The first day of BEYOND 2025 – International Exhibition and Conference for Digital Technology and Innovation, held under the theme “AI Reality Bites,” opened with strong visitor interest, the presence of technology leaders, and an international conference exploring the ideas shaping tomorrow.
The opening ceremony of BEYOND 2025 went beyond traditional institutional greetings and featured meaningful discussions on the future of innovation, technology, and digital transformation.
TIF-HELEXPO President Anastasios Tzikas emphasized the significance of hosting BEYOND in Athens for the first time and the future potential this opens up. He stressed the importance of developing digital technologies as a strategic sector for the national industry.
European Commissioner for Sustainable Transport and Tourism, Apostolos Tzitzikostas, presented the EU’s strategy on Artificial Intelligence, underlining the need for faster integration of digital innovation as a key European priority. He also announced the launch of Greece’s AI Factory in Athens in 2025, along with the creation of the Invest AI fund, while highlighting the role of innovation in tackling societal challenges and ensuring social cohesion.
Evangelos Charalambous, Managing Director of Be-Best, noted that Greece is a country building its future on knowledge, innovation, and human capital. He described BEYOND as the platform where technology, entrepreneurship, public administration, and innovation converge, stating: “BEYOND is the tool, the future is the goal—and we are ready to succeed.”
Michalis Stangos, Co-Founder of Industry Disruptors Game Changers, referred to the new European agenda on AI, asking: “Who is shaping the rules of Artificial Intelligence?” He concluded that BEYOND can become an institutional meeting point for Greece’s digital ecosystem.
Giota Paparidou, President of SEPE, noted that the private sector in Greece is still lagging behind in terms of digital transformation, but added: “We can achieve anything—as long as we truly want it.”
President of the Technical Chamber of Greece (TEE – TCG), Giorgos Stasinos, spoke about the lasting role of engineers in supporting technological advancement and assured that TEE will actively support BEYOND’s initiatives.
Ioanna Sambrakou, Board Member of Intracom-Telecom, highlighted the company’s contributions to digital technology and emphasized the importance of innovation and success in keeping young scientists in Greece.
Giannis Bratakos, President of the Athens Chamber of Commerce and Industry (A.C.C.I.), stressed that technology requires two core pillars to thrive: investment and education, and stated that BEYOND offers a great opportunity for organizations, businesses, academia, and government to collaborate for progress.
Mayor of Larissa and Central Union of Municipalities of Greece representative Thanasis Mamacos discussed the challenge of modernizing local government and the vision for digital transformation of municipalities.
Lazaros Karaoulis, CEO of Development Company for the Computerization and Operational Units of Local Governments of the Municipality of Athens, emphasized the critical importance of AI integration in Athens’ municipal services to support digital modernization and improve citizen services.
The Governor of the Independent Authority for Public Revenue (IAPR), Giorgos Pitsilis spoke on the importance of digital transformation and IT companies in modernizing public administration, underlining their responsibility to serve the public good.
General Secretary for Information Systems and Digital Governance, Dimosthenis Anagnostopoulos, highlighted audience categories that are expected to boost participation in future editions of BEYOND.
Deputy Regional Governor of Digital Governance of Central Macedonia, Nikos Tzollas, presented the Region’s digital strategy, noting the significant cost savings achieved through its implementation.
Apostolos Panas, Member of Parliament and representative of PASOK, praised the exhibition and emphasized the need for a human-centered approach in the relationship between politics and society.
Member of Parliament and representative and Spokesperson of SYRIZA, Popi Tsapanidou stressed the importance of establishing a strict framework for the use of Artificial Intelligence to safeguard citizen protection.
Finally, Deputy Minister of Development, Stavros Kalafatis, underlined the government’s clear priority of investing in research and innovation to enhance Greece’s competitiveness.
The exhibition was officially inaugurated by the Minister of Digital Governance, Dimitris Papastergiou, who remarked: “We Greeks can move forward—if we truly want to succeed.”
About BEYOND
BEYOND is an international exhibition and conference on digital technology and innovation, bringing together leading tech companies, visionaries, pioneers, startups, scale-ups, research centers, and academic institutions. Its mission is to become the premier event of its kind in Southeastern Europe, the Mediterranean, and the Middle East.
Following four successful editions in Thessaloniki, the fifth edition of BEYOND, themed “AI Reality Bites,” takes place from April 4–6, 2025, at Metropolitan Expo in Athens.
BEYOND is organized by TIF-HELEXPO, Be-Best, and Industry Disruptors Game Changers (IDGC), in collaboration with the Ministry of Digital Governance, the Ministry of Development, the Region of Central Macedonia, the Athens Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Central Union of Municipalities of Greece (KEDE), and the Municipality of Thessaloniki.
It is held under the auspices of the Ministry of the Interior, the Ministry of Rural Development and Food, and the Region of Attica.
Supporters of BEYOND include SEPE, SETPE, SEKEE, and HETIA.
