Conflict, Consequences and Cooperation: Post-Conflict Issues and Human Security in Southeastern Europe

Program Description

A traditional summer program in Thessaloniki consisting of two (2) courses for six (6) credits, combined with field experience in Kosovo. Courses include History 221: Global Modernities: World History Since 1900, and Politics 221: The Balkans in Contemporary International Relations. This program offers the ideal setting for considering some of the most vital issues of our time: globalization, security, development, and cultural engagement. Being "on the ground" in the Balkans will augment study with experience in a place with many challenges, yet also many opportunities, as well as warm and welcoming people. Whether a student of history, human security, international relations, or practically any field, one can gain much from participating in this summer experience.

Program Dates: June 18 - July 24, 2020

Top executives from multinational companies as well as representatives of hotel chains and consulting companies presented the most current trends that are visible in the tourism industry, both from a global and national perspective. Data was presented at the Workshop "Tourism of Tomorrow", organized for the second year by ACT - American College of Thessaloniki in the framework of its graduate and postgraduate academic programs in Tourism and Hospitality. The workshop was held on Friday 18 January 2019 at the Thessaloniki Music Hall, (Building Μ2, “Maurice Saltiel” Hall), under the sponsorship of the Association of Greek Tourism Enterprises (SETE) and the Thessaloniki Hotels Association with many present from the business and academia sectors.

The public was welcomed by Dr. Panos Vlachos, President of Anatolia College, who spoke about the role and responsibility that educational institutions hold, especially today, in discussions that have been raised in society regarding the future of Greek tourism. In his address, Spiros Pegas, Deputy Mayor of Tourism in the Municipality of Thessaloniki, stated that Thessaloniki has been placed on the map of international tourist destinations, and described it as the future of Greek tourism for young people who are interested in studying and/or working in the field. Grigoris Tasios, President of the Hellenic Hoteliers Foundation observed that the large number of arrivals and new market data, such as short-term leases, found the industry unprepared, however, appreciated that the academic community and new educational programs can promote quality of growth of the tourist product. Andreas Mandrinos, President of the Thessaloniki Hotels Association spoke about the need of investments and improvements in the infrastructure of the Port of Thessaloniki in order to attract cruises, a sector in which the city is lagging as it is ranked 33 rd among the 43 ports in the country.

The workshop also presented the results of the large ongoing research that ACT is conducting for the tourist destinations of Rhodes and Halkidiki, in collaboration with the Association of Rhodes Hotels and the Halkidiki Tourism Organization, respectively.

The Speakers

The main speaker of this year's event was Sarah Duignan, Director of Clients Relationships of the multinational company STR. The data that the company had selected, as well as the data analysis that it had carried out, were presented for the first time and revealed a trend of recovery in the Greek tourism sector, an index rise of Rev / Par (revenue per available room) in the last five years, in comparison to the displayed index decrease to competitors, Spain and Italy, as well as an increase of investments by large hotel chains in Athens.

The main speaker of this year’s workshop, Sarah Duignan, Director of Clients Relationships of the multinational company STR.

Giorgos Spanos, CEO of Domes Resorts, mentioned that hotel services must be diversified and verticalized, highlighting the lack of skilled executives, while encouraging students to pursue a degree, which combines Tourism with e- commerce, digital marketing, IT, etc.

Hotels have to upgrade and adjust their services, said Konstantinos Tornivoukas, CEO of the Tor Hotel Group: presence in many different digital platforms, well- designed websites, new cancellations policies, more friendly terms for the client, possibility of prolonged stay, larger rooms, and 24-hour services were suggested as ways to reverse the flow of customers to AirBnB accommodation.

The fact that 25% of Greek GDP is generated by tourism is not a sign of prosperity in the Greek economy, said Haris Siganos, CEO of Zeus International, who pointed out that tour operators still hold a very high percentage of the market in Greece - four times compared to other markets. Based on the example of Zeus, which, with the expansion to Italy, now manages 3,500 rooms, Mr. Siganos considered it highly promising the fact that Greece "has recently started to export tourism management apart from executives in the field."

From the left, the speakers of the first unit, Giorgos Spanos, CEO, Domes Resorts, Konstantinos Tornivoukas, CEO, Tor Hotel Group, Haris Siganos, CEO of Zeus International, Grigoris Maliasas, Senior Vice President of Luxury Brands, Accor Hotels (Central & Eastern Europe) and coordinator of the workshop Konstantinos Deriziotis, author of “Money and Tourism”.

