AFEA Travel & Congress Services

08.2022

Op-Ed: Sissi Lygnou on Greece’s meeting industry!

The pandemic has been one more crisis to challenge event professionals around the globe. However, the Meetings Industry has proven to have a fully adaptive DNA.

In the last 2 years, our Industry learned to deal with event cancellation and postponement, quick adaptation and education to new technologies and digital elements, transformation of events to virtual and hybrid and strict health protocols. The Leaders of our Industry worldwide were challenged to act fast, re-think, re-design, re-skill and at the same time protect their business and the well-being of their people. Associations representing meeting professionals globally joined forces to design future strategies towards a fast recovery.

It is a fact that digital transformation will dominate our Industry in many different formats and that the digital element is here to stay. Meeting professionals will need to embrace its value and incorporate it in their routine in the most efficient way.

Moving forward, collaboration will be key to future planning.

The International Association of Professional Congress Organizers (IAPCO) is a great example of a key player collaborating closely with other International Organizations, with the aim to drive the change to the new reality, advocate on the industry’s value to recovery and development, as well to identify the key global trends.

IAPCO’s Global Task Force on National Associations of Professional Congress Organizers (PCOs) was created during the pandemic to identify and measure the impact of the crisis and to advocate on the importance of our profession. A great platform for discussion, thought leadership, exchange of knowledge and strategic thinking.

On a national level, the creation of synergies has never been more important.

In the period 2021-2022, despite the critical times and challenges, HAPCO, the Hellenic Association of Professional Congress Organizers joined forces with the powerful group of Destination Event Specialists to create HAPCO & DES, a re-designed, re-branded Organization with a stronger voice on MICE Greece.

Moreover, a very strong synergy, the Greek Meetings Alliance, a collaboration among HAPCO & DES, Athens & Thessaloniki Convention Bureau (ACVB/TCB) empowered during the pandemic, designs and implements various actions and activities to promote the national Industry. More of these synergies will be created in the future.

Moreover, SDGs will come to the frontline of future planning for Associations, Meeting Professionals, and the complete supply chain of our Industry, while they already have an impact on their strategic plans. Climate Action, Human Rights, Diversity & Inclusion, Work-Life Balance are already the fast forward KPI’s for future leaders.

In the collaborative journey which awaits us, we will need to change our language. Move from measuring the financial impact to focusing on the social impact of events and importance of making people’s lives better. Shifting from dominant to inspirational Leadership, while investing in the next Generation and the shaping of future Leaders.

We will need to work together to resolve the megatrend and greatest challenge, talent management, recruitment, and the retaining of our people. Best practices on HR management, protection of mental health and well-being of our workforce as well as education are now more than ever of major importance for the road towards a better future.

Hellenic Association of Professional Congress Organizers & Destinations Events Specialists (HAPCO & DES)
President

Sissi Lygnou

Source: https://news.gtp.gr/2022/06/30/thought-leaders-sissi-lygnou-on-greeces-meeting-industry/

05.2022

Looking forward to a “sustainable” Meetings Season!

AFEA team is in full operation and planning mode, back to in person meetings and looking ahead of a full and challenging season. Next to the safe and successful organization of meetings, SDGs, are top of the agenda.

The 2nd half of 2022 finds AFEA team in the heat of preparation, organization and implementation for the upcoming meetings. This year we have dedicated a major part of our work in the promotion for a more sustainable profile at the basis for our meetings organization and implementation and we focus on the SDGs related to the conferences we organize. In particular Goals 1, 4, 5, 8, 10, 11.

9th Biennial Congress of the European Society of Endocrine Surgeons – ESES 2022

With a mission “to promote research, current knowledge and techniques in endocrine surgery", ESES is a European reference for education in the field of endocrine surgery for all endocrine surgeons” professionals, whether they are at the beginning or the height of their career.

The objectives of the Society, as a non-profit organization with activities for public benefit, aim at the promotion of science through research and the advancement of knowledge and techniques in endocrine surgery, as well as the promotion and maintenance of high standards in the clinical practice of endocrine surgery and the promotion of education and research in this field.

Mediterranean Orthopaedic Surgery & Traumatology Forum 2022 – MOST Forum 2022

The MOST Forum 2022 will be held from May 27th to May 28th 2022 in the beautiful Greek island of Rhodes.

The FORUM is one of the latest scientific and educational initiatives of the Hellenic Association of Orthopaedic Surgery and Traumatology – HAOST and aims to provide a chance for Orthopaedic professionals to connect with colleagues and expand leadership knowledge.

Population Approach Group Europe - Page 2022

PAGE Association represents a community with a shared interest in data analysis using the population approach. It is a not-for-profit organisation with a registered office in England and Wales. After a two-year hiatus owing to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, PAGE will resume face-to-face in Ljubljana, Slovenia from 28th June to 1st July 2022!

The PAGE meeting takes place in an informal atmosphere with a vivid scientific discussion. PAGE 2022 will be held at the Cankarjev Dom and participants are encouraged to attend and present their work in the form of an oral presentation or poster. In the context of the meeting, the annual Lewis Sheiner Student Session was inaugurated, in order to honour the memory of Lewis Sheiner and to highlight his lifetime passion for student education.

74th OMEP World Assembly and Conference

The 74th OMEP World Assembly and International Conference will be held in Greece, between 12th to 15th July 2022, a country where the ancient philosopher Plato highlighted the importance of Early Childhood Education.

