Symeon Tsomokos made the Deplhi Economic Forum a global destination brand

Delphi. A city with a deep history that stretches from the ancient Greek civilization to the present day, the city of oracles, the temple of Apollo. A destination inextricably linked to its historical background, a pole of attraction for visitors from all over the world who want to experience its awe-inspiring beauty.

But since 2016, and especially in recent years, Delphi has managed to acquire another, completely different status in the mind of the visitor. That of the city where the largest conference event in Greece is held every year, which is none other than the Delphi Economic Forum, which in fact took place for the ninth year a few days ago (10-13 April) through a series of conferences and discussions.

This year, the Delphi Economic Forum hosted 600 guests from abroad alone, which proves that this is an event with a strong reach and, of course, beyond the borders. In total, some 2,500 delegates attended Delphi. And it is fascinating to see how excellent the organisation and implementation of such a major project has been.

On the other side, it must be said that it is a rather problematic location for such an event, due to the severe lack of infrastructure, but the initiator took the risk to place it there, emphasizing the greatness of its history and its natural beauty, instead of choosing Athens, for example, as the capital of the country, with a similar historical background. So, as it seems so far, S. Tsomokos' choice is justified.

THE MAN BEHIND THE GREAT INSPIRATION

Every great event is the evolution of a first idea, an inspiration of the moment, linked to other associations, strategies and well thought out steps, before it becomes what everyone is talking about. Behind the Delphi Economic Forum lies the insight and innovative spirit of Simeon Tsomokos, its founder and President, who a few years ago inspired an event that would become an annual rendezvous and meeting point for people from all over the world, giving a platform to academics, politicians, businessmen and leading scientists from all over the world. The reason for the meetings, monitoring the current agenda and the economic, geopolitical, social and technological challenges, the developments and the various phenomena observed and affecting our daily life on a global level, and, above all, discussing new strategies, sustainable practices and new policies.

But it is also worth knowing some of the facts behind the personality of Simeon Tsomokos. He studied Economics at the University of Athens and it seems that the "germ" of business was in him for years. His mother worked at the American embassy and so, through some connections, he started working at the consulate and quickly found himself in the commercial department. Important positions of power and responsibility followed, such as that of managing director at the Hellenic-American Chamber, with a landmark move, his connection with the Central American Chamber in Washington D.C. and with the Council of American Chambers in Europe, which created one of the most powerful chambers in the world and brought Greece in front of the largest conferences, the establishment of the companies "Simeon G. Tsomokos S.A. in Athens in 1997 and "TGI Group International" in Belgrade in 2001 and a long list of initiatives, examples of extroversion and leadership positions.

As he has stated, part of his vision for Delphi is "to make it a place where politicians and officials from opposing political and ideological camps can discuss and agree on some basic things".

THE DELPHI ECONOMIC FORUM BEGINS - DELPHI BECOMES THE CENTRE OF THE WORLD

Already from the first years that it was held, the Delphi Economic Forum managed to surprise everyone, to establish itself as an institution and to convince that it is not an event that will be forgotten in a year, and of course, to bring Greece to the centre of the world.

The lists of strong speakers covering many different sectors and therefore many different spectrums of society, developments and everyday life, from the entire political leadership to the most specialised and prestigious academics, the fact that there is plenty of information, a detailed record of current affairs and developments and, ultimately, of the concerns of society, on which open discussions are based, are the most important factors why the Delphi Economic Forum has managed to become a very successful event.

Simeon Tsomokos has managed to create a global destination brand whose reputation reaches from one end of the world to the other, combining a purely tourist and cultural destination with a social, economic and political event. The Economic Forum could, from one point of view, also have a touristic character, highlighting the destination of Delphi in a new dimension and reintroducing it to the foreign public, which until now visited it exclusively for the sake of the archaeological site. Finally, it may also be a signal and a springboard for the creation of other similar events, this time for the tourism sector.

Even more, it highlights the platform given to people from many different sectors, leaders and non-leaders alike, to raise issues that they observe, to openly raise concerns that will be discussed, to make their own mark, to contribute through their own proposals, both at the state and private level.

Finally, as an example - and a model, one could say - of extroversion, the Delphi Economic Forum takes the country beyond its borders and reintroduces it to a global audience, not just as a tourist destination, linked to holidays and the Greek summer, but as a place where the most pressing issues of concern to the global community are discussed.

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