Gregory Maliasas, Senior Vice President of Luxury Brands, Accor Hotels (Central & Eastern Europe), spoke about the explosion of the tourist product in China, where a new hotel opens every 33 hours, while at the moment, 1,000 new hotels are being built all around the world. Furthermore, 67% of visitors are looking for new and different experiences inside the hotels. He described "Thessaloniki as a difficult market" and said that only recently hotel owners have begun to be more receptive to the concession of management.

Marios Trivizas, Principal Consultant of Deloitte noted that hotel businesses need to get to know their customers, understand their needs in order to satisfy them, and added that experiences tailored to customer wishes can bring about the diversification of services.

Hotel chains and the unique experiences that these hotels offer to their guests were presented by Georgia Dodou, PR Manager for Greece, Sani Resorts – Ikos Resort who referenced the way in which the group is displayed in international markets, which puts emphasis on emotion, the overall image, the senses and high aesthetics.

Sophia Panagiotaki, Managing Director of PRMEDIACO & NEEDaFIXER, showed a video as the future of tourism display and promotion. In the digital environment, the goal is to "sell a destination within a minute and this will not happen by giving information, but rather by creating a feeling to convince the traveler to choose it," she stressed.

Alkis Sotiriou, Managing Director of Makedonia Palace Hotel, presented an in- depth record of the tourist movements of 2016 - 2017. The interesting conclusions show the trend of increased seasonality, the accumulation of traffic during the summer months and the need to extend the tourist season.

Camryn Norwood, Fiona Dhamo and Aleksa Ocokoljic, students in the Tourism and Hospitality Department of ACT present the research results for the tourist destinations of Rhodes and Chalkidiki. The research was conducted by Anestis Anastasiou, Coordinator of Tourism and Hospitality Studies at ACT.

Fraport's new research on the content of services at 14 regional airports was presented by Katerina Polatou, Marketing & Development Manager of the company. The findings are that 85% of passengers are tourists, not only from England and Germany, but also from Italy, Poland, the Netherlands, Sweden, France and Russia, all countries in which Greek tourism has to target. As far as Thessaloniki is concerned, 55% of its airport’s passengers are Greek. It is remarkable, however, that Thessaloniki hosts the majority of visitors with different nationalities after Santorini.

In the immediate future, people are predicted to suffer from loneliness and noise as most will live in big cities. Tourism will not only be an escape from everyday life, but will be a soul healing experience as described by Alexandra Eustathiadou of Ekies Resorts. Respect for the environment and local community, the coexistence, and search for people with common interests are at the forefront of the preferences of the younger generation “who will look for real authentic connections in their travel experiences in order to find themselves”.

The speakers and organizers of the ACT Workshop “The Tourism of Tomorrow”.

The event and discussion that followed was coordinated by Konstantinos Deriziotis author of “Money and Tourism”.
Sponsors of the event were Deloitte, Sani Resorts and Ikos Resorts.
Airline sponsors of the event were Aegean Airlines, residence sponsor was Makedonia Palace and media sponsor was “Money and Tourism” ( https://money-tourism.gr/ ).

Translation by Kristina Babali, Christina Daniskas, Nausica Xatzopoulous

Managing Director, Deventum

Ο Γιώργος εργάζεται από το 2014 ως Managing Director της Deventum, ενώ έχει πολυετή εμπειρία ως manager σε έργα web development και ΙΤ, βοηθώντας στη διάρκεια της καριέρας του πολλές επιχειρήσεις να αναπτυχθούν στον χώρο του διαδικτύου.

Έχει βρεθεί επικεφαλής projects ηλεκτρονικού εμπορίου (eCommerce) στους κλάδους της φιλοξενίας, του τουρισμού, του λιανεμπορίου, της μόδας, της εκπαίδευσης και του επίπλου, μεταξύ άλλων.

Γνωρίζει σε βάθος web technologies όπως PHP, Python, Symfony framework, Django framework, Backbone.js, Angular.js, React.js, User Experience Optimization, Conversion Optimization, Web Analytics.

Ειδικεύεται σε τεχνολογίες digital marketing όπως Google AdWords Search & Display, Search Engine Optimization, Social Media Optimization, Email marketing.

