LIFE & CULTURE
XpatAthens
B&E Goulandris Foundation
Apart from the Museum of Contemporary Art in Andros, Basil and Elise envisioned the creation of a museum in Athens, which would allow a broader audience to become introduced to modern and contemporary art.
The foundation is located in Pagrati, within easy access from the city center and Athens' other significant museums.
Address: 13 Eratosthenous,116 35, Athens
Working Hours: Tuesday - Sunday 10:00-18:00, Friday 10:00-22:00, Monday Closed
Greek Youth Sends-Out A Strong Message Through His Art
"At first, I'd go to parks (in Athens) and, well, straws are a huge part of Greek culture, when they drink their coffee and when they have their drinks, so it wasn't too difficult to find these straws," he said. "Then, when I started getting really serious about my work, I actually outsourced to coffee shops and bakeries to get my straws from there. One of my friends went to China and brought straws from there. It was really a group effort."
To read this article in full, please visit: Montreal Gazette
Navarino Challenge: Aiming At Sustainable Sports Tourism In Greece
Navarino Challenge presented this year’s strategy with respect to the environment, aiming at leaving the smallest possible footprint and becoming the first sustainable sports event in Greece. The top multi-sport wellness event, nominated at World Travel Market’s prestigious International Travel & Tourism Awards, highlighted this year's activities and announced its ambassadors. Navarino Challenge will be held in Messinia and Costa Navarino for the 7th consecutive year, from 11-13 October 2019.
The press conference for the top sports tourism event, was held at the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center, with the presence of representatives from the Ministry of Culture and Sports, the Ministry of Tourism, the US Ambassador to Greece Mr. Geoffrey R. Pyatt, silver Olympic medalist in open water swimming Spyros Gianniotis and the Greek-American ultramarathon runner, Dean Karnazes, who is participating for the 7th consecutive year in the event as its ambassador in Greece and abroad.
On behalf of the Ministry of Tourism, Special Advisor Ms. Eleni Tzelepoglou stated: “Ministry of Tourism embraces the effort of Navarino Challenge, in the context of our strategy to develop the Greek tourism product through sports and improve its quality and sustainability. Especially in this case, with a tone of diversity and national identity offered by Greek geography as well as the leading Greek athletes with international prominence participating in the event. To the extent that this effort follows the purpose of the Olympic movement and is within the Olympic spirit: "Sports Unite People". We are proud that this year's Navarino Challenge will be promoted internationally through the International Travel & Tourism Awards presented by the World Travel Market in the “wellness” category. We congratulate everyone who contributed to this success and we are on the side of this event”.
US Ambassador to Greece Mr. Geoffrey R. Pyatt highlighted afterwards: “First of all, let me say what a pleasure it is to have my friend Dean Karnazes back here, someone who is a great ambassador for the U.S.-Greece relationship and especially our important diaspora. This event, the Navarino Challenge, has many connections to the United States, starting with its location at Costa Navarino, a Marriott Westin resort, which has been an innovator in finding ways to grow the Greek tourism season. I also want to say just a few words about my friend Dean. He is a world-renowned American athlete, who is also very proud of his Greek identity and family roots. And like his colleague Nick Galis, he’s somebody who has very much demonstrated the power of the Greek American diaspora to reinforce the bilateral relationship that I am here to build. Have not done the Navarino Challenge but I consider myself lucky over the past three years to have discovered a lot of the sports potential of this country. But I want to underline that we are hoping to see much more U.S. investment and involvement in the Greek tourism sector. Of course, Costa Navarino has been at the forefront in this effort to grow Greek tourism, to do so in a sustainable way that’s respectful of Greek culture and leverages all the fantastic aspects of this country. So I wish good luck to all the athletes and a successful competition again this year.”
Consequently, Active Media Group Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Akis Tsolis said: “Seeing all of our hard work being rewarded, through this year's entries and awards in Greece and abroad, we sought to move one step further in order to make Navarino Challenge, the first event of its kind in Greece that will highlight all the values of sustainability. As a part of this year's event we attempt to leave a positive impact by creating a sport event characterized by sustainability. Navarino Challenge is an innovative Greek brand that has become Global. It is, therefore, our obligation to change, evolve and become better by paving the way for sports tourism”.
