ACB: Athens’ Reputation Abroad Is Improving

Director of Athens Convention Bureau George Aggelis at the bureau’s stand at EIBTM 2012. During EIBTM, hosted buyers had the opportunity to literally see Athens everywhere, as ACB had made an agreement for a 10-second video spot on Athens to be screened throughout the duration of the exhibition. The video was screened in all modes of transport of the hosted buyers, from the airport to the exhibition venue, and on many screens in all areas of the Fira Gran Via exhibition center.

The climate for the Greek capital showed signs of improvement at the EIBTM 2012 exhibition as many professionals expressed “last minute” interest in the Greek capital for the hosting of conferences, incentive trips and corporate meetings next year, the Athens Development and Destination Management Agency said today, Tuesday, 4 December.

EIBTM is the leading exhibition for the conference, incentives, events, business travel and meetings industry and was held this year 27-29 November, in Barcelona, Spain.

The agency took part in this year’s EIBTM through the Athens Convention Bureau (ACB) as part of its strategy to strengthen Athens’ position in the international market of conferences and corporate meetings.

At EIBTM, ACB officials conducted some 100 meetings and scheduled appointments with hosted buyers, trade visitors-conference and events organizers, incentive travel organizers, representatives of international organizations, etc.

The bureau also presented the new edition of the professional city guide “Athens Meeting Planer’s Guide.”

ACB estimated that if “conditions of normality” prevail from now on and Greek businesses involved in the Greek capital’s conference market maintain a flexible pricing policy for 2013-2014, the situation for Athens would improve in regards to hosting conferences and meetings in the city.

Meetings in 2013 on an international level
According to the American Express Meetings & Events 2013 Global Meetings Forecast, Asia Pacific, with its relatively strong economy, is likely to see the strongest growth among regions in both spending and the number of meetings.

However, in North America, economic uncertainty is expected to keep those categories relatively flat, while Europe will likely experience declines as it continues to face a currency crisis and, due to political instability in some markets, Central/South America is also expected to see slight declines overall, especially in spend.