"HAPCO GREECE – Hellenic Association of Professional Congress Organizers"





HAPCO’s vision is to promote Greece as one of the leading conference and meetings destination within the international market with activities that focus on the continuous improvement of Greek congress tourism. HAPCO’s members stand out for their dynamic involvement in the industry and come from diverse backgrounds related to the meetings industry. Thanks to their specialization, know-how and considerable experience, they ensure that the organization and management of national and international association conferences, corporate meetings and incentives are up to the highest professional standards. We are more than pleased to welcome your events to our country and look forward to their effective fulfillment in Greece, a land with tremendous potential and an atmosphere of beauty and tranquility.

So if you are planning an event in Greece and looking for a congress organizer, a venue or any other professional, offering services related to business travel and meetings tourism, please visit our members section or contact us for further assistance.

In today’s world of ever growing mobility in geographical, economic, professional and cultural terms, Greece provides a stimulating environment comprising a mild Mediterranean climate, natural beauties, exquisite gastronomy, sound infrastructure, a wealth of history and heritage, multifaceted culture and a vibrant nightlife, making it the ideal destination for congresses, conventions and business travel.



Greece is one of the most popular tourist destinations worldwide. It welcomes annually more than 14 million tourists. Greece presents a variety of accommodation facilities situated in the most beautiful landscape and in the most convenient city locations offering quality services all year round.

Today, Greece’s accommodation potential numbers 670,000 beds, distributed in over 352,000 rooms in approximately 8,900 hotel units. 370 of those top class hotels, offer conference facilities.

The tourism industry accounts for 18-20% of the national GDP. According to the National Bank of Greece, business travel and tourism is responsible for almost 15% of the total income coming from the tourism sector.



Offering delegates what constitutes a sine qua non in terms of organization, infrastructure, accommodation, transport and quality of venues, Greece, a long-time favourite and unrivalled choice for the incentive, cultural and conference planner, works its magic on any individual traveler or group.

Almost every city in Greece offers excellent conference facilities combined with high standards of accommodation services and of course unique museums, archaeological sites, shopping and a broad variety of nightlife.



At this point it is pertinent to mention that the perfect organization of the major events including the Olympic Games of 2004, which left an excellent impression with the global community, highlighted the enormous possibilities of the country and proved that Greece has gained the trust of big entrepreneurs on the international market, both in tourism and other areas, and gradually is establishing itself as the ideal choice of destination for the organization of larger and smaller conventions, international exhibitions, as well as major investments within the framework of the tourist industry.


GREECE: AN IDEAL SETTING
Greece is ideal for Business Travel & Congress Tourism

- A “strategic” geographic location: Greece, due to its position on the world-map constitutes the crossroads between Eastern Europe, the Balkans, the Middle East and North Africa
- A rich history and a unique heritage and culture
- Breathtaking landscapes
- Ideal climate
- Unquestionable safety
- Significant infrastructure
- World-class accommodation services
- Competitive rates


HERITAGE & CULTURE
Greece is a unique destination thanks to its:

- Rich history, spanning thousands of years: Home of monumental architecture, sculpture, theatre, philosophy, medicine
- Significance for the Western civilization: Greece is the birthplace of the very first European civilizations including the Minoan, the Mycenaean, the Spartan, the Macedonian and of course the Golden Ages Era of Athens.
- Lively folk tradition: The visitor gets the opportunity to participate in very interesting festivities and customs all year round - Contemporary cultural production in music, theatre, film and the visual arts
- Major cultural events. A characteristic example is the Biennial Exhibition in Athens




MUSEUMS AND MONUMENTS
Land of history and heritage

A visit to archaeological sites, museums and monuments all over the country offers a vivid picture of the civilizations in Greece, their achievements in arts and technology from the pre-historic era to modern times.


Visitors can experience:

- 17 monuments of cultural heritage (UNESCO)
- 292 archaeological sites
- 318 museums
- 774 historic and cultural monuments of international importance


WEATHER
Visitors in Greece get “spoiled” with a fine average of more than 290 days of sunlight annually, making it the perfect place for business travel and tourism.


