Amphitrion and C&C Merge Congress Activities
Two of Greece’s biggest tourism companies in the area of conferences and congresses recently agreed to merge their congress activities through the creation of a new company called Amphitrion-C&C PCO.
The new company has set up temporary quarters in the Marousi area, but will soon move to its new, company-owned offices in Metamorfosi.
Dimitris Mantzios of Amphitrion and Anastasia Vatsika of C&C International head the new company. The latter posted sales of some 12 million euros from congresses in 2004, while Amphitrion rang up some 5.6 million in congress sales out of its total sales of 29.3 million euros for the same year.
According to Meeting Professionals International, there will be around 10% more conferences and congresses this year when compared with last year. And the International Congress and Convention Association foresees similar increases.
It said that in the past 10 years some 35,000 conferences and congresses have been held around the world with revenue from these reaching more than 3.5 million euros.
Greece, it said, up until last year holds the 12th position in Europe as a conference destination with 1.70% of the total market share. For the next five years, according to a recent study by Hospitality and Tourism in cooperation with the Hellenic Association of Professional Conference Organizers, Greece is expected to get a substantial increase in congresses and conferences.
The study showed that some 46% of foreign congress organizers said they would be considering a congress here. Of these, some 93% said they would pick Athens as a congress destination. Other possible destinations included Crete, Rodos, Corfu, Thessaloniki and Kos.
The basic criteria for selecting Greece included its history and culture, its safety, the climate, and its fame after holding the Olympic Games. However, some 81% of all foreign organizers surveyed said they could not find sufficient information on congresses in Greece via the Internet, which for most is their main source for information.
Overall, the study found that on selecting a destination, organizers look for direct air links, easy city access, a lively destination with a variety of activities available, the availability of the latest in technology, value for money, and excellence in service and professionalism.