Poznan is famous nationwide and abroad for the Poznan International Fair held here since 1921. Thus, it is one of the European towns with the longest trade fair traditions whose origins date back as far as 1254 when Poznan was granted a privilege by Przemysl the First.

Those commercial traditions of the city were developed by the generations to follow, making Poznan not only an industrial and commercial centre, but an organiser of international trade exhibitions. It was the Union of Merchant Associations, an organisation consisting of Eastern Pommerania and Greater Poland merchants, that during their congress held in Poznan in 1917 put forward an idea of creating a company specialising in holding trade fairs targeted at specific areas of business activity. This is how the Poznan International Fair came into existence.

The first Poznan Trade Fair, known as ''General National Exhibition'', presenting the economic and cultural achievements of Poland, took place at the fairgrounds of the Poznan International Fair in 1929. It was visited by as many as 4.5 million people. Four years later the first international fair was held in Poznan. Before World War II the Poznan International Fair was regarded as one of the leading fairs in Europe. The years to follow marked the development of both the fair programme and infrastructure.

Nowadays, the Poznan International Fair is the oldest trade fair in Poland, one of the most prestigious trade fairs in Europe and the 21st largest fair in the world. Annually, over 50 trade events take place here within the fair grounds of over 110,000 m² indoor and 35,000 m² outdoor exhibition space.

The exhibitors come from all over the world. According to the Polish Trade Fair Corporation, 75 % of foreign ventures present at the Poznan International Fair are the European Union members. The main advantages of participating in the trade shows are mainly the opportunity of learning about the European markets and of establishing international co-operation. There is a wide selection of trade shows to choose from depending on a company's business profile, e.g. International Construction Fair, Power Industry Exhibition, Property and Investment Salon, Dentistry Fair, Science for the Economy, etc.

For details on the Poznan International Fair see: http://www.mtp.pl/en