The challenges arising for the HoReCa sector from the evolution of technology, the necessary upskilling & reskilling for human resources and the need for more sustainable practices, were the topics analyzed at the conference organized on Saturday, February 11th, by Fortune Greece, during the exhibition.

The conference started with the speech of the CEO of Knowcrunch.com, Mr. Apostolis Aivalis, entitled “Digital Marketing: Content & Community Management”. During his speech he focused on the role and responsibilities of a Content & Community Manager in a HoReCa business. He presented tips for the production of attractive content and techniques for the digital promotion of a business. He also referred to the best practices that a digital manager can adopt to create useful and interesting content for the followers of their pages and channels.

This was followed by a panel discussion on the topic “The Future of Work: Rethinking Skills for a New Era” moderated by the editor in chief of Fortune Greece, Tassos Zachos. Theofilos Vassiliadis, Founder & CEO of kariera.gr, Angeliki Papadimitriou, Community, Sustainability & Customer Partnerships Manager of Coca-Cola Hellas and Joanna Psomopoulou, Head of Business Operations of Workathlon participated in the panel. Speakers referred to the fact that the pandemic, the fourth industrial revolution and technological developments requiring resilience, flexibility and new skills have radically changed the market landscape. They referred to the fact that now the industry professional must equip himself with the new hard skills of the digital age and above all, build the necessary soft skills that will make him stand out the next day. Finally, they emphasized the initiatives implemented in our country and by their own companies for the training of human resources in the new era.

Then Maria Tzelepi, Director of Corporate Affairs, Communication & Sustainable Development of Coca-Cola Hellas and Filippos Kyrkitsos, President of the Hellenic Recycling Society presented Coca-Cola’s new Zero Waste HoReCa Hub, a digital training and recognition platform, which aims small and medium-sized businesses in the catering and hospitality sector, regardless of geographical location, to be trained in circular economy issues in order to increase the percentage of their recyclable waste, reducing their operating costs.

The stage then was taken by Ioannis Kallias, CEO of TÜV AUSTRIA HELLAS, who analyzed, under the coordination of the editor in chief of Fortune Greece, Tasos Zachos, how certification can answer the challenges of sustainability. He elaborated on how through the certification a HoReCa business can contribute to tackling climate change and to strengthening the recycling rate at the national level, taking on its social and environmental responsibility in practice, which is a basic requirement for modern customers and consumers.

The conference ended with the discussion around the topic “The business empowerment through technology” in which Vassilis Apostolopoulos, Co-founder & CEO of BibeCoffee, Alexandros Koumbas, Founder & CEO of OrderIt and Rania Lambrou, Co-founder & CEO of Simpler. The panel was moderated by Basilis Samourkas, Deputy Editor of Fortune Greece. The speakers confirmed the fact that cutting-edge technologies have changed and continue to radically change the HoReCa sector. They also presented integrated technology solutions that empower and upgrade a company in the sector, but also technological tools that change & evolve the sector concerning automation, new digital payment tools, as well as energy saving and the circular economy.