The Athens Convention Bureau announces Membership Programme as part of its conference tourism development strategy

The activities and Membership Programme of the Athens Convention Bureau (ACB), the City of Athens' official organisation for conference tourism, were officially announced today during a news conference at the Numismatic Museum in the presence of Athens Mayor Nikitas Kaklamanis.

In addressing the event, the Mayor of Athens referred to the tourism development strategy which has been in effect since 2007, with the Athens Economic and Tourism Development Company (ATEDCo) serving as lead agency, and emphasised the considerable weight the City of Athens places on the city's tourism economy.

Mayor Kaklamanis reiterated that this is the first time that such a systematic and targeted effort to promote Athens in international tourism markets is being made, emphasising the city's advantages and using modern methods of marketing and new communication media.

Specifically referring to conference tourism, he stressed its particular significance and the considerable benefits it could have for a destination such as Athens. Finally, he described the ACB Membership Programme as a key venture and invited the tourism market to support it.

City of Athens Councillor and ATEDCo President Dr Katerina Katsabe for her part discussed ATEDCo's efforts and diverse activities. She also stressed that, despite its short history of operation, the ACB has made its presence felt in the international market and has drawn positive feedback on the way it is promoting Athens as a conference and event destination.

The ACB's Membership Programme was designed according to international models which have been adopted by similar organisations, particularly in Europe and North America. It will involve an annual membership fee, depending on the category and size of each business, and will apply to hotels, conference centres, event venues, professional conference organisers (PCOs), destination management companies and event organisers (DMCs), audiovisual equipment companies, travel agencies, restaurants, car rental businesses, airlines and catering companies, among others.
As an introduction to the programme, new memberships will be offered at a 20% discount until 31/12/2009.

Businesses which register their membership in the ACB will enjoy special privileges and services, including:

• Immediate notification on requests for offers for conferences and events from foreign clients.

• Continual and targeted promotion through the ACB's and ATEDCo's communications media, such as www.athensconventionbureau.gr and www.breathtakingathens.com, foreign language publications ACB Mag and BreathtakingAthens Magazine and monthly newsletters. These are targeted and sent to thousands of selected recipients abroad.

• Inclusion and prominent promotion in the official guide of the Athens conference product (Athens Meeting Planner's Guide), which will be published in 2010 (in both print and electronic form) and will serve as the main marketing tool to promote the city in the international conference market.

• Support in pursuing conferences and events.

• Contribution to collective efforts to promote the city, such as fam trips, site inspections, international trade shows. etc.

It should be noted that informative material has been sent to about 2,000 businesses in the greater Athens area.

During the presentation, it was noted that in 2008, Athens gained 10 places on the list of world city-conference destinations, coming in 15th place.