed to the Polish-speaking audience. After being welcomed by Mr. Marek Więckowski, director of the Centre of the Polish Academy of Sciences in Paris, Ms. Anita Wojtowicz, president of the Florek Entertainment Association, the organiser of the conference, began a series of presentations on the image of Poland in the world and the perception of Poles in France.
Among the discussed issues were those related to the mechanisms of the formation of stereotypes and ways of their elimination. These were included in a presentation by Ms. Ewa Gallou. This was complemented by an extensive presentation by Ms. Aldona Kałuża, founder of the portal StrefaPL, which gave results of analysis of French public opinion about Poland and Polish people. The survey results, gathered from different backgrounds, showed that Poland still lacks a recognisable brand, such as that of which France can boast.
During the conference, there was time to present the activity of Poles living outside the country and to present their projects in different parts of Europe. They were included in a presentation by Mr. Jarosław Zarychta, who, based on experience gathered so far and his own observations, showed a thriving community of Polish activists working in several countries. In this way he portrayedPolish emigrants as marketers for the image of Poland and Polish people in the world.
Good practice in building Poland’s international image in Norway was also included in the presentation. Mr. Łukasz Jakubowa-Kędzierski, founder of the nportal.no portal, demonstrated that, when planning activities, Polish diaspora members were not limited to financing from the state budget. They also used funds created by new media. Ms. Joanna Dobosz-Chuda, Ms. Anna Gapiński and Ms. Klaudia Kałążna presented the image of enterprising Polish women in Ireland.
The last part of the conference began with a presentation by Mr. Piotr Strutyński, from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, outlining the current image of Poland in the world and the ways in which it could be improved. There followed a speech by Mr. Michał Lipiński, director of the Teraz Polska competition. Closing the conference was a lecture prepared by the portal Link to Poland, showing the untapped potential of Poles living abroad. Mariusz Soltanifar and Grzegorz Chęć stressed that many laudable initiatives organised beyond Poland’s borders did not reach a wide audience, as they were prepared only in Polish and thereby ignored the community of foreigners interested in Poland and Poles. This represents a huge untapped potential that is not yet being used to build or improve the image of Poland in the world.
The conference was accompanied by an exhibition of work by Ms. Barbara Kłosowicz, entitled From Wielkopolska to Paris, portraying great Poles, who, throughout the19th and 20th centuries, emigrated to the banks of the Seine.
The conference Made in Poland, of which there will be further editions, showed that Poland is on right track to build a consistent image. Poland and Poles are increasingly open to changes designed to harness the country’s image, which is not always easy and comfortable. Great academic achievements and the commitment of speakers, as well as numerous discussions, gave the conference a high level of professionalism.
Thanks to the efforts of socially active Poles living abroad, who are, in addition to tourists, the main conduits for information about Poland internationally, the image of Poland is improving. These people, in particular, should be involved in building a brand called Poland, noted the conference participants.
The Florek Entertainment Association is the organiser of the Made in Poland conference.
Link to Poland was the patron of the conference. Representatives of the portal Link to Poland were also present at the event.