ATHENS BUSINESS TRAVEL GUIDE

BusinessTravel Guide

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ATHENS

Never Ending Stories

A T H E N S

AT H E

espite the recent crisis witnessed in Greece, Athens has managed to remain a strong entity and is already making great strides ahead.

In many ways Athens is considered the birthplace of classical Greece, and in the modern day is rebuilding itself as a contemporary vibrant city that taps into its rich cultural heritage, emerging

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Athens is a city with a rich history on a mission for rebirth, adapting to a new strategy to create a true hub for business tourism Writer: Phoebe Calver Project Manager: Ryan Gray

as an excellent tourist destination and a business hub for the region.

As soon as you set foot in the city, you will notice the many cultural layers to be discovered, providing you with an intoxicating mixture of rich history and modern edginess that will give you a true sense of what Athens has to offer on your travels.

If you are looking to see the sights in your spare time, you will be spoilt

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ENS for choice with the Parthenon and Acropolis on your doorstep. You will quickly discover that the latter is visible from almost all parts of the city, a constant reminder of the history that makes Athens such a popular and inviting city.

Although the city has faced many difficulties since the economic crisis

in 2009, it is beginning to return to its former glory with a new lease of life. Everywhere you turn you will notice the effervescent energy that bubbles through the city’s streets, into the many galleries, monuments, restaurants and bars.

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FACTS & FIGURES

Languages: Greek, English Area: 2,929 square kilometres Population (2016): 665,000 Currency: Euro Time zone: UTC + 2 Dialling code: +21 Highest recorded temperature: 48 degrees celsius Climate: Mediterranean

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A T H E N S

The Business End IN RECENT YEARS Athens has well and truly been put on the map as one of the most exciting cities in Europe to visit, with thanks to the strategy put in place by the City of Athens Convention and Visitors Bureau.

Alexis Galinos, Managing Director at Athens Development and Destination Management Agency explains: “Our strategy to actively promote the local conference infrastructure, our competitive conference infrastructure, facilities and the hospitality sector boom have all aided our city in its development.”

During the past year, Athens has created a far more dynamic strategy to enable itself to bid for new conferences that better showcase its competitive Alexis infrastructure and economic perspective, Galinos subsequently enabling the city to promote its many advantages.

Galinos adds: “We have been working on a series of collaborations and partnerships with large tourism stakeholders such as ASTA in order to ensure we are

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consistently building our international standing.”

More recently Athens has become firmly established as the top meeting destination in Greece, while also climbing into ICCA’s top 25 most popular meeting destinations worldwide. This rise can largely be attributed to the city’s highly qualified professionals working in the various fields of the tourism industry, and in particular business.

For the past five years, the Athens Convention and Visitors Bureau has organised the signature annual trade event for the City of Athens, Travel Trade Athens in cooperation with the European Tour Operators Association (ETOA). This event has provided the region with a unique opportunity to develop firsthand business relationships with leading tourism suppliers in Athens, enabling them to discover new products and experiences.

It is through events such as these that Athens is becoming such a recognisable hub of activity for networking, while also offering an authentic city experience like no other.

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The Athens Concert Hall Organization Founded in 1981, the Athens Concert Hall Organization is a non-profit-making organization administered by an eleven-member board of trustees, the majority of whom are appointed by the Ministry of Culture and Sports and the Ministry of Finance, and whereas three of them are appointed by the Friends of Music – also a non-profit-making charitable association. - www.megaron.gr

Meet your “Event Maker” in Greece!

Event Makers-DMC provides tailor-made destination management services from accommodation, transportation, venues and catering, to social programs, activities, entertainment, logistics and events management - in a wide range of destination management fields: incentives, events, meetings, conferences, in selected destinations in Greece

Tel / Fax: +30 2109357170, +30 2109357144 130, Syngrou Avenue Athens 11745 Greece mpapadaki@eventmakers-dmc.gr

IMAGE: © KARAMANIAN

www.eventmakers-dmc.gr

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A T H E N S

Athens Convention and Visitors Bureau A HARSH REALITY for the tourism industry in Athens is that it was left without an official convention bureau for too long, despite that fact it has attracted a satisfactory MICE business volume.

The lack of an official institution that would coordinate promotion and bidding efforts, aid the destination’s market share growth, represent the city in international events and act as a point of reference for foreign MICE professionals or clients was becoming a pressing issue.

It was during 2007 that a critically important decision was made to proceed with all necessary steps towards establishing the first official City of Athens Convention and Visitors Bureau. After several months of thorough research into the best international practices, the Athens CVB was launched in early 2008.

Alexis Galinos, Managing Director at Athens Development and Destination Management Agency discusses the development of the Bureau over the years and its plans for the future.

its key objectives and the messages it tries to get across?