Greece is an ideal year-round destination thanks to its:

- Excellent Mediterranean climate
- Sunshine during most months
- Mild winters
- Warm temperatures (20-30°C on average)
- Limited rainfall (average 31mm)


SAFETY
Greece is one of the safest European countries offering:

- High standards of security measures
- Safe and effective means of public transportation
- Excellent track record in the organization of major events
- Improved safety infrastructure after the 2004 Olympic Games


A SETTING OF MAJOR EVENTS
In addition to the Olympic Games, Greece has recently hosted successfully a number of world-class events, including:

- “Patras 2006”, the European Capital of Culture
- Eurovision Song Contest Athens 2006
- 2007 Athens Champions League Final in Football
- 2007 Athens Final Four Euroleague in Basketball
- Rally Acropolis WRC
- Athens Biennial – “Destroy Athens”


At this point it is pertinent to mention that the perfect organization of the major events mentioned above, which left an excellent impression with the global community, highlighted the enormous possibilities of the country and proved that Greece has gained the trust of big entrepreneurs on the international market, both in tourism and other areas, and gradually is establishing itself as the ideal choice of destination for the organization of larger and smaller conventions, international exhibitions, as well as major investments within the framework of the tourist industry.


INFRASTUCTURE & TRANSPORTATION NETWORK

- In total there are 44 airports in the country. The new award winning Athens International Airport “Eleftherios Venizelos” located only 20klms east of Athens, features state-of-the-art facilities for the comfort and security of 16 million passengers per year
- The “Egnatia Odos”, a 680-kilometre four-lane motorway runs from Greece’s west coast in the Ionian Sea all the way to the Turkish border in the east, featuring some 85 klms of bridges and tunnels
- The rail network has also been greatly developed, which connects the country from northern Evro to southern Peloponnese
- There are ports on almost all of the islands, but also on the coastal regions of the mainland of Greece
- Superb Olympic athletic facilities in Athens and every Olympic City in Greece


ACCOMMODATION
Greece is one of the most popular tourist destinations worldwide. Annually, welcomes more than 14 million tourists. Greece presents a variety of accommodation facilities situated in the most beautiful landscapes and in the most convenient city locations offering quality services all year round.

Today, Greece’s accommodation potential numbers 670,000 beds, distributed in over 352,000 rooms in approximately 8,900 hotel units. 370 high standard of those hotels, offer conference facilities.



CONFERENCE FACILITIES
Almost every city in Greece offers excellent conference facilities combined with high standards of accommodation services and of course unique museums, archaeological sites, shopping and a broad variety of nightlife.


Greece offers exquisite conference and meetings facilities:

- 84 Conference Centres
- 9 Resort Hotels with autonomous Convention Centres
- 370 Hotels with Conference Facilities – 144 Cat. De Lux
- 463 Congress Venues
- 1963 Congress Halls and Meeting Rooms


INCENTIVES
Visitors can experience various activities in spectacular places:

- 50 Preserved natural monuments
- 10 National Parks
- 19 Ski resorts
- 45 Lakes and lagoons abound in Greece
- 10 Wetlands of international importance
- 56 hydro-treatment centres and natural mineral sprngs
- 6 thalassotherapy centers
- Visitors can always get involved in Extreme Sports (canoe-kayak, rafting, monoraft, hydrospeed, canyoning, mountain biking, etc), activities which have seen a spectacular rise in popularity in recent years


CURRENCY
Since March 2002 the monetary unit of Greece is the EURO. Major credit-cards are widely accepted although cash is preferred in most shops, especially the smaller ones.

FORMALITIES
As a member of the EU, Greece does not require any travel documents for travellers that are citizens of the EU. For travellers outside EU passport and visa are required.
 


HAPCO – Hellenic Association of Professional Congress Organizers

2-4 Alkmeonidon St.,
161 21, Athens
Greece

TEL.: (+30) 210 7256 541 - 3
FAX: (+30) 210 7258 487
EMAIL: hapco@hapco.gr