HAPCO & DES: Greece can hit the jackpot in conferences

Greece can enter the top five of the world's leading conference destinations as it has all the comparative advantages to further develop its prospects in business and conference tourism.

However, our country has reached its limits in terms of infrastructure availability, thus setting a "ceiling" on both the number of major events and the annual turnover, which, based on current data, cannot exceed 2.5 billion euros.

In this context, it is considered necessary to create a large, flexible conference center in Athens for events and conferences, which, according to estimates by foreign experts, should have a capacity of at least 10,000 to 15,000 people.

These were some of the main conclusions that emerged from the annual conference of the Association of Greek Professionals of Events and Conference Organizers (HAPCO & DES), taking place on March 10-11, 2025, at the Megaron International Convention Center of Athens, entitled “Metamorphosis”.

On the occasion of the title of the conference, the president of HAPCO & DES, Sissy Lygnou, opening the first day of the conference, stated: “We joined forces with the Greek Meetings Alliance (a partnership with This is Athens Convention & Visitors Bureau and Thessaloniki Convention Bureau) and now is the time to transform ourselves into a national convention bureau”, demonstrating the need for a national convention body.

“While we have the planning and knowledge of good practices, we need a central body for international representation in convention tourism. It is time to draw up a plan for the transformation of Greece into a leading conference destination”, he stressed.

Greece loses 100 major international conferences annually

The lack of infrastructure is what mainly weighs on the prospects of a valuable sector for the Greek economy and the country’s urban centers. As the president of HAPCO &DES stated, Greece is currently “driving out” top events of more than 4,000 participants, losing revenue from conference tourism visitors 7 times higher than that generated by leisure tourism. Specifically, as she said, 100 major international conferences are lost for our country annually, as well as 1,000 corporate meetings. All this in an industry that can protect the destination Greece in an uncertain future.

At the same time, the demand for conference venues is “squeezing” into the existing infrastructure, narrowing the calendar availability margins for new events. The Director of Conferences & Sales of the Athens Concert Hall, Ms. Zenia Kerasidou, stated at the conference that reservations for events and conferences at the Concert Hall reach up to 2030!

Capacity of 10,000 – 15,000 people for the new conference center

Conference tourism is the most effective way to increase a city’s revenue, said the Senior International Account Manager of the Swiss Exhibition and Convention Center group, Ms. Camilla Ornroth, and the CEO of Conference Partners International, participating in panels with case studies from Switzerland and Ireland, respectively. For the new Athens conference center, they said that a structure with many halls, flexibility of spaces and a total capacity of 10,000 to 15,000 people is a "must".

Moreover, the Greek MICE sector is the one that can leave a significant mark on the country and on sustainable tourism, as in addition to its multiple contributions in relation to leisure tourism, it also provides a solution to seasonality and employment and promotes the country to an international audience, said Ms. Lygnou. It is characteristic that the International Olympic Committee and the filming of a film at Costa Navarino contribute to the opening of the destination earlier, supporting 50 professions and 1,500 jobs.

Ms. Lygnou, as president of IAPCO (International Association of Professional Congress Organizers), also referred to the extroversion initiatives for the industry with IAPCO campaigns and the collaboration with the Convention Bureaus of Athens and Thessaloniki, which resulted, among other things, in attracting the IAPCO international conference to Athens in February 2026.

E. Rapti: Potential to double revenue in the coming years

The Greek conference and events industry generates more than 2.5 billion euros annually, with the potential to even double in the coming years, since conference visitors invest 4 to 7 times more than leisure visitors, Deputy Minister of Tourism Elena Rapti pointed out from the podium.

Conference tourism visitors, she stressed, are also driving other thematic forms, such as luxury tourism, yachting, cultural tourism, gastronomic tourism, and wine tourism upwards. “An incentive trip must have elements of exclusivity, and in this area, we intend to exploit the uniqueness of our destinations,” she added.

According to the results of the International Convention Association (ICCA), Athens maintains its momentum among the most important conference cities and Thessaloniki is rising, stressed Ms. Rapti.

"We want conference tourism to be at the forefront of Greek tourism", she underlined and announced that resources have been calculated in the GNTO advertising campaign with the aim of promoting thematic tourism, which also includes conference tourism. In addition, the Deputy Minister listed some of the actions of the ministry to strengthen the sector...

• The GNTO marketing plan for 2025 gives priority to the promotion of MICE tourism.
• The Ministry's 2025 National Action Plan includes the issuance of a Joint Ministerial Decision with the Ministry of Development by the end of 2025, which will specify the procedure, content and supporting documents, the fee and sanctions for the notification of the start of operation of conference centers.
• Upgrading Visit Greece with cutting-edge technologies, so as to offer specialized information.

Ch. Theocharis: The international tourism product is at a turning point

New Democracy MP and candidate for the position of Secretary General of the World Tourism Organization, Mr. Haris Theocharis, in his address to the conference, stated that we are at a turning point for the international tourism product, which must be transformed in order to be able to respond to current challenges.

Regarding his candidacy as Secretary General of the World Tourism Organization, stressed that our country is for the first time claiming a position with claims, which will give us the opportunity to transfer the great know-how we have in tourism to other countries, to strengthen Greece's reputation in the global tourism world and to create synergies between Greece and the World Tourism Organization.

Tourism, he stressed, should not be seen as part of the problem, but to respond to concerns related to tourism with policy proposals. The aim is, without ignoring the problems, to strengthen the role of tourism as a bridge to happiness.

K. Vetta: Substantial contribution from the State is needed

"In order to continue the development of conference tourism, in addition to private initiative, a substantial contribution from the State is required, as the need for modernization and creation of new infrastructure is paramount", said the Head of Tourism Sector of SYRIZA P.S., Ms. Kalliopi Vetta.

Furthermore, in addition to promotion, it is necessary to ensure accessibility to destinations, she said.

I. Georgizas: ACVB must be passed on to the next day

The CEO of the Athens Development Agency, of which the ACVB is a part, Ioannis Georgizas, representing the mayor of Athens, Haris Doukas, stated that the exemplary operation of the ACVB must be passed on to the next day and that the state should enter, with the participation of companies, into a fruitful interaction with this whole concept.

Mr. Georgizas emphasized that the Athens Development Agency is becoming a DMMO (promotion and management organization) with a focus on the tourism observatory, but also with This is Athens, the Film Office, the city festival, the ACVB and will gradually evolve into a department that will concern all investments in Athens under the title "Investments in Athens".

The Athens Development Authority, with its technical service and in collaboration with the technical service of the Municipality of Athens, has undertaken major projects such as in Varvakeio, on Ermou Street while managing the main line of funding of the NSRF for the municipality. It will also undertake municipal transport, cycle paths, and will implement the periodic pedestrianisation, every weekend, of Athinas Street that will take place in the coming period, projects related to the visitor experience in the city.

A. Thanos: Bastion for eliminating seasonality

Conference tourism is a distinct economic activity with a tourist footprint that is part of the broader tourism model and constitutes the easiest bastion to achieve the elimination of seasonality, underlined the Executive Advisor of SETE, Mr. Alexandros Thanos.

In Athens, there is anxiety about how the Tae Kwon Do Stadium will be utilized, and in Thessaloniki, we expect new life from the renovation of the TIF, as he said.

He made it clear that while in Greece, there is a very high level of conference tourism executives, and infrastructure is needed, while he considered it necessary to support the sector from the state so that greater benefits are spread to local communities but with sustainable management.

As he emphasized, the Greek Meetings Alliance cooperation model should also serve as a guide for the rest of the country.

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