On Friday 8 July 2022, the founding General Assembly of the Association of Exhibition Organisers and Manufacturers of Greece (SOKEE), which represents the exhibition industry in Greece, took place.
Representing a sector with over 1,050 companies, 4,400 employees and €225m turnover, it addresses the need to communicate the importance of trade fairs and public exhibitions for the Greek economy. SOKEE represents a sector with multiplier economic benefits for the Greek economy, which generates a total economic benefit of over €1 billion for a multitude of associated sectors such as tourism, catering, conferences, catering, transport, customs clearance, and many others, while multiplying tax revenues.
According to IOBE, the average international trade fair visitor spends €1,150 per visit to an international trade fair, and often stays in the country for tourism purposes beyond the days spent at the fair. In cities with large exhibition centres, exhibitions generate 1⁄4 of the total overnight stays within the city. In addition, according to a study by the international exhibition organisation UFI on the economic impact of exhibitions, each square metre of exhibition space generates a turnover of €7,900.
The President of SOKEE, Mr. Theodoros Vokos, stressed: “The establishment of our organisation has as its main objective the representation of professionals who are active in the sector and formulate decisions which may have an impact on the proper functioning of the dynamic sector of trade fairs. Our sector is of key importance for important pillars of the Greek economy such as tourism, catering and transport, while it also plays an important role in the country’s extroversion, thanks mainly to its contribution to the promotion of the Greek primary sector, products and innovation internationally.”
RM International, with more than 30 years of exhibition experience, having successfully organized exhibitions in the most important and demanding exhibition venues and in key sectors such as food and beverages, real estate and dental-dental products, could not but support this effort in its genesis.