Shortly after, Managing Director of TEMES, Mr. Stefanos Theodorides highlighted: “Navarino Challenge returns in a few weeks to Messinia and Costa Navarino, for the 7th year, with great resonance and the warm support of the local community. The success of Navarino Challenge, which is established as one of the most important sports tourism events in our country, is a result of the convergence of all - private initiative, local and state bodies - demonstrating the important role this industry can play in tourism development and in attracting new audiences”.
Consequently, the ultramarathon Dean Karnazes highlighted: “Any of you that have been to Navarino Challenge and experienced it, I think that’s the best thing that I could say. It is really a magical event and I do events across the world. It’s world-class and innovative in every single way. Sports tourism is the future of Greece I believe. There is no place like Greece for running and it is the birthplace of running. In seven years of visiting Greece, I felt more enthusiasm than this year ever before”.
Finally, Qatar Airways Sales Manager Greece, Mr. Alexandros Michalopoulos, highlighted: “Qatar Airways proudly supports a range of exciting international and local initiatives dedicated to enriching the global community that it serves, and for the fifth consecutive year Qatar Airways is the official airline partner of Navarino Challenge, which is a multiple award-winning sports tourism event aiming to raise awareness about the benefits of healthy living, exercise and the Mediterranean diet as well as the issue of childhood obesity through its numerous sports activities. Qatar Airways, the official FIFA partner, is the official sponsor of many top-level sporting events, including the FIFA 2022 World Cup, reflecting the values of sports as a means of bringing people together, something at the core of the airline’s own brand message - Going Places Together”.
The event innovates with a new technical t-shirt!
As the official sports supplier of Navarino Challenge, LUANVI, the leading force in the field of sports apparel offers once again the official t-shirt of the event. A special technical t-shirt for the participants, that as of last year contains elements from Messinia to enhance the feeling of remembering and unforgettable experience in order to highlight the cultural elements of the area. With this criterion in mind, the ancient symbol rodax or rodakas, found also during the Byzantine period whilst dominating Messinian life in ancient Greece, will appear on the t-shirt this year. At the same time half marathon finishers will receive a special t-shirt with Voidokilia.
Seaweed medal for the participants!The event continues to innovate and brings new surprises. This year's participants will receive a medal made only of seaweed from the event’s official supporter, PHEE, a company that innovates by promoting the principles of “green” entrepreneurship and the reuse of natural resources.
ON company, the event’s official shoe partner, via Panellinios Agora Games didn’t choose Navarino Challenge by chance. With a clear orientation on sustainability, the industry leading Swiss company aims to create the first sustainable running shoe in the world.
Watch the following video and enjoy some moments from the top Ford Go Further Half Marathon
Navarino Challenge will cooperate for the second time with HSBC, one of the world’s largest banking and financial services organizations. As an official banking partner, HSBC will support this year's event and will be the exclusive sponsor of the bike activity (Bike ride at Voidokilia by HSBC) by promoting the message “Together we thrive!”.
Offers
Participants at the 7th Navarino Challenge will have the opportunity to enjoy special discounts from sponsors and discount partners of the event during their stay at The Westin Resort Costa Navarino. To view current offers, please click here.
Program
For more information on the detailed event program, click on the following link.
Accommodation Packages at The Westin Resort Costa NavarinoMore information on accommodation packages can be found here.
Registrations continue for running and swimmingEntries for the award-winning sporting event are underway and interested parties can take part by completing the special form available here. Pre-sale is also available online via www.viva.gr or by phone at 11876 as well as at all Viva pre-sale points.
Hashtags
#navarinochallenge #costanavarino #sportsunitepeople #eatwell #runwell #livewell
XpatAthens is proud to be a Media Sponsor Of Navarino Challenge 2019
Samsung is the official technology partner for another year. Official sponsors of the event are Ford Motor Hellas and the Natural Mineral Water “Vikos”.
