Athens, September 5, 2024. The International Digital Technology and Innovation Exhibition “Beyond 2025” will take place in Athens next April.
After four successful events in Thessaloniki, the 5th consecutive Beyond entitled “AI Reality Bites” will be hosted in Athens and more specifically on April 4-6, 2025 at the “Metropolitan” Exhibition Center.
The relevant announcements were made during a Press Conference in the presence of the Minister of Digital Governance Dimitris Papastergiou. Now, Beyond will take place alternately in Athens and Thessaloniki, which symbolizes the dynamics of both cities in the field of technology and innovation.
In his speech, the Minister of Digital Governance, Dimitris Papastergiou stated: “As the Ministry of Digital Governance, we believe very much in Beyond, we believe in its importance for the promotion of the Greek IT industry and its dynamics. The domestic IT market is constantly strengthening, opening its horizons abroad. Besides, the talent of Greek researchers and workers in this field is inexhaustible. The digitization projects, which we are implementing with resources of the Recovery Fund, but also the reforms for the country’s digital leap in general, have given a strong boost to the technology sector. The projects of the Ministry of Digital Governance alone are estimated at over 2.5 billion euros. Investments in digital infrastructures such as the “Daedalus” supercomputer and the “National Microsatellite Program”, the penetration of broadband throughout the country, the utilization of Artificial Intelligence, the digital transformation of Justice and Health, the Cybersecurity ecosystem that is particularly developed with the implementation of the NIS2 Directive, are examples of great opportunities. We must highlight all this at Beyond by involving civil society and setting our next goals.”
On his part, the Minister of Development Takis Theodorikakos in his greeting pointed out that “the organization of BEYOND both in Athens and Thessaloniki will be an important development for the Greek technological community and the economy, as the comparative advantages of the two largest cities of our country will be exploited. Thessaloniki is close to many Balkan states, making it the gateway to the markets of Southeastern Europe, the Balkans, being a technology hub of the region. In Thessaloniki is located the largest project, Thess INTEC, funded by the Ministry of Development with € 33 million. euro. Athens is located at a focal point and is a gateway to the markets of the Middle East, North Africa and Southern Europe. The two cities have special characteristics and can contribute to strengthening our country’s presence in the ecosystem of technology and innovation. And Beyond offers top-notch opportunities for commercial deals, networking, but also very important side actions.” He also added that “the organization of BEYOND in 2025 in Athens will contribute to the further internationalization of the exhibition and will make it even more a reference point for high technology.”
In a video message, the Regional Governor of Attica, Nikos Hardalias, stressed that the holding of Beyond in Athens is an important event, which puts the focus on the Region, which will support it with all its forces. “Beyond Athens will be a milestone and a new starting point for technology and innovation. It will be the pole of attraction for start-ups and SMEs in Attica that are “thirsty” for digital transformation. It will open new avenues for important partnerships and growth opportunities, for visibility and recognition. Athens as a venue symbolizes a lot. It is the birthplace of democracy and philosophy, and today it can become an important hub through its strategic location for innovation and technology in the wider region. It is worth noting that 65% of startup businesses operate in Attica,” he said. He also underlined the role of the Region, saying that “we want to become the first Digital Region. And that is our strategic objective. We want the Region to play a leading role in the digital revolution. We want to be the “smart” Region that will offer solutions to citizens with speed, quality, efficiency and transparency”.
Representing the Regional Governor of Central Macedonia, Apostolos Tzitzikostas, the Deputy Regional Governor of Digital Governance, Nikos Tzollas, after stressing that “Beyond has now been established as a landmark institution for innovation, technology and digital transformation”, added that “the decision to organize the next exhibition in Athens is proof of the success of the 2024 event”. “Beyond 2025 aspires to be, once again, the platform where innovation and collaboration pave the way to the future. We hope, as in 2024, that the upcoming event will become a meeting point, fruitful discussion and creative collaboration between productive bodies, educational institutions, start-ups and leading international researchers in the field of artificial intelligence, which is the central theme of Beyond 2025,” he said.
The importance of holding Beyond in Athens was highlighted by TIF-HELEXPO President, Anastasios Tzikas, who pointed out that this decision seeks to exploit all those comparative advantages of the city, which will complement those of Thessaloniki for the benefit of the exhibition, making special reference to the quantitative and qualitative aspects of the 2024 event. “As an international hub of exhibitions and conferences, with visitors from all over the world, Athens is also a pole of attraction due to its history and cultural profile. This can help attract exhibitors and international visitors, broadening BEYOND’s scope,” he said. Regarding the benefits of the rotating event in Athens and Thessaloniki, he argued that BEYOND will build on the positives of both cities, ensuring a multiplier effect and will emerge even more as the largest technology and innovation event in Southeastern Europe. “Today something is changing at BEYOND. Wanting to increase its impact and penetrate even more markets and even larger target groups, we took the decision from now on to organize the exhibition in odd-numbered years in Athens and even in Thessaloniki”, he stressed meaningfully.
“The fact that BEYOND is taking place this year in Athens is a game changer,” said Michalis Stagos, Co-Founder of Industry Disruptors – Game Changers, one of Beyond’s organizers. “This collective decision will give new momentum to the exhibition, as Athens, with its easy accessibility, will allow us to attract more influential people from all over the world,” he said. He then presented the seven (7) thematic axes of the exhibition, which are: Generative AI. Ethics and Regulatory Framework of Artificial Intelligence. Artificial Intelligence in Health. Edge AI: Data processing on local devices (edge computing). Automation based on Artificial Intelligence. Artificial Intelligence in Education. Artificial Intelligence for Climate Change. He also made it known that as in Thessaloniki, so in Athens in the framework of Beyond the high-level Governance Forum (Leadership) will be held.
The decision to hold Beyond 2025 in Athens was also mentioned by the other of the organizers, Evangelos Charalambous, Managing Director of Be-Best. “This important decision was made based on two main factors. As co-organizers, we invest all our energies in this event, moving the “home” of BEYOND to the Metropolitan, proving that nothing stops us from organizing an exceptional event for Southeast Europe. The second factor concerns the support we received from our sponsors and exhibitors, who asked for this change, as they believe that such an event should also take place in Athens”, he noted.
Finally, the press conference was attended by SEPE President Yiota Paparidou, SEKEI President Manos Makromallis and George Xirogiannis, General Manager of SEV.
