Organizing a travel festival or another large-scale event is quite a challenge. How should you approach it? We discuss this with Dr. Magdalena Kugiejko, coordinator of the 21st edition of the Dni Turystyki festival.
Editor: This year marks the 21st edition of the Tourism Days (Dni Turystyki) festival. What were the characteristics of previous editions?
Magdalena Kugiejko: Going back to the beginning, the idea was for it to be a student festival, created by students for students. Over time, the festival has evolved. Students today travel much more. Now, we’re more focused on younger people—future students. And you can see that today [the interview was conducted on the first day of the festival] in the auditorium, where the majority are schools interested in travel and geography. Things have changed, and I think it will stay this way. Through the event, we aim to attract future students to various fields, not just tourism.
So, the main target audience would be students and future students?
Yes, definitely.
Are there other target groups?
This is actually the oldest festival of its kind in Poznań. In previous years, large crowds came. Sometimes we couldn’t fit everyone into one auditorium and had to broadcast online to another room. What drew people to the festival? Figures like Aleksander Doba, Robert Makłowicz, Adam Bielecki—they all came here. Back then, it seemed there was more interest in tourism because people traveled less. There was this notion of, “If a traveler is here, I’ll go listen.” Today, these speakers appear in many places… The morning sessions are fully focused on students and school groups. The afternoon presentations are for people who finish work and come later, reaching a broader audience. We schedule the most well-known speakers for later in the day.
What other elements make up the festival?
There are also various attractions and exhibitor stands. Additionally, we have a climbing wall to showcase other activities. In previous years, there were hikes and other outdoor events. This year, we’re offering students a guided trip to the Morasko Meteorite Nature Reserve. We have students not only from nearby schools but also from different parts of Poland, such as Gryfice and Zgorzelec, giving us nationwide reach. The festival includes lectures, workshops, and meetings with our alumni, who share how their career paths have developed. On one side, there are traveler presentations; on the other, “pro-tips” on what you can do after graduation and how to develop your career.
The Tourism Days festival is very popular. How many people attend the festival each year?
When it comes to school groups, we estimate around 300-400 people each day because that’s the capacity of the auditorium, and it’s always full. In addition to that, students and private individuals join in the evening. Each day, about 500 people attend. A few years ago, Adam Bielecki attended the festival, just after returning from a mission where he saved Elisabeth Revol. It was his first public appearance after the rescue. We couldn’t fit everyone interested into the building; we literally had to close the Faculty to outsiders because we couldn’t manage the crowd. About 800 people tried to squeeze into an auditorium meant for 400. Nowadays, other events take away some of our audience. We’re on the other side of Poznań, so not everyone wants to travel here. During the pandemic, we operated in a hybrid format, and our reach was broader. But our goal is not to organize an online event. We want to meet people in person and make the event come alive.
How is such an event promoted?
From radio to local television. All kinds of social media, student groups, media across the entire University. We also heavily target schools, as I’m responsible for promoting the Faculty. Contacting schools is our top priority. There are also interviews after the festival. The festival’s reach is significant, and it’s visible in many places, despite initially being promoted as a student event.
Behind the scenes, how does organizing such a festival look? How much work does it take from the organizers?
We start at the end of October, announcing the first meeting and summarizing the previous edition. Then, we hold further organizational meetings, where a lot of people join, and we brainstorm. We give ourselves a few weeks to decide who we want to invite, what the festival should look like, and what themes we want to cover. Then we choose a main coordinator and leaders for tasks like securing partners and sponsors, and handling legal or safety matters. The next stage involves smaller leadership group meetings. The coordinator ties everything together. As the event approaches, the workload increases, and things get intense (laughs).
I’d like to ask more about the recruitment process for speakers.
At the beginning, we hold a big brainstorming session. Anyone who comes to the meeting can suggest a speaker. We then present the profiles of the proposed speakers and vote for the top ten. Of course, this depends on the funding we receive. We contact the selected speakers personally or through their managers. There’s a natural selection process because not everyone is available, or the fee exceeds our budget. In that case, we move on to the next speaker on the list. Our main focus is ensuring that everything aligns with student interests. The faculty does not impose any speaker choices. We also invite staff from the Faculty of Geographical Sciences and Geology. Besides working at the Faculty, our interests, field research, and curiosity about the world push us to travel (laughs). These talks show another side of our lecturers—as “people” and travelers. In this year’s edition, students will also present, sharing their expedition to Mauritania as part of the GEOpraktyki project.
Finally, I wanted to ask you about a memorable story from the festival. What moment stands out the most?
Oh, that’s difficult because there have been so many.
You can mention a few.
One would be Szymon Hołownia’s presentation. He wasn’t known for traveling, but today his career has taken a completely different path. I remember he arrived without any slides. He sat in front of a packed auditorium with nothing (no distractions or embellishments) and started talking about the missions he carried out in Africa. It was incredibly moving—people were crying in the auditorium. Another memory is Adam Bielecki’s presentation. He came straight from an expedition and shared facts and videos that would later be shown worldwide. He talked about what it was like—fighting with himself and saving someone’s life, all while worrying about his own. And then there’s Robert Makłowicz. The auditorium was completely full. He came for literally an hour. He finished his talk and apologized, saying he had another appearance in the city center and had to leave. We literally chased him down the corridors to thank him, while 600-700 people were waiting to ask questions and take pictures with him. There are so many moments and people who come here.
Exactly. I think it’s safe to say that the Tourism Days festival isn’t just about lectures, but also a journey through time and space.
Yes, we try to diversify it. Last year, we had a day entirely focused on the mountains: mountain safety, what to bring, and we invited mountaineers and specialists. The second day was on a completely different theme. We try to mix things up each year so that everyone finds something they enjoy. It’s all about diversity. Nothing really limits us now except for financial resources and free time, which is probably the worst part (laughs). But how do you find that time?
Yes, that’s always the hardest part.
It’s terrible (laughs). But well, let’s dive back into traveling (laughs).
Yes, the next edition of the festival has begun, and soon it will be behind us…
Exactly, and then comes the summary, learning from the experience, and preparing for the next edition. One thing that’s difficult for me is that students come and go. Just as we build a great organizing team or partners, they graduate and move on. It’s the nature of things, but those farewells are tough. From my perspective, as a longtime organizer and coordinator, organizing the Tourism Days festival is about showing, in real-time, how to create such an event. I teach many courses on marketing and event management. In those classes, I explain how things are done, what should and shouldn’t be done. Here, students have a “living organism” that sometimes throws us surprises. Sometimes I’m glad mistakes happen because that’s real learning.