Friends of Greece: Project no. 1: Trade Promotion

We, the Friends of Greece

 

PROJECT 1

How to help Greek companies increase their export

 

We all know that Greece is producing many very good and highly appreciated products. Olive oil, wine, yoghurt, fruit, tzatiki, Metaxa, Ouzo, leather products - and much more.

We also know that it is very difficult to find these product in the shops outside Greece.

 

This project is about helping our Greek friends to have many more of their products on our shelves. In all European countries.

We will start with a pilot project in Denmark.

 

1. We will create a special home page on available Greek products in our shops. It will try to tell which products are in which shops, if we get this information from the shops.

2. We will ask major supermarkets and others for information about which Greek products they already sell.  And put that on the website.

3. We will give the possibility to importers of Greek products to write directly into our website and in this way making it dynamic and self-developing.

3. We will offer organisations of Greek producers advertisements on our website. These ads will in the beginning be for free. Later on - if it will be a success - we might ask for small contributions for ads to finance the website.

4. The website has to become very well known - and very often visited.  A way to do that could be to link it to a competition, where visitors (if they register) can win a free trip to Greece  (done in cooperation with one or more travel agencies).

5. It is evident that this promotion service can in no way take any responsibility for the quality of the products and their availability. This is and should be the responsibility of the shops and importers.

6. When the pilot project in Denmark - in close cooperation with Greek partners - is up and running the aim is to start similar initiatives in other European countries.

7. We already have a number of very important contacts and partners in Greece, such as:

*   I am Dora Kyriakopoulou from Athens in Greece and I represent ALL THE BEST OF GREECE  in Athens-based marketing export  Specialist of high quality Greek Products & Services!

We are a startup company and have the same vision as you, to represent the new, innovative, high quality Greece and its products abroad.

I would be delighted to stay in contact with you and find a possible cooperation framework.

www.allthebestofgreece.com  

 

*  Development Agency of Karditsa:  I already have forwarded your message to the president of a local network of SMEs producing Food and Beverage products. He is very gland for your proposal and he will open a discussion with the SMEs – members of the network. I will inform you soon about the results.

Finally, I inform you  that we participate in another network in National Level called “Greek Finest Tastes”. We are planning to organize in the autumn an event in Brussels, promoting the Greek local Products and the authentic tastes of them and of food cooked using local products. If you have time to participate in this event you will have the chance to meet businessmen coming from all over Greece and discuss directly with them.

www.anka.gr

 

 

*  Exporters' Association of Northern Greece:  Greek International Business Association (SEVE) was established in 1975 as a nonprofit organisation and is currently the largest association of exporting companies in Greece numbering more than 500 member – companies of all sectors of activity (attached please find relevant information). SEVE’s members are regularly informed regarding legislative and financial issues, market research and market news, exhibitions held worldwide, sector analysis etc and on a weekly basis they receive an e-newsletter SEVE EXPRESS, containing all the news of the week regarding international trade. At www.seve.gr SEVE companies and products are advertised and one can be informed regarding forthcoming activities, events and announcements.  

As for the proposed co-operation you mention, we could disseminate material regarding your initiative and activities, to exporting companies which could get directly in contact with you in order to offer them support in finding new markets or co-operation proposals.

 

*  Federation of Hellenic Food Industries:  I thank you for the information and your proposal which I find very interesting.  http://www.sevt.gr/?lang=en  

 

 

Niels Jørgen Thøgersen

niels4europe@gmail.com

September 17, 2015

Friends of Greece: Project 2: Developing the tourism industry

Friends of Greece

We, the Friends of Greece, can and should try to help by buying the Greek products, by developing tourism,  by sharing best practices among our peoples, by producing some of our commodities in Greece, by partnerships, by joint sales promotion, by investments, by offering training - in any way we can be useful.

Friends of Greece is an association registered under Danish law (by August 25, 2015).

 

PROJECT 2

How to help Greek Tourism Industry to Develop

One of the most important sectors of the Greek economy is tourism. It represents about 40 % of it. About 25 million tourist will visit the country this year (up from 21 million in 2014). This is a good and positive development.

