Last month saw the commencement of a series of seminars that ultimately leads to CeMA certification – the first of its kind for Greece. The Athens Training & Development Center has teamed forces with the American Community Schools (ACS) of Greece’s Institute of Innovation and Creativity in efforts to fill a gap in the area of Internet promotion and enhancing a business’s online presence. The local market can no longer afford to ignore the power of the Internet in growing business and attracting a targeted client base. AT&D Director, Mr Spiros Gianiotis, says the first group of ‘student/entrepreneurs’ and ambitious freelancers, which is made up of men and women aged from 22 to 50, are eager to make their mark and bring the Greek reality on a par with international activities in this arena. “I’ve been speaking with the participants after class about the expectations they had – and they’ve all said the seminars by far exceed their expectations! Isn’t that great?!”With the summer season having wound down, winter is a time for tour operators, hoteliers, conference and destination management ventures, eco-tourism interests and even local public authorities wishing to promote their traditional wares and cultural offerings to foreign and local tourists to focus activities on setting up for a profitable 2011 tourist season. By mastering the techniques of website optimization, all stand to gain in a highly competitive market ‘plagued’ by VAT increases and dwindling tourist flows. This holds true for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) as well as major outfits struggling to maintain profit margins by improving services, product offerings and quality of the customer-client experience – a healthy combination of which makes for a sure-fire way of combating the current bleak economic climate.
The course runs until February, at which time successful participants will be eligible to sit for CeMA certification.