Στην κατηγορία των τεχνολογιών IT, έχει ειδίκευση στα Active Directory, διαχείριση συστημάτων Linux, Checkpoint firewalls, Cisco switches & routers, εφαρμογή και διαχείριση Splunk, και Network Monitoring Systems.

Karina a fourth-year student at ACT, is studying International Relations with a full scholarship, and recently was awarded the Newman Civic Fellowship by Campus Compact which aims to build democracy through civic education and community development. Karina was born, in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, and grew up in Volos and Larissa. She moved to Thessaloniki to pursue studies at ACT. Her research and active engagement in the community and in ACT, granted her the amazing opportunity of representing ACT, and Greece in Boston’s annual conference of the Newman Civic Fellows National Conference. Persistent, devoted to her goals and enthusiastic, Karina is ready for her next step...

You were born in a foreign country; you were brought up in Larisa; now you are a full scholarship recipient at ACT studying International Relationships; you have also received the Newman Civic Fellowship. What drives your efforts?

My name is Karina Iskandarova (Iskander in the Uzbek language means Great Alexander) and I was born in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. In 1997, my mother and I came to Greece, loved the country and started a new life. I went to a Greek school and completely adapted to the Greek system and culture. Initially, during my childhood, I was living in Volos city, but in 2014, I moved to Larisa. One year later, my mother Guzel saw that the American College of Thessaloniki granted scholarships through a written exam and she strongly urged me to go and at least try. Three months later, I got an exciting phone call from the ACT Enrollment Office informing me that I won a 100% scholarship and that I was listed among the top three candidates who achieved the highest score in Greece. Honestly, when I heard the good news I started crying out of happiness as a new chapter in my life had begun.

After finishing high school I felt completely lost as I did not know what could be my real career goal in life. When I entered my first year of studies, I would attend all the events ACT organized, I volunteered in the majority of ACT activities, represented ACT in simulations of the United Nations both in Thessaloniki and abroad (Paris) and got elected twice for the Student Government. All these actions along with the charity drive for the homeless that I initiated with the help of the SGA and the head of student activities Stepan Partemian, won me the Newman Civic Fellowship Award in 2018. My active engagement in the community and in ACT granted me this amazing opportunity of having the honor to represent our college, our country, and the whole of Europe in Boston’s annual conference in November 2018. The truth is that beyond my enthusiasm, the thing that most, drives my efforts is my will to grab any opportunity that comes in my way as opportunities come and go.

You are working on a project about the educational opportunities for Roma girls. How is the project evolving?

I will soon get the permissions in order to carry out my project in schools at Dentropotamos area, in Thessaloniki, albeit with a slight change in the focus groups. Particularly, the educational project will address both young boys and girls as I would like to see how both genders perceive their rights.

You visited Boston last November to attend the Newman Civic Fellows National Conference. Tell us a bit about your experience there.

First of all, it was my first time traveling in the USA, and it was a dream comes true. The conference took place in the Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the United States Senate, an amazing place to be. During the first day of the conference, I met many young people coming from different states, presenting their projects. I was the only one that traveled from that far away and with a project that was vastly different from the rest. We met influential speakers, the guest stars of the conference, such as Lydia Edwards (Boston City Councilor) and Kenneth Reardon (professor of urban planning and director of urban planning and community development) who both delivered excellent speeches, inspiring me even more through their interesting stories and advice.

How has ACT prepared you for your future plans? What will your next step be?

ACT has offered me courses that were taught by charismatic professors who have successfully managed to help me see the world differently, become more open-minded and disciplined. I want to thank each one of them for their significant contribution to my way of thinking of the world and the problems societies face. Our professors love their job, behave in a democratic way and respect their students’ opinions. With regards to my next step, after my graduation in June, I want to do humanitarian work in order to get a hands-on experience relevant to my major, and most probably continue for post-graduate studies abroad. 

Why did you choose to study International Relations? What would be your advice to a young girl who is thinking of studying International Relations?

I chose to study IR as it is a major that is close to my interests and is a field that combines different areas of studies. More specifically, through IR, a student will not only learn how the EU and the UN operate, but also, how politics, philosophy, psychology, human rights, economics, and many more, connect with one another. My advice to a young girl or boy who is thinking to study IR is to, of course, do it! For the reason that, through IR, students not only get well rounded and interdisciplinary knowledge but also because, due to the wide diversity of courses that are taught, their professional opportunities are greater than those of students in other majors.