But there are two major problems:

a) the Greek domestic tourism has this year been reduced by 80 %.  Most Greeks do no longer go on vacation due to the crisis.  This gives a lot of empty hotels and other tourist facilities in the country.

b) the other problem is that Greek tourism industry has not developed for many years when contents and new offers are concerned. This means that the larger and larger part of tourists who are well off and who want special holidays with activities and contents do not go to Greece, but to neighbouring countries like Turkey, Italy and Spain. Greece does not profit from this group of tourists, which is growing all the time.

 

Some ideas on how to improve that:

Suggestions from specialists in tourism, incl. many years' experience with Greece:

Guests in general like the country and the population, which is the primary cause of the current tourism. Guests love the culture, but the danger is - the Greeks think that is enough! Not unknown in most countries.

Business concepts are not appropriate for the countries guests come from, but the government have now good control of for example. Taxes and the economy! (In relation to tourism)

The country lacks product development, as so many other countries with great natural highlights.

- They could usefully extend the season, which is now May / October

- Make golf tours which is a huge hit in Turkey

- All Inclusive hits everywhere but does not exist in Greece

- Crete is not internationally oriented - Rhodes is

- The National Tourism Organization is much unstructured, uses many words, but no money on   development or marketing.

- The situation is that it is very similar to for example, Greenland. However, who can be used as an example of how, despite many tourists can multiply the number in a few years?

- A country stands out  is Iceland! Despite the economic crisis of the worst kind, they did what was needed, to multiply the income from tourism.

- Why not develop activity holidays in the fantastic Greek nature?  Like special bicycle tracks. And many other possibilities to make nature and outdoor activities attractive for tourists - also inland tourism, of course.   The Danish OUTDOOR COUNCIL gives good ideas. (http://www.friluftsraadet.dk/indhold/om-friluftsraadet/english.aspx )

- Special resorts for all kinds of activities for all age groups are very popular in many other countries. Such as CLUB LA SANTA in Lanzarote in the Canary Islands: 

http://www.clublasanta.com/

- Inspiration can also be taken from many research institutes dealing with Destination Branding and Tourism - like researchers at the Copenhagen Business School

 

- Some of these initiatives can be implemented quickly. Others will take more time, not least when considerable investments are needed.

- The European financial funds are definately one of the ways to move ahead in this very important area.

 

Niels Jørgen Thøgersen

niels4europe@gmail.com

September 12, 2015

Friends of Greece: Project 3: Innovation, partnerships, training, networking

Friends of Greece

We, the Friends of Greece, can and should try to help by buying the Greek products, by developing tourism,  by sharing best practices among our peoples, by producing some of our commodities in Greece, by partnerships, by joint sales promotion, by investments, by offering training - in any way we can be useful.

Friends of Greece is an association registered under Danish law (by August 25, 2015).

 

PROJECT 3

Innovation, partnerships, training, networking

Many Greek contacts tell us that they see the way ahead by increasing the production of Greek products and to make a real effort in marketing them on the huge European market of more than 500 million consumers.

Very important elements in that is innovation, partnerships, training and networking.

We, the Friends of Greece, believe that we can help in this process by sharing our wide experience and extensive networks.

 

Here are a number of suggestions:

*  Connect Denmark:  http://www.connectdenmark.com

This is a professional network of especially young innovators - with prizes to those who are most successful

* Expats in Denmark:  http://www.expatindenmark.com/Pages/Home.aspx

This is a professional network of foreign nationals in Denmark - profeting from their experience and background.  Organised by the Danish Federation of Industries.

*  Working with the Greek Institute for Entrepreneurship Development:

http://entre.gr/site-en/

It is trying to provide services to startups and SMEs in Greece and also to develop and transfer good practices for entrepreneurship.

