Hellenic Tourism Organization (EOT) conference on the reinforcement of Convention Tourism

The confrontation of long term issues which concern the country's convention market, the regulation of specific legislative intervention which should be implemented in the very near future to reinforce convention tourism, and the effective penetration of convention commodities in Greece into the international convention market, were the objectives of talks which took place at EOT on the initiative of the Minister for Tourism Development, Aris Spiliotopoulos, who greeted the conference participants and stressed that convention tourism was the gateway to the development of tourism in Greece.

Conference Participants

At the conference, which was chaired by the secretary general of the Hellenic Tourism Organization (EOT), Athanasios Economou, those attending included the chairman and vice-chairman of the Hellenic Association of Professional Congress Organizers (HAPCO), Mr Dinos Astras and Panagiotis Podimatas, the chairman of the Thessaloniki Convention and Visitors Bureau, Mr Vassilis Brovos, and the C.E.O. of the Athens Tourist and Economic Development Company (ATEDCo), Mr Panagiotis Arkoumaneas.

Long Term Issues

During the conference, taking into account the provisions which had been raised in line with international trends and chains of events, conditions which had shaped the Greek conference market but also its characteristic weaknesses, the main issue discussed was the urgent need to take in hand certain long term issues, namely of a legislative and organizational nature: amongst other things, the compilation of an official listing of conventions and convention organizers, the documentation and certification of conference centres which operate within the State's long term marketing strategies for promotion of convention commodities, support and reinforcement of existing Convention Bureaus and the fortification of professional convention organizations.

Additionally, it was decided to form a Project team group to work in collaboration between appointed bodies and the EOT, which would compile complete proposals and would set out a specific plan of action. In the first stage, amongst other things, introduction would be made of a new- or reinforcement of an existing- service structure within the organization of EOT.