Luanvi is the official sports supplier of the event for one more year.
Nutramins is the official health supporter of the event.
Official supporters are Poseidonia, PlantBox, PHEE and Municipality of Pylos- Nestor.
HSBC is the official banking partner. Messinian Spa is the Official Beauty Partner for the first time. ON is the official shoe partner. Athens Medical Group is the event’s medical partner. Partners of the event are Pylos Poems, Fysiotek Sports Lab, Karalis Beach Hotel, Athens Easy Transfers. Avance Rent A Car is the official rental partner.
National Geographic is the strategic partner of the event and 24MEDIA its premium media partner. All event’s equipment transfers will be made with Pilia Express.
“Navarino Challenge” supports: a) the Institute of Preventive Medicine, Environmental and Occupational Health, Prolepsis with a program on Food Aid and Promotion of Healthy Nutrition, DIATROFI, and through the Captain Vasilis and Carmen Konstantakopoulos Foundation: b) WWF Greece and c) Karkinaki, through the GivenGain online platform.
As part of this year’s “Navarino Challenge”, Barney Spender and Roddy Gibson’s award-winning documentary “The Road to Sparta” that recounts the effort of four runners, including that of Greek-American ultramarathon Dean Karnazes (who participated with the Navarino Challenge Support Team) to run the “Sparthathlon” race, will be screened at the Agora, Costa Navarino, on Friday, October 11. The documentary will also have a charitable cause, in order to honor the recent loss of Barney Spender’s wife from cancer.
“Navarino Challenge” has joined the Greek actions of the #BeactiveHellas 2019 program of the European Commission and is held under the auspices of the General Secretariat of Sports. The event is held under the auspices of the Greek National Tourism Organization with the approval of the Hellenic Swimming Federation. Coastal rowing relay race and demonstration is held under the auspices of the Hellenic Rowing Federation, while all running races are co-organized with Messiniakos Gymnastic Club, EAS SEGAS Peloponnese Region and the approval of the Hellenic Athletics Federation [SEGAS]. Navarino Challenge is co-organized by Costa Navarino, The Westin Resort Costa Navarino and Active Media Group with the support of the Municipalities of Pylos- Nestor and Trifilia.
Athletic Partners: Explore Messinia, F45 The Pearl, FitnessArt, Navarino Golf Academy, Navarino Outdoors, Navarino Racquet Academy, Pilates by Mandy, Red Swim Academy, Swim Academy, Triantafyllidis Beach Arena, Vizantinos target sport club 5
CSR Partners: Captain Vasilis and Carmen Konstantakopoulos Foundation, WWF Greece, Karkinaki, Institute of Preventive Medicine Environmental and Occupational Health Prolepsis
Volunteering Partner: Phaos
Assisted by: VitaNTravel, Karalis City Hotel & Spa, Lifeguard Patrol, Pylos Association of Enterprises for Tourism Development, Maritime Athletic Pylos Association “Nestor”, Target Security, Pilia Express, Kayak, Nestor, Blackmile, Epathlon, METAXA, The Blue Beetle, Fever-Tree, NoS, Southern Comfort
Discount Partners: Anazoe Spa, Armyra, Attica Selections, Bio & Pharma, Branco, Kafenio & Deli, Kessaris, Kooc Taverna Secrets, Lol the brand, Nargile, Panellinios Agora Games, Souvlakerie, The Diner, Tsamis Eyewear Boutique
Co-Working Is The Innovation That HR Can't Afford To Ignore
Can you afford to lose out? Find out more about how co-working can work for your company.
Serviced Offices Take-Off In Greece
Greece's recovery from the economic crisis is still ongoing, but as its startup and tech community has begun to grow in earnest, so has the demand for flexible co-working spaces from entrepreneurs and executives over the traditional, fixed office environments that come with long-term leases and high overhead costs.
Co-working spaces provide shared, collaborative environments that can house like-minded people, and have been used by companies to better manage risk and reduce CapEx/OpEx, while Athens has become a real hub for the country's burgeoning tech sector, which is now starting to truly thrive.
