Alba – SOKEE Executive Program in Exhibition and Event Management | Alba

Overview and Scope

Τhe Executive Program in Exhibition Management is an intensive community learning program, sponsored by SOKEE and aspiring to offer participants the opportunity to develop skills, competencies and cutting edge knowledge on event and exhibition management, as well as the context to build powerful professional networks in the exhibition industry.

Added Value

Featuring top speakers and thought leaders, providing participants with strategies, tactics, resources and solutions
Co-creating, expanding and connecting the exhibition management industry in Greece
Building employer branding for SOKEE corporate members
Social Responsibility: Supporting youth in Greece for employability and career development

Program Curriculum

The curriculum is co-designed by Alba Executive Development in collaboration with SOKEE. It is comprised of a core learning course led by Alba and a combination of courses led by SOKEE and taught by senior leaders of the SOKEE network.

The program will be delivered in Greek and in English.

Session 1

Ecosystem Thinking

This interactive session focuses on the management of widespread disruption of the economy. In such a disruptive environment, business leaders have to manage situations that have not seen before. As such, past experience might not be that helpful. Business leaders need quickly to redesign the decision making process of the company and develop internal ecosystems of smaller agile and across functional teams and leverage “collective wisdom” of the team-members in terms of data collection, exploration of new patterns, collective decision-making and finally communication and implementation of the decisions.

Session 2

Introduction to Commercial Exhibitions: Past, Present and Types

Explore the origins and evolution of commercial exhibitions, defining their essence and significance. Unravel the diverse categories and typology of these events, from trade shows to virtual showcases. Analyse promotional advantages of exhibitions, including networking, branding, market research and sales opportunities. Join us for a concise journey through the dynamic world of commercial exhibitions.

Global Dynamics of Commercial Exhibitions: Policies, Trends and International Organization

Examine the international landscape of the exhibition industry, including EU and Greek national policies. Uncover evolving trends and shifts shaping commercial exhibitions worldwide. Discuss the evolution of the industry and its impact on global business. Explore key international organizations driving standards and collaboration within the exhibition sector.

The Exhibition Organiser

Εxplore the intricate process of organizing commercial exhibitions, from preparation to post-event stages. Unveil the meticulous planning involved in venue selection, exhibitor recruitment, and marketing strategies. Dive into the operational intricacies during the exhibition, focusing on logistics, attendee management, and on-site coordination. Reflect on the crucial post-exhibition phase, encompassing evaluation, feedback analysis, and strategic planning for future events.

Exploring Exhibition Stand Building: Challenges and Employment Prospects

Delve into the world of exhibition stand builders, uncovering the unique challenges and abundant opportunities within the industry. Discuss the complexities of designing and constructing exhibition stands, including logistical hurdles and client expectations. Explore the diverse employment prospects in stand building, from skilled builder to project management, offering insight into this dynamic and rewarding field.

Session 3

Digital Marketing

Α 6-hour digital marketing course designed to introduce you to key strategies and trends shaping today's online landscape. We'll explore essential concepts like social media marketing, content creation, and online advertising. You'll discover how digital tools can boost brand awareness and customer engagement across multiple platforms. We'll touch on influencer marketing, and practical tips to enhance your digital presence. Ideal for beginners or young professionals looking to structure their knowledge, this course offers a concise overview of effective digital marketing practices.

Session 4

Negotiations

The Negotiations Seminar aims at empowering participants with the tools, the competencies, the techniques and the mindset that will allow them to achieve optimum results in the negotiations contexts and challenges that they face, and improve their negotiations results, both in their personal and in their professional lives. The content provides a blend of cutting-edge theory, practical knowledge, role plays and interactive exercises that evolve in a collaborative context that boosts self-awareness, feedback and reflection and assists participants to think about negotiation preparation and strategy in an organized way.

Mastering Marketing in Commercial Exhibitions: Design an organiser marketing strategy.

Understand the philosophy of exhibition marketing, explore its strategic role and principles. Delve into the exhibition marketing mix, encompassing product, price, place, promotion and people. Uncover the power of exhibitions as a dynamic marketing tool, driving brand awareness, lead generation, and customer engagement. Join us for a concise journey into maximizing marketing impact within the exhibition realm.

Maximizing Exhibitor Success: Strategic Goals in Exhibition Participation

Discover the exhibitor's perspective in exhibition participation, emphasizing strategic goals and market targeting. Explore effective exhibition marketing techniques tailored to achieve specific objectives. Uncover the symbiotic relationship between strategic goals and market dynamics, elucidating the significance of participation in commercial exhibitions for organizational growth and success.