Do you have a personal motto?

“Positivity is the way to go. Negativity only makes you stop”.

Executive Director of Institutional Marketing & PK-12 Enrollment, Anatolia College

Ξεκίνησε την καριέρα του ως Product Manager στο τμήμα μάρκετινγκ της NEOSET ΑΕΒΕ στα τέλη της δεκαετίας του '90 κι εργάστηκε στη βιομηχανία επίπλων για σχεδόν τρία χρόνια.

Το 2000 μπήκε στον “καθαρόαιμο” χώρο της επικοινωνίας, όταν του δόθηκε η ευκαιρία να δουλέψει σε ορισμένες από τις κορυφαίες διαφημιστικές εταιρείες του κλάδου: TBWA, UpSet!, και MullenLowe,  εκ των οποίων οι δύο ήταν και πολυεθνικές. Στις εταιρείες αυτές εργάστηκε για περισσότερα από 7 χρόνια, και είχε την ευκαιρία να χειριστεί σημαντικούς Ελληνικούς και διεθνείς λογαριασμούς όπως: Citroën,  SEAT, Chrysler-Jeep, Dodge , TOYOTOMI, Factory Outlet, Michelin, Oxford Company, Ράδιο Κορασίδη, ΔΕΠΑ κ.α.

Το 2007 έκανε μια νέα αλλαγή σταδιοδρομίας και προσχώρησε στο Anatolia College, όπου σήμερα κατέχει τη θέση του Executive Director of Institutional Marketing & PK-12 Enrollment, ενώ παράλληλα διδάσκει Marketing, Digital Marketing, καθώς και Advertising στο ΑCT School of Business του οργανισμού.

Είναι επίσης συνιδρυτής και Πρόεδρος του ΔΣ της Blender SkG ΑΕ, ενός boutique Ad Agency με έδρα τη Θεσσαλονίκη.

Κατέχει πτυχίο Bachelor of Science στη Διοίκηση Επιχειρήσεων με κατεύθυνση στο Marketing από το Deree College, Μεταπτυχιακό τίτλο Master of Arts στο Marketing από το Πανεπιστήμιο Middlesex της Μεγάλης Βρετανίας και PG Diploma in Digital Business από το Emeritus, σε συνεργασία με το MIT Sloan & το Columbia Business School ExecEd.

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Creative Copywriter

Ο Θωμάς έχει πάθος με τη δημιουργικότητα σε κάθε της μορφή και δεν έπαψε στιγμή να γράφει.

Η πορεία του ως κειμενογράφος ξεκίνησε στη Blender SKG το 2010, όπου ενθουσιάστηκε με τον κόσμο της διαφήμισης. Εργάζεται έκτοτε στον χώρο ως freelancer, βοηθώντας τους πελάτες του να επικοινωνήσουν καλύτερα τη στρατηγική τους, να διαχειριστούν και να βελτιώσουν το περιεχόμενό τους, γράφοντας διαφημιστικά κείμενα ή δημιουργώντας περιεχόμενο για διάφορα μέσα.

Από το 2013 διατηρεί τη θέση του Marketing Copywriter στο Κολλέγιο Ανατόλια, ενώ το 2019 εντάχθηκε στο Digital Diploma του ACT ως εισηγητής για να μοιραστεί μαζί σας τις γνώσεις του και τις καλύτερες πρακτικές του κλάδου, δίνοντας σας τα απαραίτητα εφόδια για να μοιραστείτε και εσείς με τη σειρά σας με επιτυχία το περιεχόμενό σας στο διαρκώς μεταβαλλόμενο ψηφιακό περιβάλλον.

Τον ελεύθερό του χρόνο τον περνάει διαβάζοντας τα νέα των ψηφιακών μέσων, γράφοντας στο προσωπικό του blog, σκρολάροντας στους διάφορους λογαριασμούς που διατηρεί στα social media και φρεσκάροντας τις γνώσεις του στις ξένες γλώσσες.

Copywriter - Brand Narrator

Γεννήθηκε στην Αθήνα το 1973, και ζει στη Θεσσαλονίκη από το 1988. Από το 2003 βρίσκεται στον χώρο της διαφήμισης, και από τότε εργάζεται ως κειμενογράφος και brand narrator.

