HIDDEN GUEST: LCK Lublin Conference Centre

• • Open since: 2016
  • Number of halls: 11 meeting halls
  • Surface area: 13,000 sqm
  • Largest hall (square metres): 535 sqm (S5 Hall)
  • Theatre max.: 400
  • Category: Convention Centre

In the Middle Ages, Lublin was a crossroads and stepping stone for all routes from southern Europe towards Kyiv and Moscow. The former Via Regia (Royal Highway) between Eastern and Western Europe left layers of history behind, still visible today. The trading route also left urban tales and legends that never run out in this fascinating city. Wherever you turn or venture, the stories come to life. The city’s conference centres, referred to as LCK and CSK by locals, opened their doors in 2016. The CSK story originates from the turbulent seventies when Soviet-governed communism held an iron grip over the country. The authorities at the time wanted to build an opera house with one of the largest European stages. They began construction, but the project halted due to the dire crisis that permeated Poland in the eighties. This dilapidated district had been desolate for decades until the project came back on the agenda, along with the idea to construct a conference centre. It is delightful to stroll the district now, especially when autumn hues colour the neat tree-lined streets.

The story of Via Regia is a reminder of the city’s heyday, but Lublin appears to be reliving its golden years today.

Lublin Conference Centre and CSK are heralding a bright future, redefining Eastern Poland as a hub for creative industries and promoting Lublin as the proud host of the upcoming European Capital of Culture in 2029. We predict the monumental square abutting both centres will play a decisive role in this strategically important project for the city. Lublin seems all set for a new renaissance; the heavily-anticipated and expected end of the war in neighbouring Ukraine and the beginning of post-war rebuilding will hopefully give impetus to the city’s development. We sense the city will once more play a crucial role internationally once that happens, as it has in the past. The city is poised for a transformation.

For the Lublin Conference Centre, we can say it is located in the city’s conference square if such a square existed. The real name of the square – Plac Teatralny – is telling in and of itself, home to several high-profile institutions. The district is Lublin’s heart, near and dear to residents. The list of year-round cultural events and festivals is extensive: Lublin Jazz, Globetrotter, Theatre Festival, Dance Festival, etc. Events of all sorts are staged across the city, but they are most abundant right around LCK and CSK. The location is equally intriguing because of its ties with the city universities. Across the road, students walk in and out of the Faculty of Medicine and the John Paul II Catholic University of Lublin. The conference centre shares the building with the seat of the Lublin Voivodeship, Poland’s most eastern region.

Some would say the LCK is at the intersection of culture, science, economy and politics in the region’s capital, Lublin. The lush urban Saxon Garden is a welcome retreat nearby where attendees can enjoy fresh air. Hotels abound in the vicinity, with Mercure Hotel just a hundred meters away. Another local speciality is the Žabka brand of stores, strewn across Poland and famed for their 24/7 schedule. There are also some within spitting distance of the venue. A better location for a conference centre is difficult to imagine. That is one of its competitive advantages.

Lublin’s key institutions and bureaus are nearby and accessible on foot or by bicycle. The city is human-centred for pedestrians and cyclists. This mode of transport benefits the environment and well-being of locals and visitors. The public transport is exemplary. You will need ten minutes to the centre from the award-winning novel bus station, arguably Poland’s most beautiful. Compared to Warsaw, the abundant taxis available even late at night are considerably more affordable. The best way to head to the city is by train from Warsaw. The trains that will spirit you away from the capital are swift, clean and come on time. The journey between Lublin and Warsaw lasts some two hours. You can embark on a train every second hour. Unfortunately, the air accessibility is underwhelming despite the number of flights and a modern terminal. Generally, traffic in the city is limited, although it peaks during the summer season. Visitors can also arrive in Lublin by car, thanks to a modern motorway and park in the venue’s underground parking garage. Although the number of parking spots is limited (45), you will not encounter problems finding parking in the city. Lublin is a city with flowing traffic, where you and your event attendees will neither hear honking nor see cars at a standstill. We could go as far as saying Lublin is a fifteen-minute city. In other words, the tourist, cultural and educational offerings are diverse, while the social networks and key institutions are easily accessible in under fifteen minutes.

We have already mentioned the phenomenal vertical design of the conference centre, a solution envisaged by the high-profile architectural bureau Project PBPA, founded by distinguished architects Leszk Klajnert and George Czyża years ago. Today, the bureau enjoys an unrivalled position in Poland. They tackled the LCK projects in a package with Lublin’s Marshall Office.

The most conspicuous part of the architecture is an oval-shaped column in the lobby with a design that makes it almost float in space. Metal columns that reach the ceiling of the building exude an industrial vibe. The unclad metal construction imbues the entire interior with an industrial style. The metal ceilings in the press room and oval conference rooms and the details on the reception desk are a continuation of this design. The architects decided to embellish this construction with an elegant, rounded glass cover that makes the story extraordinary. Walls in natural autumnal hues contribute to the uniqueness of the design. The spacious, airy and industrial-design-inspired entrance hall is undoubtedly the most alluring space within the venue, where you will be awe-struck by the Foucault pendulum. The latter is a joint project of LCK and Władysław Grabski’s school in Lublin. Unlike other pendulums in Poland, this one has a fluctuating mass that can be regulated by adding or taking weights off. They created it from recycled waste material.

Industrial elements also crop up in the conference halls and take the form of embellishments on the walls with typical industrial hues. What caught our eye was the mobile tower in Antoni Patek Hall, illustrating a watch mechanism. It must be one of the most unusual lowered ceilings in conference centres. We must praise the functional design of the venue, which has copious space for accompanying exhibitions or coffee breaks across the four storeys. LCK is simply an excellent architectural achievement. Even though limited by square metres, it seems compact, easily accessible, comfortable and exclusive enough for the most demanding productions.