*  Working with Enterprise Greece . Invest and Trade

www.enterprisegreece.gov.gr

Enterprise Greece (www.enterprisegreece.gov.gr) is the official Investment and Trade Promotion Agency of Greece under the supervision of the Ministry of Economy, Infrastructure, Maritime Affairs and Tourism, which promotes and facilitates private investment in Greece and export trade from Greece. In this framework, we provide information about the business environment together with assistance, advice, and aftercare support, as well as information with regard to the licensing procedures for establishing a new business in Greece. We also  promote Greece as an investment destination, highlighting the bundle of prospects and opportunities especially in the key sectors in which the country offers a highly compelling advantage: tourism & real estate, energy, food & beverages, logistics, ICT, life sciences, privatisations and export oriented manufacturing. You may read more on the opportunities these sectors demonstrate and a recent review of the Greek economy in the attached document.

Additionally, we maintain and promote an investment portfolio with remunerative projects in many sectors of the Greek economy. Please note that our services are complimentary.

We are very keen to know more about your initiative and the ways you have thought about advancing it. Please do keep us posted with any relevant information. In the meantime, we remain at your disposal for any further communication and discussion on your ideas and propositions, about accelerating investments in Greece.

 

*   Networking between Greek business people and colleagues in other countries

Why not try to organise a network based on contacts via skype or other direct internet-based means. Business leaders to business leaders, start-up people, other leaders, etc.   Easy contact from anywhere to anywhere - giving advice and sharing contacts

 

*  Young Greek business students on business academies in other European countries

Such an initiative can be implemented quickly and efficiently - and giving these young Greeks a hands-on experience all over Europe, which will be extremely useful at their future work back home in Greece

As a concrete case can be mentioned that the Business Academy in Aarhus, Denmark has about 1000 students from countries in Central and Eastern Europe. But at present nobody from Greece.

 

Niels Jørgen Thøgersen      niels4europe@gmail.com       September 12, 2015

Friends of Greece: Project 4: Mobilise the Greek Diaspora: Learning from others

 

Friends of Greece

We, the Friends of Greece, can and should try to help by buying the Greek products, by developing tourism,  by sharing best practices among our peoples, by producing some of our commodities in Greece, by partnerships, by joint sales promotion, by investments, by offering training - in any way we can be useful.

Friends of Greece is an association registered under Danish law (by August 25, 2015).

 

PROJECT 4

How to engage the Greek diaspora

There are several million Greek citizens and other citizens with a Greek background all over the world, not least in Europe, in the US and in Australia.

Many of them are already making very important efforts to help and support Greece in the present difficult situation.

 

We, Friends of Greece, believe that we in cooperation with the organisation Europeans Throughout the World (www.euromonde.eu) - representing about 80 million European expatriates all over the world - can mobilise very useful experience from many countries on how their expats - their citizens abroad - help their home country in many different ways. And we are convinces that much of this experience can and should also be used by the Greek expats abroad in their support to Greece.

 

A number of case studies:

IRELAND:

Kingsley Aikins, Diaspora Matters, Dublin:

 I do think that Greece should be actively engaging their Diaspora as they begin to recover from their problems.

 

 

 

 

Can I suggest you check out the Diaspora Matters website (www.diasporamatters.com

) and especially the 100 Global Diaspora initiatives that includes 25 from Ireland. Also download the Global Diaspora Strategies Toolkit (http://diasporaydesarrollo.org/index.cfm/files/serve?File_id=1004806f-0e59-4a61-b56c-52154d795d1f ) . Also keep  in touch as I am working on a whole series of videos and related material on Diaspora engagement which should be ready in a couple of months. I have developed a series on Networking which you might find of interest and will send you some information on these.

 

Kingsley Aikins

Diaspora Matters

Tel. +353 86 8064665

www.diasporamatters.com

ie.linkedin.com/in/kingsleyaikins

 

FRANCE....

 

POLAND:

The Polish government has in 2015 adopted a new 6-year programme for cooperation with the Polish diaspora abroad.

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There are between 18 and 20 million Polish expatriates living all over the world at the moment. The programme aims to address the challenge of collaborating with them – to allow migrants working on Europe’s labour markets to maintain their bond with Poland, to offer young members of Polish communities cooperation on attractive terms, to tap into the potential of Polish-born professionals, and to effectively safeguard the rights of Polish minorities.

In the programme, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs invites Polish diaspora partners to engage in joint and mutually beneficial efforts to project a fair image of Poland abroad, and to work together on deepening Poland’s cooperation with our compatriots’ countries of residence in the regional (through local governments) and sector-specific (through universities, cultural institutions, and businesses) dimensions.

