Katarzyna Ratajczyk, director of the Promotion Office at Warsaw City Hall, talks to Ewa Kielak Ciemniewska.

Warsaw is one of the cities organizing the Euro 2012 soccer championships. How is the city going to take advantage of the event to promote Warsaw?
The championships as well as soccer as such do not need any special promotion effort on our part, but they can help draw the public's attention to our city, stir interest in Warsaw and encourage those who come here for Euro 2012 to make another visit. Warsaw will be the center of attention anyway, for example because it is the capital city of one of the two countries which organize Euro 2012. The thing is for us to make the best impression and so we need to make appropriate preparations. This fall, we will hold a conference to which Mayor Hanna Gronkiewicz-Waltz has invited all past Euro championship organizers and cities which are in the preparation phase. The Warsaw meeting will allow the exchange of experiences and be of great value for us, as we are unable to predict everything.

I recently attended a similar conference in Barcelona; the participants were Olympic cities. The representative of Athens told us about the city's preparations for the Olympic Games.

How can Warsaw learn from the experience of Athens?
For example, a representative of Athens remarked on the importance of making the city capable of accommodating supporters after matches. Before the event, Athens converted vacant or partially vacant areas and parking lots into beautiful promenades, and all these facilities have remained. In Warsaw, thousands of people will be leaving the stadium after soccer matches and they will walk around the city. They have to be directed somewhere; they need routes and special markings on the streets. The transportation system has to be made more friendly and efficient. People will want to go shopping, have something to eat and drink, entertain themselves, or just hang around and see the city. The preparations have to take into consideration the expectations of people who come to Warsaw as soccer supporters. They are not tourists who visit one museum and historic building after another.

Crowds of them are likely to cross Poniatowskiego Bridge after matches and come to Nowy Świat and on to the Old Town.
If everything goes well, by that time the renovation of the Royal Way will have been completed and so there will be plenty to show to the visitors. Before Euro 2012 begins, we would also like to make special arrangements in selected sites, tenement houses and nooks so as to create special scenery and, perhaps, reenactments of events from the past. Those need to be attractions; this is supposed to be fun that we will nevertheless use to reveal something about our city, its history and culture. You can play soccer anywhere, but Warsaw is one of a kind. All institutions, associations and foundations which work for the city should take part, we have to join forces to show what Warsaw is like.

What image of Warsaw do you want to create?
It would be good for Warsaw to accept itself as it is, to love itself. Varsovians frequently underestimate their city, they criticize it, perceive only the negatives and overlook its attractive side. The reality is that recent polls in Poland and abroad show that we are the leaders in all respects. Therefore we, the Promotion Office, are going to work on Varsovians' belief in their city. People become attached to certain places and you can see it in public initiatives such as diverse celebrations in individual districts and streets. Such events involve artists such as painters, actors and musicians. People create bonds with one another; they have fun and feel good in their friendly neighborhoods. Such activity has to be encouraged rather than hindered. We need to build up Warsaw residents' faith in Warsaw as a city that gives a big chance to people. Anyone who wants to achieve something comes to Warsaw, the city of constant change and endless opportunities.

But Warsaw is always seen that way by those outside.
Up to now, the city had no promotion; it was not inviting and did not reach out to people. It was a well-received move when a delegation from Warsaw attended the Days of Gdańsk celebrations. The mayor of Warsaw brought to Gdańsk a huge cake shaped like the capital's Palace of Culture and Science. Recently, Warsaw hosted celebrations marking the 750 years since Cracow received its city charter. We now want to approach other Polish Euro 2012 cities with proposals of joint projects such as soccer matches, games and so on.

So you want to change the way both city residents and other Poles see Warsaw.
We need to put a lot of effort in making people believe the city is great. We will work on Euro 2012-related promotion projects as the event draws nearer. For now, we have some other priorities. We will soon launch a photo competition for Varsovians asking them how they see and imagine the city. We will select 10 to 15 photos to be later put on billboards. This summer, we are also planning a billboard campaign at the seaside.

Is the competition open to foreigners who live in Warsaw?
Absolutely, everybody is welcome.