IMEX 2023: Greece Shows its Best Business Tourism Products to Attract MICE Travel

The GNTO team at IMEX 2023. Photo source: GNTO.

Greece showcased its business tourism products to representatives of the international market for conference, event and business incentive tourism at the IMEX 2023 international MICE tourism exhibition in Frankfurt.

Held May 23-25, the event saw the Greek National Tourism Organization (GNTO) present its best MICE (meetings, incentives, conferences & exhibitions) tourism offerings at a pavilion of 200 square meters.

The Greek delegation at IMEX 2023 saw 25 representatives, including the This is Athens-Convention & Visitors Bureauu (ACVB) and the Thessaloniki Convention Bureau (TCB), hotels with business faclities, conference centers and professional congress organizers (PCOs), showcasing Greece’s advantages as a destination to host international conferences.

Photo source: GNTO.

International visitors including entrepreneurs from the United States, Australia and Mexico were introduced to the advantages of organizing conferences and incentive travel in Greece. GNTO officials and co-exhibitors gave presentations and held private meetings to highlight the diverse opportunities available.

One of the highlights of IMEX 2023 was the Greek Mixology Experience, a cocktail networking event organized by GNTO’s German branch at the GNTO’s stand on the exhibition’s opening day.

The event, organized in collaboration with the newly established Greek Meetings Alliance, treated buyers and institutional representatives from the MICE industry to Greek delights, including Greek wines and cocktails with traditional Greek spirits such as masticha and tsipouro.

(L-R) GNTO Germany Head Nikoleta Nikolaidi; Greek General Consulate Head in Frankfurt Ioanna Kriebardil; GNTO Germany Deputy Head Areti Prinou. Photo source: GNTO.

The opening of IMEX 2023 featured the esteemed IMEX Policy Forum, which brought together more than 19 political representatives from 11 countries. The objective was to foster dialogue and establish collaborative frameworks with the business meetings and events sector, thus promoting knowledge sharing and synergies in these fields.

IMEX 2023 concluded with the traditional Gala Dinner & Awards evening held at the Alte Oper in Frankfurt. The event recognized outstanding contributions in the MICE market and destinations that embodied values such as innovation, community service, and sustainable development.

Photo source: GNTO.

“The 2023 edition clearly reflected industry pride and renewed confidence among exhibitors and, of course, a strong desire to do business with thousands of buyers,” said IMEX Chairman Ray Bloom.

With over 3,500 buyers arranging 55,000 appointments with IMEX exhibitors, including 47,000 individual appointments, the event demonstrated the significance of the business tourism sector. Looking ahead, IMEX Frankfurt is scheduled to return on May 14-16, 2024.