Alexis Galinos (AG): The ACVB has undergone many changes, in terms of corporate structure, business planning, marketing and promotion objectives, but one thing remains constant throughout. The aim is to always improve, becoming flexible so as to better follow the collective and joint efforts of its stakeholders and to achieve an ever better level of services. Since 2012, for example, it has been restructured and expanded - we actually leveraged and integrated the ’V’ in the ’Athens CB’ - while at the same time, it has been under constant evaluation and resourceful human capital management.

Europe & Middle East Outlook (EME): Since inception, how has Athens Convention and Visitors Bureau developed and progressed in terms of

Apart from its fundamental mission to promote Athens as an ideal and safe - safety and security, as you understand, has proven to

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be one of the most critical factors for destinations in Europe, during the past few years - destination for meetings, conferences and all about the MICE sector. The ACVB has managed to evolve successfully by enhancing its presence in the main and new source markets and as well as strengthening its institutional role. We have also pursued a more active and creative participation in international organisations and forums, like ICCA and of course we have raised the level of the City’s representation overseas, by upgrading our presence in trade shows and exhibitions and by organising targeted road shows in selected markets.

EME: Taking a more general industry stance, how would you evaluate the tourism sector in Athens now compared to its condition when the Visitors Bureau began?

AG: Most importantly, the City of Athens has been active in creating alliances to promote the standing of our city. Together with Aegean Airlines and the Athens International Airport, the City of Athens has formed the Athens Tourism Partnership.

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now consistently making the list of ICCA’s top conference destinations in Europe, confirming what we have accomplished these past few years in the area of business tourism. It is no exaggeration to say Athens is experiencing a “tourism spring”.

This landmark alliance brings together key players from the private and public sectors for the first time, to promote Athens as an ideal, contemporary year long city-break destination. Upon its foundation, the ATP, in collaboration with Marketing Greece, has launched a campaign called “One City. Never Ending Stories” that promotes the multitude of authentic experiences, on offer in Athens. A city that boasts more than 3,000 hours of sunlight a year, only 20 minutes from the renowned Athens Riviera, with countless sights, attractions, monuments, museums, neighbourhoods, shops, restaurants, colourful markets and bazaars.

Overall we have been reaping the rewards, with a record year for arrivals in Athens. An all time record of five million visitors, in 2017, not only boosted the local economy but also attracted investment by major hotel groups. Moreover, Athens is

EME: What is in store for Athens over the course of 2018 and beyond to continue the good work already commenced and to enhance its reputation as a tourism and business travel hub further in the future?

AG: Our immediate plans include the expansion and further development of our signature Travel Trade Athens event. So far we have been attracting professionals from more than 25 countries around the world but we are looking to attract an even more diverse crowd.

We are also planning to enrich our outward activities to attract associations and showcase our potential as a conference destination with targeted campaigns and events, in an effort to reposition the City of Athens in the MICE industry and to promote the Greek capital as a world-class meeting and convention destination.

and development would you hope and expect to be able to report back, both in regards to the Athens Convention and Visitors Bureau as an entity, and in regards to the business travel industry in Athens as a whole?

AG: Athens is a great city to visit all year round and it is only fair that is has started to rise as an exciting southern Europe city trip destination. We know culture and the arts, history and heritage are significant reasons visitors come to Athens. We also recognise this unique combination is what makes Athens stand out. But the city is much more than this and our main goal is to highlight the long list of experiences on offer both for leisure and business visitors. I am confident that the Athens Convention and Visitors Bureau will continue to work towards repositioning and promoting Athens as a world-class meeting and convention destination through activities that will establish Athens as one of the most competitive conference destinations revealing its potential and unique advantages.

EME: Finally, looking forward, if we were to speak again in three-five years time, what progress

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A T H E N S

Out & About can offer for business tourists through a number of initiatives undertaken within the Athens Tourism Partnership.�

AEGEAN and the Athens International Airport have proven to be great team players for the Bureau, and have provided a real push to get more of the Athens tourism stakeholders involved in an effort to truly showcase the city for all its possibilities.

IN ORDER TO truly accomplish the new repositioning it is trying to achieve as a business travel destination, Athens is focusing on projects that will showcase the destination at its best. This includes demonstrating its extrovert personality and networking dynamics, while also promoting the city for its professionalism in event organisation, as well as its economic potential.

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Tourism in the city is massively evolving at present comprising activities such as Exclusive Athens Roadshows, a comprehensive bidding strategy, establishing a solid presence in exhibitions and B2B events and exploring the possibilities of business tourism.

Galinos explains: “We are looking to evolve our leisure tourist product for visitors, as well as what we

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Even before the exciting changes we are seeing in the city at present, Athens has always had a draw for tourism thanks to its rich history and endless culture to explore. If you have some spare time to explore between meetings, you will find that the city is best discovered on foot with the vast majority having been pedestrianised.

