AFEA Travel & Congress Services

02.2023

AFEA CEO re-elected for IAPCO Council

Sissy Lignou, AFEA CEO was re-elected to the IAPCO Council for another 2-year mandate 2023-2025 as a Council Officer at the election process during the IAPCO General Assembly and Annual Meeting, held in Jerusalem in February 2023.

AFEA is an active Member of IAPCO since 2009. Sissy has been representing AFEA in the International Association of Professional Congress Organisers (IAPCO) since then and has participated in various IAPCO committees and working groups, representing the international body, as well as a Faculty member in IAPCO’s educational activities. In February 2021, she was elected as a member of IAPCO Council, her first mandate as an IAPCO Council Officer, which was successfully completed in February 2023.

The re-election and new mandate is an important achievement and proof of the continuous support and contribution to the global Meetings Industry and Community.

On her re-election to the IAPCO Council, Sissi said:

“I feel extremely grateful to our members for their support, and I’m honored and happy to be able to continue with my mandate as Council Officer for the period 2023-2025. Contributing to IAPCO and the development of our global Meetings Community is of high value to me. In this respect, I will continue doing my best with passion and in collaboration with my fellow colleagues, with the aim to raise IAPCO's profile and to advocate its key role outside and inside our Industry.”

02.2023

AFEA at IAPCO Annual Meeting & General Assembly 2023

The 53rd IAPCO Annual Meeting & General Assembly was held in Jerusalem from 6 – 9 February 2023 with the key message was “Inspiring Technology – Creating an Impact.”

As a member of IAPCO, AFEA was represented by Sissi Lignou, CEO of the organization and also recently elected Member of IAPCO Council for a second mandate.

The AM & GA is always an opportunity to network with our peers and fellow IAPCO members, to be inspired by top speakers and key opinion leaders, to learn from the best in our field and to brainstorm on key topics of the sector. Additionally, we attended “refreshing” espresso exchange sessions, interactive exercises, educational workshops, based on personal development, leadership and collaboration practices. Among the top sessions we identified subjects such as on how to become a kind and honest leader and care for others, how to find our inner-compass and be the hero of our own story, why the “we is smarter than me”, what are the 5P to lead and inspire and how to be inclusive and more sustainable, all presented by exceptional speakers, partners and key stakeholders.

Last but not least, this year we also had the privilege to experience the highlights of a spiritual and unique destination.

Congratulations to the organizers Kenes Group, Ortra Incoming Tourism & Israel Jerusalem CVB.

Looking forward to the next annual IAPCO2024 Annual Meeting & General Assembly in the beautiful city of Ljubljana, Slovenia!

The Gold Award goes to AFEA for Conference of the Year

PRESS RELEASE

The Event Awards 2022 and Venue Awards 2022 presented the gold award to AFEA Congress, for organizing the flagship global space research and technology conference of the Committee on Space Research, the 44th COSPAR Scientific Assembly (16-24 July 2022, Athens, Greece).

Businesses that have invested in infrastructure and competitive services to host and compete for high-quality events participated in the big celebration of the industry, the Event Awards 2022 and Venue Awards 2022, which in recent years are being organized by BOUSSIAS.

AFEA prepared the nomination file of the 44th COSPAR Scientific Assembly, and Athens prevailed over the nominations of Warsaw, Lausanne and Prague. It is noteworthy that Athens was selected from the very first election, during the 42nd COSPAR Congress in Pasadena, California, USA.

More than 2,000 renowned space scientists from universities and research centers around the globe, as well as representatives of the largest international Space Services (NASA, ESA, CNES, JAXA, CSA, etc.) attended the Athens Conference. The largest companies of space technology products were also present, with exhibition stands of their own.

The COSPAR international conference became a significant case study on international level, since it was the first hybrid conference (a combination of physical and online participation) in the history of COSPAR, but also one of the first international conferences worldwide to balance online and physical presence on such a large scientific scale (30 parallel rooms for 7 full conference days).

This distinction is a recognition of the team's efforts and boosts the morale of the employees at AFEA Congress, which constantly adapts and evolves to the new conditions that govern infrastructure and services provided by conferences, while at the same time investing in important collaborations in Greece and around the world.