Conference tourism could triple its benefit to the Greek economy, which, according to industry experts, could reach over 6 billion euros annually from €2 billion today, subject to the development of appropriate infrastructure and the implementation of relevant promotional activities.
That was the main message emerging from the 14th Congress of the Hellenic Association of Professional Conference Organizers & Destination Events Specialists (HAPCO & DES) and comes at a time when the government, through Hellenic Public Properties Company (ETAD), is attempting to upgrade both the conference venues of the Thessaloniki International Fair and to establish a Metropolitan Conference Center in Athens at the Faliro Sports Hall.
Both potential modern conference centers will, however, take several years to complete, although at least in Thessaloniki’s case procedures have already begun for the selection of a contractor for a public-private partnership.
At the same time, in Athens, an attempt is being made to include the property in ETAD’s portfolio in the development programs of the Attica Region in order to finance the appropriate infrastructure and, in cooperation with a private party, to develop a modern conference center.
Unlike other European cities, Athens does not have a decent conference center that can accommodate a significant number of conference participants in appropriate infrastructure. Even so, the recovery of conference tourism in Greece, after the pandemic that froze this activity worldwide, has gained very strong momentum: In 2024 a 20% increase was recorded from 2023, while similar growth is predicted for the current year, the HAPCO conference heard.
Nevertheless the gap in relation to other Mediterranean countries remains large. According to data from the International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA) that only concerns the conferences of international associations, Italy ranks first in Europe, followed by Spain, while Portugal is in seventh place and Greece is in 11th.
Also, at the city level, Athens ranks 11th in Europe and 15th in the world, and Thessaloniki is 26th in Europe and 42nd in the world. Based on the latest available data, however, Thessaloniki surpassed popular conference destinations such as Munich, Ljubljana, Zurich and Valencia in the ranking.