The grand opening of the Interenational Geographical Union Regional Conference, entitled "Changes, Challenges, Responsibility" was held on 18 August 2014 in JU Auditorium Maximum. The participants were welcomed by the Mayor of Kraków, Prof. Jacek Majchrowski and the JU Vice-Rector for the Medical College, Prof. Piotr Laidler. Then the presidential advisor, Prof. Paweł Swianiewicz read the message from the President of the Republic of Poland, Bronisław Komorowski. The attendees were also addressed by the President of the International Geographical Union, Prof. Vladimir Kolosov and the Vice-President of the Polish Academy of Sciences, Prof. Marek Chmielewski. The conference opening session included an award ceremony, during which 12 gold medals, as well as other prizes, were presented to the winners of the International Geography Olympiad, in which 144 school students from 36 countries had taken part. The winner was James Mullen from the United States.

Besides several dozen thematic sessions, the conference included three plenary sessions featuring all participants. The discussed topics ranged from climate changes and environmental protection to demography, spatial management and global nutrition challenges.

The annual conferences of the International Geographical Union provide a forum for discussion between specialists of different sub-disciplines of geography and other related academic fields. This year's IGU conference has been the second one held in Poland. The previous such meeting took place in 1934.

The conference was organised under the honorary auspices of the President of the Republic of Poland, Bronisław Komorowski. The Rector of the Jagiellonian University, Prof. Wojciech Nowak was a member of the Honorary Committee of the conference, which also consisted of: the President of the Polish Academy of Sciences, Prof. Michał Kleiber. the President of the International Geographical Union, Prof. Vladimir Kolosov, and the Mayor of the City of Krakow, Prof. Jacek Majchrowski.