12th HAPCO & DES Conference: ‘Meetings in Greece: The Game Changer’

MICE professionals from Greece and abroad will come together in Athens for the 12th Annual Meeting of HAPCO & DES (Hellenic Association of Professional Congress Organizers & Destinations Events Specialists) during March 16-17.

Under the inspiring title “Meetings in Greece: The Game Changer”, the conference will take place at the Hotel Grande Bretagne on Syntagma Square.

The largest of its kind in Greece, the congress aims to highlight the importance of the MICE (meetings, incentives, conferences & exhibitions) industry in Greek tourism and propose ways it can evolve into a development and promotion pillar, further contributing to the country’s economy, employment and international promotion.

The 12th annual meeting is addressed to members and non-members of the HAPCO & DES association and anyone who is part of or wants to connect with the MICE industry family, as well as journalists, politicians, university students and academics.

HAPCO 2020. Photo source: HAPCO & DES

During the two-day congress, participants will have the chance to observe, listen and interact with experts from the MICE industry as well as highly qualified professionals, academics and youth representatives from other fields including technology, health, career coaching, human resource management, communication and politics.

Topics on the agenda of this year’s conference include the socio-economic impact of the Greek meetings industry; Artificial Intelligence (AI) trends; the sustainable benefits of conference tourism in the Greek hospitality sector; and issues related to employer value, education and digitalization. The Greek Meetings Alliance (GMA) will also host a session and discuss ways to promote Greek destinations as host destinations for MICE events.

Furthermore, HAPCO& DES will also hold an open competition for university students.

The 12th HAPCO & DES annual meeting will see the attendance of Sofia Zacharaki, Greek Deputy Minister of Tourism; Alexandros Vassilikos, President of the Hellenic Chamber of Hotels and Chairman of HOTREC (Hotels, Restaurants, Bars & Cafés in Europe); Giorgos Lolis, Deputy Mayor of Tourism, Municipality of Ioannina; and Sissi Lygnou, President of HAPCO & DES, Member of the Board of Directors IAPCO, Managing Director AFEA S.A. Travel & Congress Services, among others.

International speakers at the event will include Morgan-Schönwetter Andrea, VP Talent Acquisition at CARIAD, Berlin; Ponchia Annalisa, Director of Innovation and Customer Experience, Director of International Congress Development, AIM Group International; Posch Mathias, President, International Conference Services, Singapore and IAPCO Training Academy Chair; and Schultze Matthias, Managing Director, German Convention Bureau on behalf of the Strategic Alliance of the National Convention Bureaux of Europe.

Photo Source: HAPCO & DES

The 12th HAPCO & DES annual meeting will take place under the auspices of IAPCO (International Association of Professional Congress Organizers), ICCA, the Greek Tourism Ministry and other organizations.

HAPCO & DES is a key player in the development of the MICE industry in Greece and participates in the global working group of IAPCO, the international accreditation member-driven association for PCOs around the world.

Over the past years, some of Greece’s largest DMC companies have joined HAPCO & DES. Last year, HAPCO & DES joined forces with This is Athens Convention & Visitors Bureau (ACVB) and the Thessaloniki Convention Bureau (TCB) and formed the Greek Meetings Alliance (GMA) to work towards the promotion and development of Greece’s conference and events industry.

“HAPCO & DES now has the power to be a game-changer in the MICE industry,” the association says.

Further information about the 12th Annual Meeting of HAPCO & DES can be found here.
To register, press here.