An ode to Athens

Athens boasts 470,000 sqm of conference and exhibition space and more than 46 unique venues, from luxury hotels to the contemporary architectural masterpiece of Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center (SNFCC).

Athens continues to be a jewel in Greece's meetings crown and is among the top 10 destinations for association meetings after hosting 109 in-person international association meetings in 2022.

1. Rousing venues

 Athens' venue stock for meetings, conferences and incentives is abundant, contemporary, and exciting. Its warm Mediterranean climate, with an average of 300 days of sunshine per year, also means the city’s outdoor spaces can be relied upon.

I stayed at the 563-room Athenaeum InterContinental Athens. The sizeable venue boasts 3,500sqm of event spaces and 35 break-out rooms that shoot off from a grand, naturally-lit atrium, decorated with more than 350 original artworks from the owner’s private collection. The Athenaeum Ballroom can host up to 1,500 people, the largest in Athens, while the Acropolis Terrace offers 600 sqm of open-air space and almost unobstructed views of Athen’s crowning glory, the Acropolis and its Parthenon. “Meetings are our bread and butter so we can do anything,” Angeliki Vassilakopoulou, director of MICE and leisure sales at the Athenaeum InterContinental Hotel, told me.

The Hotel Grande Bretagne’s Roof Garden offers breathtaking views of the fabled Acropolis. Now a member of the Luxury Collection, the 320-room Hotel Grande Bretagne has stood in the heart of the city since 1874 and is within walking distance to the business district. In 2003, the hotel underwent an €82 million restoration; maintaining its unique luxuriousness while updating its facilities. It now offers planners more than 1,100sqm of meeting space furnished with stately chandeliers and palatial artwork.

Those looking for the perfect incentive venue should head to the Athenian Riviera where you’ll find the Four Seasons Astir Palace Hotel Athens. The Aegean Sea laps at the hotel’s shores and creates a glisteningly tranquil environment for meetings and events. The 303-room property offers event space for up to 1,000 people reception style across nearly 3,800 sqm of event space, including a 427 sqm ballroom and the Nafsika Building’s Plateia Terrace.

From impressive hotels to a notable convention centre: Megaron, The Athens Concert Hall and International Convention Centre. Designed in the 1950s, commissioned in the 1970s, built in the 1980s and opened in the 1990s, Megaron has an enduring legacy as a vital cog in the success of Athens’ arts scene, hosting major concerts and art exhibitions. When the addition of the International Conference Centre, the Alexandra Trianti Hall, and the Atrium of the Muses, which forms a natural extension of the Concert Hall’s interior into its grounds, were inaugurated in 2004, they transformed Megaron into a major meetings venue for the city. It sits within Athens’ medical district and is a few minutes’ walk from several metro stations. Alongside its impressive 1,500-person auditorium, it has 16 meetings rooms and 2,000 sqm of exhibition space.

Looking for a unique venue? The 1888 Zappeion Megaron is steeped in modern Olympic history. Now used as an event venue, it once hosted the fencing competition for the first modern Olympics in 1896 and has basked in its neoclassical architectural glory ever since. The space can be used for dinners, drinks receptions and meetings.

Athens is a city full of distinctive venues and the contemporary of Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center (SNFCC) is no expection. Set in 170,000 sqm of parkland, the SNFCC is home to the Greek National Opera and the 750,000 books in the National Library of Greece’s collection.

Planners can rent spaces at the Center for 20 to 2,000 delegates. The lighthouse, located at the SNFCC’s highest point provides 360-degree views of the city and the Aegean sea and is perfect for a drinks reception. The Stavros Niarchos Hall, normally home to the Greek National Opera can be hired for conferences and events for up to 1,400 people. Aptly named the Book Castle, the 18-meter-tall venue located in the lobby area of the National Library of Greece has four levels of balconies and bookcases. The space is ideal for presentations, panel discussions and networking.

2. Bucket list must-sees

 “Athens is the home of the two great Ds: drama and democracy,” Natasha Kefala, international meetings manager at This is Athens Convention and Visitors Bureau told me as we strolled towards the Acropolis – the hill upon which the Parthenon sits, built as a temple for Athena, the goddess of wisdom, arts, literature and war, after whom the city is named. The Parthenon is often associated with democracy, which was established in Athens at the time of its construction in the 5^th century AD.

While you cannot hold official meetings on the Acropolis, the hike to the top offers a unique networking and team building experience.

On the way down, we passed by the Odeon of Herodes Atticus Theatre which sits at the foot of the Acropolis. It was built as a stone Roman conservatory in the 2^nd century AD. It was destroyed in 267 AD and restored in the early 1950s and is now used as a venue for concerts and other performances.

3. Athenians are proud of their city

For delegates who want to see the 'real Athens', I recommend looking into an ‘Athens with a local’ walk. Taking part in one of these will allow you to see how Athenians thrive in their characteristic neighbourhoods, dotted with communal squares populated by modern thinkers, dog-walkers, and pastry and coffee shops.

“We’re a city of villages” Spyridon Kagkas, Athens local and digital manager at the Athens Development and Destination Management Agency, told me as we took a tour of his favourite neighbourhoods.

There’s a network of 60 volunteers who guide themed walks around the city, immersing visitors in street art, coffee culture, architecture, food and Athens’ LGBTQ+ scene.

While these walks are not recommended for large groups, those wanting to explore the Athens that lies behind the tourist veil should get in touch with This is Athens and book a walk.

4. Athens' social conscience

Athens is investing heavily in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, which include spending €26m on energy upgrades and reduction, €14m on sanitation and waste reductions and €22.8 on greening Athens.

This is Athens Convention and Visitors Bureau works with event partners to train them in sustainable event best practices and provides each partner and their clients with an event sustainability checklist. This also encourages planners to reduce event waste, pick local products over imports, replace printed materials with digital materials, and encourage delegates to make the most of the city’s extensive public transport networks.

5. Athens is closer than you think

Flying to Athens from London takes just under four hours. Several carriers including the national Greek airline Aegean, EasyJet, Sky Express, Jet2 and Wizz fly multiple times a day from London Gatwick, London Heathrow, and London Stanstead, Birmingham, Edinburgh and Manchester.

From the airport, delegates can jump in a cab for 40 minutes and reach the city centre. Or the adventurers among them can hop on the clean and modern Metro Line 3, which connects the airport to the city centre (Syntagma Square). Trains run every 30 minutes and tickets cost £7 (€9).