Depending on your personal preference for how to spend your downtime, there is something for everyone.

Perhaps you would like to take in the sights while relaxing in a street cafe, or alternatively taking in one of the many excellent museums that is full to the brim with history and culture, then ending your day in one of the many comfortable hotels available to offer you a home away from home experience.

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A T H E N S

Outlook Recommends “With equal measures of grunge and grace, Athens is a heady mix of history and edginess.

Cultural and social life plays out amid, around and in ancient landmarks.” - Lonely Planet

MUSEUMS Benaki Museum

RETAIL

HOTELS Electra Palace Athens Hotel Athens Gate Hotel Boutique Hotel Athens

Moetary Museum Athens

Attica Athens Heart Mall The Mall Athens SIGHTSEEING

RESTAURANTS

Acropolis Museum Aleria Restaurant Oineas Restaurant Balcony Restaurant and Bar 10

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Temple of Olympian Zeus Odeon of Herodes Atticus Theatre of Dionysos

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Transport Links DURING THE PAST few years in particular, Athens’ infrastructural developments have evolved significantly, owing both to regional developments as well as strategic efforts to promote the city as an idea destination for business tourism.

One important part of the reason Athens has risen up as one of Southern Europe’s most exciting cities is its excellent location, only a few hours away from most of the main European

capitals. Athens is perfectly situated at the crossroads between East and West and has been growing in popularity as a regional hub.

“Since it opened in 2001, the Athens International Airport has become one of the fastest-growing airports globally, enriching its network with new carriers and destinations at regular intervals,” adds Galinos. “At the same time we have an expanding state-of-the-art transport network

that includes Metro, bus, tram, train, Trolleybus and a modern highway; all of which are at a very low cost.”

There are many quick and efficient forms of transport when you need to make your way around the city in a hurry, and as well as the aforementioned modes of transport, you can also easily catch one of the brightly coloured taxis that are a reasonably priced way to navigate the city.

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Landmark Attractions

Parthenon

“More than any other monument, the Parthenon epitomises the glory of Ancient Greece. Meaning ‘virgin’s apartment’, it’s dedicated to Athena Parthenos, the goddess embodying the power and prestige of the city.

The largest Doric temple ever completed in Greece, and the only one built completely of white Pentelic marble (apart from its wooden roof), it took 15 years to complete. It was designed by Iktinos and Kallicrates and completed in time for the Great Panathenaic Festival of 438 BC.” - Lonely Planet

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Benaki Museum

“Antonis Benakis, a politician’s son born in Alexandria, Egypt, in the late 19th century, endowed what is perhaps the finest museum in Greece. Its three floors showcase impeccable treasures from the Bronze Age up to WWII. Especially gorgeous are the Byzantine icons and the extensive collection of Greek regional costumes, as well as complete sitting rooms from Macedonian mansions, intricately carved and painted.” - Lonely Planet

Acropolis

“The Acropolis of Athens and its monuments are universal symbols of the classical spirit and civilization and form the greatest architectural and artistic complex bequeathed

by Greek Antiquity to the world…

The Acropolis of Athens is the most striking and complete ancient Greek monumental complex still existing in our times. It is situated on a hill of average height (156m) that rises in the basin of Athens. Its overall dimensions are approximately 170 by 350m. The hill is rocky and steep on all sides except for the western side, and has an extensive, nearly flat top.” - whc.unesco.org

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Temple of Olympian Zeus

“The building of the Temple of Olympian Zeus actually began in the 6th Century by Peisistratos but work was stopped either because of a lack of money or because Pisistratus’s son, Hippias, was overthrown in 510 BC. The temple was not finished until the Emperor Hadrian completed in 131 AD, seven hundred years later… Though only a few columns remain of the Temple of Olympia Zeus it does not take much imagination to realize that this was one monster of a building.” - athensguide.com

Byzantine & Christian Museum “The Byzantine and Christian Museum, which is based in Athens, is one of Greece’s national museums. Its areas of competency are centred on – but not limited to – religious artefacts of the Early Christian, Byzantine, Medieval, post-Byzantine and later periods which it exhibits, but also acquires, receives, preserves, conserves, records, documents, researches, studies, publishes and raises awareness of.”

- byzantinemuseum.gr

IMAGE: ©G.DALLORTO

Odeon of Herodes Atticus

“One of the legendary sites that sits beneath the slopes of the Acropolis on the southwest side, is the stunning open-air theatre, Odeon of Herodes Atticus. When Pausanias visited Athens during the reign of Marcus Aurelius, he described the theatre as “the finest building of its type”.”

- whyathens.com

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BusinessTravel Guide joe.palliser@outlookpublishing.com

+44 (0)1603 959 676

ryan.gray@outlookpublishing.com

+44 (0)1603 959 672

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