Marco Veremis, an angel investor and the founder of one of Greece's tech success stories, Upstream, recently told the Financial Times that he estimates Greek tech companies today have a combined market capitalisation of around €2bn – a decade ago, it was nearly zero.
This has been helped by the government-backed investment schemes created in recent years to help young Greek businesses get going. Uni.fund provides seed capital to startups in Greek universities focusing on R&D and the tech space, while SMEs can apply to EquiFund, a fund-of-funds co-financed by the European Investment Fund that aims to strengthen the venture capital market in Greece.
While tech companies grow and the country’s economy continues to recover, flexible workspaces are becoming increasingly popular. By September, IWG will have opened four coworking spaces in Greece in the space of a year.
Katerina Manou, VP Sales at IWG in Greece, says flexible workspaces have emerged in the country as a response to specific market conditions and firm requirements. “Increased external volatility, high sunk costs for setting up conventional office space, an emphasis on flexibility to expand and contract operations in line with business development are all factors that have contributed to making flexible workplaces an attractive option,” she said.
One of the outcomes of the crisis over the past decade has been that perceptions within the business community about the most efficient way to run both small and large firms have been “fundamentally reshaped,” Manou said. “It is now clearer than ever that the workspace should not be a liability for the bottom line of a firm, but an asset contributing to a firm's operations,” she added.
And Manou says that “a new generation of entrepreneurs and executives have embraced the idea, and are driving demand, as the Greek economy is slowly picking up again”. On a real estate level, turning conventional office premises into coworking spaces can breathe new life into under-utilised properties, and can revive entire districts that are run down due to the economic downturn,” she added.
But flexible workspaces offer benefits to all types of businesses, not just start-ups. And as IWG's 2019 Global Workspace Survey has shown, flexible working is the new norm. After canvassing more than 15,000 businesses across 80 countries, IWG found that the number of employees who want flexible working options has grown to 75 per cent, while over half of workers globally are getting their job done from outside their main office headquarters for at least 2.5 days of the week.
And while flexible working may once have been the natural choice for small-to-medium sized businesses, it is becoming a cost-effective option for a number of large, global corporate companies that are using it as a way to become more agile and to help mitigate risk, the research found. A total of 65% of businesses said having a flexible workspace helped them to reduce CapEx/OpEx, shed unnecessary assets, and consolidate their portfolio.
Manou adds that while flexible workspaces allow companies to reduce the cost of operations and become more competitive, which in turn benefits the Greek economy, they are also helping a new era of business leaders “who have come to terms with the idea that business survival depends on how flexible firms are in reacting to external disruptions, and are able to adapt by turning challenges into opportunities,” she said.
Could a serviced office be the right option for you?Check out Regus' flexible workspace locations to find a base for your international team!
This content has been sponsored by IWG - an XpatAthens Brand Partner.
The First Regus Business Center Opened In Thessaloniki
The largest provider of ready-made workplaces came to Thessaloniki offering flexible solutions for every professional.
Regus, with presence in over 110 countries and 1000 cities around the world, opened its first offices in Thessaloniki this early July.
In a 1,934-square-foot space that spans 5 floors, Regus has created 66 offices, two meeting rooms and 211 individual workspaces for anybody who wants to save on office costs, start their business quickly and hassle free, for those in need of a flexible contract for their headquarters or for companies that want to be active in the city without spending time on looking for a conventional space.
Regus's offices in Thessaloniki are located in the city center, on Karolou Del Street, very close to the port and across from Otton Square, with easy access to the bus stop and the main train station. Main buildings such as the Museum of the Macedonian Struggle and the Jewish Museum of Thessaloniki are only a few steps away.
Katerina Manou, Regus General Manager for Greece said in a statement: “We are excited about the expansion of our offices in Thessaloniki, a city with strong entrepreneurship and significant growth in recent years. We believe our offices will be of great help to anyone looking for a modern and easily accessible workplace in the heart of the city, providing all the modern services and networking opportunities in our well-designed spaces. "
Regus is reaching out to any freelance professional or company of any size looking for a professional and enjoyable workspace enhanced with state-of-the-art equipment, high speed internet infrastructure, administrative support and an ergonomically designed environment that stimulates employee profitability.
