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Poznań International Fair (PIF) which originated in 1925 as the 5th Poznań Fair, is the oldest exhibition event of this kind in Poland.

Poznań trade traditions date back more deeply - it was already in the 13th century, and more exactly in 1254, when Przemysł I issued a privilege concerning the Poznań trade. At the beginning of the 20th century the idea of organising exhibitions which was so popular in the 19th century reached Poznań. The last exhibition that took place here during the Partitions and the biggest one was Eastern German Exhibition on 15 May till 30 September 1911 in the place of the present fair. Although the exhibition was to symbolise the increasing Germanization policy, it also brought a number of benefits to Poles. Not only did it give examples of good organisation but it also resulted in the recognition of the Polish industry, particularly the Poznań H. Cegielski factory. Thus, it was not by chance that in 1917 the initiative of a permanent fair and exhibition institution originated among the circles of the Poznań merchants and traders. The necessity of starting the Fair was also supported by the Delegates' Convention of the Trading Associations that was debating on 20-21 March 1920 in Poznań. The First Fair took place in Poznań in 1921 and it gathered over a thousand exhibitors from the whole Poland. Still however, the exhibitions had a domestic character; it was only in 1925 when that changed. On 3-10 May the 5th Poznań Fair was organised and already as the first international meeting of traders and industrialists. Over 2,000 exhibitors from 16 countries and 3 continents took part in the Fair. Its importance grew year by year and a proof for this was when it joined the Association of International Fair. The peak of popularity coincided in 1928 when the Poznań Fair gained the official name of Poznań International Fair. Germany, France, Austria, Great Britain, and the USA were the biggest exhibitors of the Fair throughout the whole interwar period. In 1929 the Fair did not take place because it was decided to organise General National Exhibition. The exhibition, popularly called PeWuKa, considerably influenced the development of Poznań International Fair and particularly its infrastructure. In the 30s Poznań International Fair ranked top among trade events next to the fair in Leipzig, Lyon, and Milan.