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Founders’ History: Why Pallet Symposium Poland exists

Pallet Symposium Poland, organized in cooperation with Palettenring, connects two sides of the market: pallet users from industry, retail, and logistics —and pallet manufacturers, traders, pooling companies, technology providers, and service specialists.

In the early 2000s, Germany regularly hosted events dedicated to Euro pallets, pallet exchange, and load carriers. People from across the market met openly, spoke directly, and learned from one another. Those meetings had a lasting influence on me. After attending three events, I had caught the pallet virus. The knowledge and relationships created there later contributed to projects including Palettenring, Palettentest, the Pallet Price Index, the Four-Market Pallet Model, and PalettenReport. More importantly, what I learned helped me identify and implement substantial savings in pallet management during my time at K+S, Europe’s largest salt and fertilizer producer.

Years later, one thing became clear: the market was missing this kind of meeting place again.

That is why we launched PalettenSymposium in Hamburg in 2024. It quickly became an established meeting point for decision-makers from industry, retail, logistics, pallet production, pooling, software, and warehouse automation. This event speeches are in the German language only and the event attracts visitors from 15+ countries who communicate at the networking dinner in English. The PalettenSymposium in Hamburg had participants and partners from Austria, Belgium, Czechia, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Slovakia, Switzerland, Sweden, Ukraine, United Kingdom, United States just to name a few. 

Now we are bringing this community to Poland with 10 Polish speeches and 4 English speeches.

Poland has a powerful pallet industry, major industrial users, logistics specialists, and technology providers. What it has lacked is a dedicated event that brings customers and suppliers together in a balanced community. Suppliers usually meet other suppliers, while pallets remain a secondary subject at broader logistics exhibitions.

Pallet Symposium Poland fills that gap.

We create the dedicated meeting place the Polish pallet market has been missing — where customers meet suppliers, Polish decision-makers meet international market experts, and operational challenges meet practical solutions.

The experience begins on the evening before the conference. We collect our badges, share a drink, and start conversations in a relaxed atmosphere. Later, our legendary networking dinner brings the community together around one table. This is where titles fade, masks come off, and genuine chemistry develops. Pallet users speak directly with manufacturers, retailers meet pooling providers, logistics companies exchange ideas with software specialists, and automation experts connect with decision-makers from industry.

The following day is dedicated to concise presentations, practical case studies, and open discussions. Every presentation must demonstrate how companies can save money, save time, or achieve both. Event partners can secure access to a speaking slot, but they cannot purchase editorial freedom. As a journalist, I personally ensure that pure sales presentations remain off our stage. No advertising disguised as expertise—only content that matters.

Pallet Symposium Poland is not a conventional lead-generation event.

It is a meeting place for knowledge, relationships, and decisions.

Palettenring extends this community beyond the event. We meet personally in Wrocław, and Palettenring helps companies remain connected throughout the year. Participant information is never transferred automatically—you decide which relationships you want to continue. My motivation remains the same as it was more than 20 years ago: I want to connect people who are determined to make pallet processes better, fairer, more transparent, and more cost-effective.

Too much money is still lost through inefficient pallet processes. There is enormous potential for conflict—but also an extraordinary amount of unused knowledge. At Pallet Symposium Poland, we bring that knowledge into the room. During presentations. Over dinner. In the breaks. And sometimes in the one unplanned conversation that changes everything.

Contact the founder

Would you like to participate, contribute a case study, become an event partner, or discuss another form of cooperation? Contact me and let us talk about your ideas.

Olaf Oczkos

I speak English, German and Polish. My Linkedin.
Founder, Pallet Symposium Poland (Wrocław)
Founder, PalettenSymposium (Hamburg)
Publisher, PalettenReport
Founder, Palettenring