About Regus
Check out Regus' flexible workspace locations to find a base for your international team!
This content has been sponsored by IWG - an XpatAthens Brand Partner.
2019 Global WINConference In Athens
Perhaps you work for a large company and have substantial leadership experience or, you have just started your own company and are wondering how to proceed. Perhaps you are in transition and curious about your next steps. You will be in the right place. The conference will help you get up to speed on emerging trends in business, technology and society as well as the latest thinking on the future of work and careers, and new practices in individual growth. The conference is designed to help participants generate new awareness, skills, and connections in an inspiring and nurturing environment, enabling them to accelerate their impact in the world, at work and in their lives.
a) Join the first day only (2nd October): €195 special offer (with the same exceptions mentioned in the item B above). To be able to join us for this price, please write your application to participant@winconference.net.
b) Sponsored ticket (Scholarship): people from your network can also apply for a sponsored ticket for the full conference. We have a small number of limited entry tickets that can be granted for €295. To be able to join us for this price, please write your application to participant@winconference.net.
2. Special Package Offers For Greek Nationals
HOST COUNTRY TICKET: A limited number of tickets are given to host country delegates at a discounted price.
a) Fully subsidized ticket €1095: access to all learning material, all workshops, coaching, award dinner, gala dinner and cocktail – includes everything – application needed.
b) Limited Entry tickets for individuals €595 (3 days): access to all plenaries and working forums. No gala dinner, workshops or coaching sessions included – application needed.
Please write to participant@winconference.net to apply for a ticket with the following: a brief explanation as per why you are in need of financial support to attend the conference. Your motivation on why you want to join our event. How you believe you can contribute to WINConference 2019.
WIN Participants Say They Come Back With:
- Inspiration, a sense of calm, grace and clarity.
- The spark to start new projects and the readiness to take on new roles.
- An impactful community of support, meaningful connections and nourishment.
- Courage to make bolder decisions.
- Confidence to lead more holistically.
- Motivation to mentor other colleagues or your teams.
- The understanding that ‘I am enough’.
- The guts to take authentic action within your company, your community and for yourself.
Kimbra Live At Gazarte
“Mother Puce” - FoKiaNou Art Space
“Mother Puce” (like Mother Goose) uses the metaphor of nursery rhymes to tell stories based on real events against a backdrop of fabric-constructed scenes and large textile props. Gaining inspiration through research in the history of dress and tastemaking, Goodine-Richardson uses textiles, performance, sound and video to re-examine and question the meanings conventionally assigned to everyday objects and sounds.
She will be performing her cantastoria Mother Puce: Rhymes for Fleas and Pests on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, 2-4 October, at various times. Wine and refreshments will be served each day and there will be opportunities to speak to the artist. Ella Goodine-Richardson is from Indianapolis, Indiana.
She received her Bachelor’s of Art at Hampshire College in Aesthetic Philosophy and Costume. She has held public performances in Colorado Springs, Colorado, Washington D.C., and Amherst, Massachusett. She has exhibited her work at L’Etna in Paris, France, The Big Car Gallery in Indianapolis, The Wonder Box in Farmville, North Carolina, and the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts in Richmond. She is currently working with People’s Puppets of Occupy Wall Street in New York City on a cantastoria about climate justice and capitalism, as well as a puppet performance on health care and access in the United States.
FokiaNou Art Space is an artist-run project space in the intimacy of a small apartment in an old building in the center of Athens. The space encourages collaborative creative efforts between Greek and foreign artists, thereby promoting and supporting the local art community. The space hosts exhibitions, workshops and projects under the direction of two artists, Mary Cox and Panagiotis Voulgaris.
Attention Greek American Students: Philotimo Scholarship Competition
How To Apply
2. In 500 words, or less, answer one of the following questions:
3. Submit your answer to the Foundation via email by Friday, October 4