Session 5

Quantifying Success: Marketing-Communication Strategy, Market Positioning, Benchmarking & Exhibition KPIs

Explore the significance of exhibition sizes, benchmarking, and statistical analysis in the commercial exhibition realm. Discuss the varying dimensions of exhibitions and their implications on attendance, exhibitor satisfaction, and overall impact. Explore the benchmarking methodologies to assess industry performance and identify trends, accompanied by statistical insights to inform strategic decision-making within the exhibition landscape.

Strategic Customer Service

This session will unfold around strategic customer service and customer centricity. Participants will have the opportunity to:

Learn what the power of customer centricity is; customer relations and powerful brand as a bridge between customer value and firm value
Create the customer learning capability: tools for understanding customer “pain” and “plug” it into your value proposition
Overcome the traps of customer centricity; how inertia, silos, and arrogance destroy customer value.
Make it happen: Align mission, processes, policies, and information systems to strategically address your customer, improvisation and “all that jazz”.

Session 6 | Organised by HAPCO

Unveiling the Conference Meetings Industry: Unique Characteristics and Contrasts with Exhibitions or Ontroduction to the Conference Industry

Explore the distinct characteristics and nuances of the conference industry, highlighting its differences from exhibitions. Delve into key aspects such as content delivery, attendee engagement, and networking opportunities. Gain insights into the strategic planning and execution required for successful conferences, distinguishing them as dynamic platforms for knowledge exchange and professional development.

Organizing national participation in exhibitions abroad

Explore the complexities and strategic considerations of organizing national pavilions at international exhibitions. This session highlights the importance of cohesive national branding, inter-agency collaboration, and targeted sectoral promotion. Participants will gain insights into planning, budgeting, logistics, and execution, while understanding how to showcase national strengths, support participating companies, and elevate international visibility. Real-world examples and actionable frameworks will guide attendees in delivering impactful national representations on the global stage.

Session 7

Attracting Hosted Buyers to your show

In this presentation, we will introduce the FORUM S.A. Hosted Buyer Program—an initiative designed to connect international buyers with Greek and international exhibitors through custom-made B2B Match Making Platform. We will outline the structure, workflow, and strategic goals of the program, showcase its growth throughout the years, and highlight the benefits it offers to both exhibitors and selected buyers. Finally, we will discuss future plans for the expansion of the Program.

Strategy

Companies operate in a Volatile, Uncertain, Complex and Ambiguous (V.U.C.A.) market environment. Technology through globalization and the internet rapidly disrupts industries, business models operation processes, challenging existing companies and helping others to emerge. Long term strategies assume a stable market environment but in a V.U.C.A. business environment the ability of the company to quickly adjust to the new disruptive forces in the market require strategic agility and adaptability. At the same time industries quickly reach maturity and competition increasingly become tougher.

To manage effectively in a V.U.C.A. world, companies need to develop certain capabilities so company leaders can demonstrate strategic agility in managing the unexpected. In that, an important organization capability is to also focus strategically on value innovation and value creation that goes beyond the traditional boundaries of the industry.

Participant Profile

Τhe Program is addressed to:

Young university graduates in the fields of marketing, events, operations etc., who are interested in pursuing a career in exhibition and event management.
Entry-level and junior executives (ages 20 – 30) who are already employed in the field of exhibition management and wish to enhance their knowledge and skills for future career advancement and development. Five (5) years of experience in the exhibition industry is highly valued.
Newcomers to the exhibition industry who seek to gain additional knowledge and skills for career advancement in this industry.

Applicants should also be fluent in English language, as some lectures might be delivered in English.

The application process will be followed by a selection process in order to decide on the group of 35 participants who will join the program.

Selection criteria will focus on the motivation of the participants to engage in continuous learning, to add value to the rest of the team, to become part of a vibrant learning network, as well as the intention to develop their self–awareness and work towards their personal and professional growth, as the above are expressed in their application form. For this reason, we encourage applicants to share their challenges, goals and aspirations in the dedicated section of the application.

Application Process & Assessment

The application process will be followed by a selection process in order to decide on the group of 35 participants who will join the program.

Selection criteria will focus on the motivation of the participants to engage in continuous learning, to add value to the rest of the team, to become part of a vibrant learning network, as well as the intention to develop their self – awareness and work towards their personal and professional growth, as the above are expressed in their application form. For this reason, we encourage the applicants to share their challenges, goals aspirations in the dedicated section of the application.

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