Past Events
The Launch of the Club - 15th April 2008
The British Polish Business Club launched its activities on 15th April 2008 organising Drinks Reception on the Thames at the Yacht Club. The event was well attended by British and Polish guests representing different businesses Minister Krzysztof Trepczynski, Counsellor Minister of the Polish Embassy in London and Anna Maria McKeever, Director of the Club opened formalny the evening. With giving away the prizes assisted the Director of LOT for UK and Ireland, Sławomir Noszczak and Minister Trepczynski.
The guests took part in the prize draw sponsored by the following companies:
Polish Arlines LOT founded two return business class tickets from Heathrow London - Warsaw, the prze was won by Malgorzata and Daniel Saar from Consultancy Squared Ltd.
a weekend stay for two founded by Melia White House Hotel in London, prize won by Mr Thomas Bjørnkilde Kveiborg of Ramboll Whitbybird
Toorank Polska gave vodka Miodula with the presentation box as a third prize by Krzysztof Ruszczyński from Polish Business Centre
Taste & Buy company a bottle of champagne and a bottle of white and red wine - won by
Dorota Sookanadenchetty of Hubbard Pegman & Whitney LLP
Restaurant The Knaypa in West London founded two vouchers for a dinner for two by Hope (surname missing) of Hubbard Pegman & Whitney LLP
"Business for Art - Art for Business"
This was an imaginative event, on 14th May 2008 at the Polish Embassy in London, and was aimed at innovative and dynamic British and Polish business people. It included an auction of paintings by promising young Polish artists, along with live piano music, and Polish cuisine.
The guests were greeted by Mr Leszek Banaszak, Commercial Counsellor at the Polish Embassy, and Anna Maria McKeever, Director of the British Polish Business Club. She introduced the ladies from the Polish deConstruction organisation who had invited the artists, Basia Bachota, Tomas Cyhitski and Agnieszka Mlicka, to the event. Each of these provided two paintings, and Mr Chris Ruszczynski, the President of the Association of Polish Engineers in Great Britain, presided over an informal auction of the paintings.
Two bids were offered for two of the paintings.
Photographs of the event are available in the Gallery section.
Polish hotel construction and airport development event
On 26th June 2008 the Club held an event, involving a Tapas Networking Evening,
on the prospects for hotel construction and development plans for airports in Poland 2008 - 2013. There were two guest speakers from Poland. Mr Bartlomiej Sosna, Construction Analyst at PMR Publications Ltd., presented a thorough overview of the hotel market and construction projects proposed for 2008 - 2013, in addition to forecast investment and the related development plans for airports in Poland during this period. The presentation included a review of Poland's regions in terms of access to airport infrastructure, the spread of existing and proposed civil airports in the country and planned investment broken down by category of project.
The second speaker, Mr Tomasz Kloskowski, Deputy Chairman of the Management Board, Gdansk Lech Walesa Airport, discussed the long-term investment programme of the airport, the construction and design of the new passenger terminal and infrastructure extension for 2012. Mr Kloskowski covered the detail of aircraft categories, passenger turnover, passenger numbers in terms of the various airlines, operational routes and the airport's catchment area. Infrastructure for 2007 as shown on the airport plan was contrasted starkly with that for 2012, and there was a review of the implementation schedule for the new passenger terminal. The role of EU funds and landside investment were also covered.
The guests invited to the event had the opportunity to ask questions pertaining to the topics presented in an informal, relaxed atmosphere during the Tapas Networking Evening sponsored by the Melia White House hotel in London, who provided the refreshments for the informal part of the evening.
Streamlining Finances for British Polish Businesses
On 7th October 2008 a seminar and drinks reception was organised with Currencies Direct, a $2.5bn foreign exchange company which specialises in the provision of foreign exchange, international payments and risk hedging services to companies in the UK. The delegates had unusual access to the Currencies Direct HQ and could see how foreign exchange operates on a daily basis.
Three seminar presentations covered the following topics:
Poland UK update - key business trends and market overview - a presentation given by Minister Trepczynski of the Polish Embassy focused on: bilateral trade, contacts between the UK and Poland and the opportunities, and a market overview: UK exports to Poland/Polish exports to the UK, EURO 2012 opportunities (sport infrastructure, roads, railways, airports, security), EU funds for meeting environmental standards between 2007 and 2013, education & training and innovative projects: automotive, aerospace, engineering, energy and agriculture.
Mark O'Sullivan, Director for Trading at Currencies Direct, and Deepak Goyal, Business Development Manager for the Corporate Foreign Exchange Desk at Currencies Direct, discussed Using Payments as a cost saving tool in challenging conditions
Stuart Boon, Director for E-Commerce at Currencies Direct, spoke on the subject of International Payment streamlining in practice
The delegates had the opportunity to ask questions and to talk in a more informal manner with the co-organisers during the drinks reception afterwards.
English version
Autumn Business Mixer
On 30th October 2008 the British Polish Business Club hosted an autumn business mixer, with a small exhibition of paintings by a Polish artist, Mariusz Kaldowski, and his wife, Kasia Kaldowski, at the La Vista Club by Tower Bridge. The event was sponsored by Foxestate Overseas Properties and supported by London Global Art Village. Kasia's paintings will be displayed for two months at the Italian restaurant The Don at 224A Tower Bridge Road, London, SE1 2UP. Photo coverage of this event is available on the Club website in the Gallery section. Please refer to the following link: http://www.britishpolishbusinessclub.co.uk/en/bpbc_gallery
Seminar: "Investment in properties in Poland and Bulgaria for non-residents: opportunities and future forecast"
This event was organised in association with PKO BP Bank and Foxestate Overseas Properties and took place at the London branch of PKO BP bank at Shaftesbury Avenue on 6th November 2008.
Katarzyna Cal, General Manager, PKO BP Bank in London, introduced the topic of the residential property loans market in Poland - for private investors and non-residents - and Marcin Marczak, Managing Director for Foxestate Overseas Properties, discussed the current situation on the Polish residential property market and investment in properties in Poland and Bulgaria by non-residents.
The drinks reception, during which the seminar participants could meet informally, was provided by The Knaypa restaurant in West London.
Speed Networking Session and business mixer
The first event the British Polish Business Club organised on 29th January 09 was a business mixer with a speed networking session. The event took place at the Lowiczanka restaurant at the Polish Cultural Centre in Hammersmith on 29th January. Representatives of both British and Polish businesses attended the event. After 45 minutes of speed networking session, the Lottery was one of the highlights of the evening. The lucky winners were: Andy Boyd of Aggreko with his prize: a dinner for two at the newly open Polish restaurant Tatra in London, Elisabeth McCue of NB Kohi Solicitors winning a bottle of Polish vodka Soplica and Joyce Webber of Balanced World Ltd. who won a new BBC edition of Get in by Polish book &CD. The delegates also enjoyed a finger buffet and had a chance to do more networking in a relaxed atmosphere during finger buffet.
