A congress with a sense of Greece is a unique experience for the participants ! – “Imiresia” March 2010
Maria’s Papazoglu article at “Imerisia” March 2010
A congress with a sense of Greece is a unique experience for the participants!
Global circumstances are changing and it’s time to see how this affects the tourism congress.
The conference market, one of the most profitable types of tourism, has a unique opportunity to satisfy the association that organizes a conference and make every participant ambassador of Greek tourism by giving him the experience of Greece, which anyone can bring back to his own country.
The added value of Greece is her culture
We can use culture to enhance the experience. Who could ever forget the experience of a sunset cocktail at Sounio or an evening visit to the Acropolis?
Technology is changing the way conferences are running
Participants transfer information of a conference in social media, so the facts evolve at the same time in cyberspace. This is a great opportunity for Greece to cultivate her image through social networking websites and to use new media to promote the conferences. A typical example is the recent conference ENTER2010, which used multiple communication channels such as Facebook, Tweeter, LinkedIn, Web and blogs.
Expansion to new target audiences
One point that has not yet been sufficiently explored is the professional associations (eg doctors and other scientists) and the Greeks living abroad who excel in many fields and possess key positions. It is they who decide where to place a conference and guide the participants. At the same time Greece needs to strength her communication through professional PR and systematic contact with targeted media abroad.
Infrastructures
The lack of a large conference center could be overcome if we realize that the average participants of the majority of conferences worldwide are 300. We need to ensure convenient access to participants by attracting low cost airlines that can fly directly to various destinations in Greece, saving time and money.
Key to success: diversification
In order a conference to become an unforgettable experience basic energies are essential such as creativity, the element of surprise and great care. Corporate customers are interested for possible experiences, combining work and pleasure through work! Greece’s two competitive advantages are sea and culture. Point of differentiation may be the gastronomy. “Green meetings” present interest and generally is preferred the choice of collaborators that have infrastructures for the green growth.
In some cases of corporate events, is essential the preparation of a crisis management plan in order to prevent the delegates, the hotel and the organizers from anything unexpected.
The conference market is not forgiving. It is an expensive market and the organizer company has based its image in a successful organization. The congress tourism is dynamic and is supported by qualified and experienced professionals, and Greece has the necessary infrastructure. We want to turn a corporate meeting in an exciting experience. Now we can !