P.S. The green interventions in the space, such as the jungle in Hoseki Restaurant with live trees or the elegant and lush terrace on the 5th floor, are commendable.

Throughout our visit, we felt we were amidst a conference oasis because of the location, but, most importantly, because of the professional staff who mastered every segment of our business. Even less pleasant and demanding technical, security and logistical questions were met with clear, precise and helpful answers.

In a time when conference centres continue to outsource most of their services, this centre blazed a new trail by establishing a superb in-house team that manages all logistics within the venue. That is one of the reasons the centre is so well-maintained and has hardly any drawbacks. That is reflected by the high final mark LCK earned after our visit. Above all, we were impressed by the team’s dedication. They take pride in working in this centre, especially the trustworthy technical and diligent sales-marketing team. They go above and beyond their call of duty of advertising and selling the conference centre. They promote Lublin and the entire region as they know it is a prerequisite for events to come to the city. Their aspiration is commendable, and we hope they soon enter the market as a PCO agency. The market undoubtedly needs such an agency. We do not doubt they will write a success story. In cities such as Lublin, locals are still genuinely delighted to welcome guests. The heartwarming Slavic hospitality, long forgotten in other cities, will remain etched in our memory. We believe your attendees will leave Lublin with similar impressions.

In this conference centre, everything appears compact, quality-made and, above all, thought-out. Even the selected chairs are not generic but compelling pieces of furniture. The tech area, managed by an in-house professional team, uses state-of-the-art technology. LCK is currently one of the best technically-equipped congress centres in this part of Europe. You can see the advanced tech during complex productions in the iconic main hall (Antoni Patek Conference Hall), where everything – from video and LED screens to sound and lighting – is world-class. A ceiling that can be raised or lowered to create a unique ambience is rare in most conference centres.

This quality extends to the smaller oval halls, which have been transformed into professional multimedia studios. The conference centre is fully equipped for A-level event production, which impressed and fascinated us the most during our visit. As the conference is brand new, the equipment is in mint condition. Event organisers who host their event here should know the package meets all our criteria (considered the most extensive and complex in the industry). To encompass all criteria would take more than an essay, but the high final mark of 4.96 tells more than a thousand words. Only the slightly complicated accessibility to reach the halls separates this centre from perfection.

A hairsplitting remark concerns the absence of a proper freight elevator in the centre. Food, equipment and merch delivery must pass through the main entrance, which is not the best solution and could be solved differently. Upon entering the centre, navigating the vertical conference centre presents a challenge. They could solve guest orientation differently as the centre has excellent digital signage. The lauded vertical style also has a pressing drawback, as the ceilings in conference levels S5 and S7 are on the lower legal limit (2.65 metres). Although the venue’s website is optimised, most visitors come from Poland. We suggest they fine-tune the website for international event organisers, given that the user experience is not the best. To boot, we missed more relevant dynamic content, especially news tailored to the needs of international event organisers.

We have a collection of positive surprises from this centre that attest to the high final mark. First, the vertical architecture of the design and the technological and functional style of the central hall of Antoni Patek captivated us. Combined with world-class technical equipment (managed by a world-class team) and quality conference furniture, the result is a fabulous conference centre. More importantly, all halls cater to the modern needs of event organisers, including the fully-equipped office on the ground floor and the press centre, which doubles as a hybrid studio for filming podcasts, press conferences and more. We were pleasantly surprised by the viewing terrace that caters to smaller receptions or filming outdoor podcasts and TV shows. Throughout the building, the ambience is welcoming, partly because of the spacious foyers for accompanying exhibitions. You will not be in a rush in this conference centre, and you can rest assured your event stays in good hands.

An essential part of sustainably managing a conference centre is connected to the energy management system. The building in this centre boasts optimal energy efficiency, as shown by their PreQurs certificate for energy efficiency.

Still, the venue has some way to go in sustainable event organisation. They have not yet started delving into this field yet. Many measures are in place, but the venue remains without a clear strategy or action plan. To begin, we recommend they start measuring the carbon footprint of their events with one of the internationally acclaimed tools. In addition, they should measure all three scopes of their emissions (Scope 1, 2 and 3). We also suggest that LSK bans plastic at all events. Food traceability is central to ensuring the cuisine is local and seasonal. If they can orient themselves towards sustainable events, this can be their competitive advantage in the future.

Every visitor of Lublin’s novel mid-sized conference centre feels welcome here. The same can be said for Lublin, which is easy to navigate on foot, has plenty of lush green spaces (a large public park fronts the centre), and is human-centred. The architectural harmony of LCK and CSK, in tune with Lublin’s green lungs, truly impressed us. We rarely come across such an inventive and attractive combination that connects the creative industries, tourism, event management, science, and the meetings industry. The conference centre is also smartly designed and is the perfect size for the city’s needs. Event organisers can easily combine it with the Opera Hall in the adjacent CSK, which accommodates 917 guests. The Lublin Conference Center is a prime example of the necessity of building conference centres as catalysts for developing the meetings industry. A significant contribution comes from the exceptional team, who passionately promote the centre, the city, and the region, effectively serving as a convention bureau. If the city had an active convention bureau, that would elevate the entire story to an even higher level.

We were well-impressed by the agility and proactivity of the LCK team. The venue rightly belongs among the top regional conference centres for small and medium-sized events.

FINAL GRADE: 4.96 THREE MEETING STARS ⭐⭐⭐Convention Centre

3 MEETING STARS ⭐⭐⭐ final score from 4.81 to 5.00
2 MEETING STARS ⭐⭐ final score from 4.61 to 4.80
1 MEETING STAR ⭐ final score from 4.41 to 4.60