Paweł Rabiej (Thinktank), who initiated the debate, stressed that the fact that it is women who are responsible for the promotion in the most important Polish ministries is a very good sign for the future. This is because women have better networking skills and they are more creative and innovative. A similar thesis was advanced by Sławomir Majman (President of the Polish Information and Foreign Investments Agency), who said that women have more energy, briskness and esprit, which is what promoting Poland needs most.
While men talked about women, the women answered questions about the image of the national brand, the way particular ministries spend their promotional budgets, challenges that promoting Poland brings this year and the best ways to create a cohesive POLSKA brand. Among the greatest successes in promoting Poland, the women mentioned Polish Presidency in the EU, Euro 2012 and the Year of Chopin.
– Poland used these opportunities in 100%. They proved that particular ministries can cooperate with one another because it’s only through mutual actions of institutions responsible for promoting Poland we can achieve returns to scale. This willingness to cooperate has no gender. – Persuaded Ilona Antoniszyn-Klik, the under-secretary of state in the Ministry of Economy – The Ministry of Economy is planning a revolution in thinking about economic promotion, which we want to cluster and strongly connect with business, innovation and new technologies. We do it by creating advanced economic centres of Poland around the world, which are a kind of business incubators. – She added.
– The Poland Promotion Board led by Radosław Sikorski plays an important role in setting the right direction to ideas created in a few ministries and in coordinating our actions. – Stressed Katarzyna Kacperczyk, the under-secretary of state in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. She also emphasised the importance of adopting a document called “How to promote the POLSKA brand?” which is a vital step towards a coherent promotional message for all institutions that are involved in the process. Katarzyna Kacperczyk also presented promotional plans of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for 2014, when we celebrate the 10th anniversary of Poland’s accession to the EU, the 15th anniversary of Poland joining NATO and the 25th anniversary of transition to democracy.
Monika Smoleń, the under-secretary of state in the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage, talked about the investment boom in culture, which we owe to the EU funds, with real satisfaction.
– Promotion is not only spending money on festivals, concerts or cultural events. It also means supporting artistic industries and institutions as well as education. All this creates our image. – Said Monika Smoleń – Undoubtedly, our greatest success is changing the approach to culture and not treating it as an accompanying element but the value in itself. We have finally realised that it is culture as such that promotes Poland. – She added.
Katarzyna Sobierajska, the under-secretary of state in the Ministry of Sport and Tourism, emphasised that it’s a good time for Poland to be promoted, both thanks to significant events that took place after 2010, but also due to hard work and cooperation of particular people and ministries. Thus, it is difficult to identify a recent event that could be considered unsuccessful or a missed opportunity to promote Poland.
Zofia Szalczyk, the under-secretary of state in the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, called everyone’s attention to the fact that it’s not only promotion that is important but also how we react to crisis situation, such problems with the image of Polish food products on the Czech market. At the same time she expressed her satisfaction with the fact that opinions about Polish food products change for the better and that we export to new international markets, becoming more competitive.
The debate was organised by the Polish Promotional Emblem Foundation, whose aim is to promote Polish products, services and municipalities in the country and abroad, as well as Teraz Polska magazine, which is devoted to widely-understood patriotism. The idea for the debate was born together with the leitmotif of the next issue of Teraz Polska magazine, which is the role of women in public, social, economic and political world. The magazine will be entitled “Is Poland a woman?” It turned out that in promoting Poland, which is so important for the foundation and the magazine, it is women who are in the lead.
More information about the magazine and future debates can be found here: Teraz Polska.