Education in early childhood and elementary school is fundamental for every individual, because it promotes holistic child’s development, offers opportunities for exploration and learning, and cultivates critical thinking and creativity. At the same time, Pre-school Education plays an important role in children’s school readiness and success, in order for them to become future active citizens. The theme for the OMEP International Conference in July 2022, is based on the need to consider and explore contemporary issues and dilemmas for Pre-school Education in the 21st century.

Cospar2022 – 44th Scientific Assembly

The mission of the COSPAR Athens 2022 held from July 16th to 24th, 2022 is to deliver a Scientific Assembly that reflects, serves, and prolongs COSPAR’s prominence, leading role and legacy. COSPAR Athens 2022 provides all necessary means to support COSPAR’s mission to ‘assemble a worldwide community of scientists who are dedicated to international cooperation in space research’.

COSPAR Athens 2022 SPC and LOC aim to:

Increase the attractiveness of COSPAR Scientific Assemblies by streamlining the scientific program, providing opportunities for networking between participants, encouraging and promoting participation, and creating an environment of unencumbered communication between space agencies, companies and entities interested in space research and technology with the global space research community;

Deliver an open forum of global scientific interaction and collaboration, free of any geopolitical impediments, tensions or differences;

Create a safe, zero-tolerance environment against any discrimination or harassment, as detailed in the generally accepted Code of Conduct;

Enhance and facilitate the participation of younger Associates by organizing a range of actions oriented toward or focused on them, by allowing a lower registration fee for students, by setting up a student and young associate meeting point during the Assembly, and by establishing a volunteer program for local students to support, and benefit from, the organization; and

Raise awareness within the Greek scientific community, among domestic entities with vested interests in space research and technology, and in the general public on the importance of international collaboration in these subjects and the core benefits of openly accessible top-level science to society’s continuous development and well-being.

The COSPAR Athens 2022 organization subscribes to the generally accepted Code of Conduct and is committed to enforcing it during the Assembly.

5th FORTE Summer School 2022

The 5th Edition of FORTE Summer Schoolwill be held in Athens, Greece from 25-29 July, 2022.

The Summer School aims to serve the needs of orthopaedic trainees of any stage; either as an annual update or as a preparation tool for National/European orthopaedic board exams. Exchange of ideas and comprehension of diversities between the different countries will be also encouraged, not only during the scientific sessions but also the social events.

Our team aims to promote the sustainable profile of each meeting through the digital promotion of relevant sessions and at the same time encourages the organization of activities within the context of each meeting. The support of the National and Local Authorities is always critical to the successful and effective sustainability actions.

04.2022

HAPCO & DES appoints Sissi Lignou as the new President of the BoD

The 11th Panhellenic Conference of HAPCO & DES, entitled "Reconnect to Accelarate", was held on 12-13 April 2022 at the Divani Caravel Hotel in Athens.

The restart of the in-person meetings and the strategy shaping the new framework for the future of the industry, were the main topics of the conference. The Annual Meeting of HAPCO & DES took place as an in-person meeting after two years of absence and included sessions on significant subjects, such as:

• The power of collaboration and synergies

• Sustainable development

• New leadership models

• Women and Leadership

• Mental health (how important is a pause before acceleration)

• Personal development and evolution

• “Metaverse and new technologies”

A particularly important session was the hybrid round table with the participation of six IAPCO members from Italy, Britain, Ireland, Greece and Mexico, and the IAPCO CEO, where the representatives exchanged views on the impact of the pandemic in each country and industry, the response and actions to address it, and the future plans.

This international working group (IAPCO Task Force of National Associations of PCOs) was created through the pandemic crisis and is a live example of the importance of cooperation and synergies.

During the HAPCO Annual Meeting the important and critical juncture of the Ukraine war was underlined, and the impact it is expected to have on the tourism and meetings industry and humanity as a whole. A very important moment of the conference, was the online live communication with the Lviv CVB representatives on the situation in Ukraine.

The General Assembly of the Association took place during the meeting and the new Board of Directors was elected, appointing Sissi Lygnou as the new President. Sissi Lygnou, has been a Board Member of HAPCO since 2007 and served as the Association’s Secretary General. Since 2009, she represents AFEA in the International Association of Professional Congress Organisers (IAPCO) and has participated in numerous IAPCO committees and working groups, representing the international body as a speaker and trainer. In February 2021, she was elected as a member of IAPCO, the first member from Greece.

The new Board of Directors of HAPCO & DES is as follows:

Honorary President

Irene Tolis, ERA Congress & Events

President

Sissi Lignou, AFEA Travel & Congress Services

1st Vice President

Panagiotis Podimatas, PODIMATAS AUDIOVISUAL

2nd Vice President

Maria Papadaki, EVENT MAKERS

Secretary General

Antonia Alexandrou, CONVIN SA

Treasurer

Dimitris Paliouras, GLOBAL EVENTS

Members:

Irini Toli, ERA Congress & Events

Zenia Kerasidou, MEGARON ATHENS, International Conference Centre

Costas Karageorgakis, ETS EVENTS & TRAVEL SOLUTIONS

George Kiagias, OPTIMUM GREECE

Maria Papapanagiotou, KEGM Tourist & Conference Enterprises SA Congress World

Evangelos Pantos, GRAND HYATT ATHENS

Alternate member

Thanos Marinoglou, MD CONGRESS

HAPCO was established in 1996, aiming to bring together and represent Professional Congress Organizers (PCOs), DMCs, Service Providers and companies in the Meetings Industry.

Source: HAPCO