 

The programme breaks new ground by laying down the rules of cooperation between the Government, and the Polish diaspora and Poles abroad, and by emphasizing the partnership aspect. Partnership was the guiding principle already at the drafting stage – the process of comprehensive consultations was well received by Polish communities abroad. We wish to emphasize that the document fully recognizes the fact that our fellow country people are, for the most part, citizens of other countries, to which they owe civil loyalty. We also appreciate that many of our compatriots have lost their command of the Polish language, so it is necessary to communicate with them in the language of their country of residence.

 

PORTUGAL.....

 

LITHUANIA.....

 

FINLAND:

Expatriate Finns are a resource for Finland. They contribute to make Finland and Finnish culture known abroad. They also bring with them knowledge and skills which they have acquired home to Finland. It is important for Finland that the link between expatriate Finns and Finland stays strong and that expat Finns remain involved with the Finnish society.

The Finnish Expatriate Parliament (the FEP) promotes the interest of all expatriate Finns, being their direct link to the Finnish society.

The FEP was established in 1997. Finland Society provides for it its permanent secretariat.

 

 

BELGIUM....

 

SWITZERLAND .......

 

MALTA.....

 

Niels Jørgen Thøgersen  - niels4europe@gmail.com      September 17, 2015

Friends of Greece: Contacts in Greece

Friends of Greece

We, the Friends of Greece, can and should try to help by buying the Greek products, by developing tourism,  by sharing best practices among our peoples, by producing some of our commodities in Greece, by partnerships, by joint sales promotion, by investments, by offering training - in any way we can be useful.

Friends of Greece is an association registered under Danish law (by August 25, 2015).

 

CONTACTS IN GREECE

Mrs. Vasso Papadimitriou

Director General

ECOTROPHELIA, 24/6/2015

FEDERATION OF HELLENIC FOOD INDUSTRIES

340, Kifissias Avenue, 154 51 Νeo Psychiko

T: 210 6711177, F: 210 6711080

Ε: vaspap@sevt.gr · www.sevt.gr

 

Mr. Tasos Vasileiadis, Phd

Institute of Entrepreneurship Development

President

Larisa, Greece

Tel.:  +302410626943   e-mail:  tasos@entre.gr

 

Mrs. Dora Kyriakopoulou,

Export Marketing Development Executive

 

allthebestofgreeceS

Address: Christou Lada 5-7, 105 61 Athens

Web: www.allthebestofgreece.com  

Β2Β: http://www.allthebestofgreece.de

FB: https://www.facebook.com/allthebestofgreece.gr

Phone GR:  0030    211 0126422

Mobile GR: 0030   6942291429

 

Mr. Vassilis Bellis,

General Director

Certified in Project Management-IPMA Level D

DEVELOPMENT AGENCY OF KARDITSA S.A.

General Secretary

Energy Cooperative of Karditsa (ESEK)

34, Megalou Alexandrou str,

P.O. BOX 33

431 32, Karditsa, Greece

Tel: +302441042363 (int 100)

Mob: +306973999655

Fax: +302441071636

e-mail: bellis@anka.gr

www.anka.gr

 

Mr. Nikos Stamou,

Investment Promotion Unit

enterprise_greece_signature

109 Vasilissis Sophias Avenue, 115 21 Athens GREECE

T +30 210 33 55 707

F +30 210 33 55 745

n.stamou@enterprisegreece.gov.gr

www.enterprisegreece.gov.gr

cid:image002.jpg@01D099F7.A225C320

www.enterprisegreeceexhibitions.gov.gr/expo2015

 

Mr. Kyriakos Loufakis,

Kyriakos Loufakis President Greek International Business Association 1, Morihovou Sq. 546 25, Thessaloniki-Greece
	+30 2310 535333+30 2310 535333
	+30 2310 543232+30 2310 543232
	president@seve.gr
	www.seve.gr

 

 

Niels Jørgen Thøgersen

President of Friends of Greece

niels4europe@gmail.com

friends-of-greece.blogspot.dk

 

September 10, 2015