The paper contains the general characteristics of the national convention bureaux, the organization responsible for creating the image of individual countries as attractive business and congress tourism destinations. Some selected elements of the problem were presented, including membership structure, objectives and tasks performed by the convention bureaux in selected European countries. Convention bureaux are usually 'integral part' of the national tourism organizations – they operate in their structures. The analysis showed that their range of activities in most cases is similar and mainly include promotional, information and supporting activities.