Κατά το παρελθόν έχει συνεργαστεί με τον Πολιτιστικό Οδηγό Θεσ/νίκης & Βορ. Ελλάδος, συμμετείχε το 2014 σε επίπεδο concept και κειμένων στη συλλογική έκδοση του ΚΕ.Θ.Ε.Α. Ωδή Στον Κώδικα, ενώ κείμενα και ιστορίες του φιλοξενούνται -πέρα από online συλλογές και blogs- στις ανθολογίες φαντασίας και μυστηρίου Αντίθετο Ημισφαίριο 3 & 4 της Gamecraft.

Είχε τη χαρά να είναι συνδημιουργός -σε επίπεδο σεναρίου- της ταινίας μικρού μήκους του 2012 Nobody’s Perfetc -με συμμετοχές και βραβεύσεις σε φεστιβάλ όπως αυτό των Καννών και της Δράμας. Εδώ και 3 χρόνια ανήκει στην οργανωτική ομάδα του Taratsa International Film Festival, ενώ επιμελείται και τις σειρές προβολών Movieing Underground που συνδιοργανώνουν ο όμιλος Mediaview και το Jameson.

Επιπλέον, είναι μέλος της πολιτιστικής εταιρίας dot2dot, με την οποία πραγματοποιεί για 5η συνεχόμενη χρονιά φέτος τις διαδρομές Αυτός, Αυτές και τα Μυστήρια 1 & 2 με θέμα τη μυστική και μεταφυσική ιστορία της πόλης. Τέλος, ασχολείται με το ραδιόφωνο ως παραγωγός στον OFF Radio, και είχε την αρχισυνταξία και σεναριακή επιμέλεια στον πρώτο κύκλο της εκπομπής της ΕΤ3 Άγρια Ελλάδα που προβλήθηκε το φθινόπωρο του 2017.

General Manager of Digital Operations, BGM OMD Greece

Ο Πέτρος Λυτρίβης εντάχθηκε στην BGM OMD το 2016 και σήμερα κατέχει τη θέση του General Manager of Digital Operations.

Πριν από την BGM OMD, ο Πέτρος εργάστηκε σε ένα boutique Digital Agency, την “Cubik-S” όπου είχε την ευθύνη σημαντικών Κυπριακών Εταιρειών & Λογαριασμών, όπως το Nanobionic, Medochemie, Odelo (Online super market), Engino (Online Educational Toys), Cybarco (Luxury Property Developer) και άλλων.

Επιπλέον, έχει υπάρξει συνιδρυτής ενός lifestyle & fashion magazine το “galsnguys.gr”, μέσω του οποίου έμαθε πώς να επιλύει διάφορα επιχειρηματικά θέματα και πώς να αναπτύσσει ένα digital startup με ιδιαίτερα χαμηλό διαφημιστικό budget.

Από το Google AdWords και τις διαφημίσεις σε Facebook & Ανάλυση των data, παρομοιάζει τον εαυτό με έναν "digital ninja".

Ο Πέτρος Λυτρίβης έχει αναλάβει την ανάπτυξη του Programmatic τμήματος της εταιρείας, εξασφαλίζοντας βέλτιστα επιχειρηματικά αποτελέσματα για μεγάλες πολυεθνικές και μη εταιρείες FMCG και Ενέργειας στην Ελλάδα, όπως το ΦΥΣΙΚΟ ΑΕΡΙΟ ΕΛΛΗΝΙΚΗ ΕΤΑΙΡΕΙΑ ΕΝΕΡΓΕΙΑΣ, Pernod Ricard, Hasbro, HSBC, HP & PepsiCo/Tasty.

Είναι απόφοιτος του Α.Τ.Ε.Ι Πειραιά του τμήματος Διοίκησης Επιχειρήσεων. Στη συνέχεια ολοκλήρωσε τις μεταπτυχιακές του σπουδές στο Πανεπιστήμιο του Ηνωμένου Βασιλείου, Southampton, όπου και διακρίθηκε με αριστεία στο τμήμα MSc Στρατηγικής Επιχειρηματικότητας. Στην παρούσα φάση σπουδάζει το δεύτερο μεταπτυχιακό του τίτλο, το MA Advertising Strategy & Planning στο Πανεπιστήμιο του Falmouth στο Ηνωμένο Βασίλειο.

Εκτός από την τεχνολογία, απολαμβάνει μεγάλους περιπάτους με την κόρη, τη γυναίκα & τον σκύλο του.