Horizon Hospitality
The host DMC for the GEP Summit in Athens, Greece, Horizon Travel, was omnipresent, with leadership from Aris Tsaldaris, president & CEO. Tsaldaris enjoys a coffee break with Tracey Manion, CMP, manager, client support, for Meridican Incentive Consultants, Markham, Ontario.
The GEP Team
The GEP Summit team: Jim Schultenover (left), president of Global Events Partners and Krisam Group; Chris White, chairman and CEO, GEP and Krisam Group; and Stacy Tischler, senior vice president, operations, GEP and Krisam Group
Ancient Views
With clear views of Athen's iconic Parthenon, Dionysos Restaurant at the foot of the Acropolis was a fitting choice for the opening night reception and dinner at the GEP Summit.
God and Goddess?
Dave Mana, managing director for San Francisco DMC Mana, Allison & Associates, gets a warrior's welcome to the GEP Summit's opening night dinner in Athens.
More Gods and Goddesses
GEP Summit guest Elisabeth Hell Westman, project manager groups & incentives for Resia Meetings & Events, Linkoping, Sweden, enjoys a moment with a Greek god outside the Dionysos Restaurant in Athens.
Social Media Expert
IMEX Group's Miguel Neves, senior online community manager, spoke to GEP Summit attendees about the role of mobile apps and social media in audience engagement.
Host Hotels
Three side-by-side hotels in the heart of Athens, fronting Syntagma Square and next door to Parliament, hosted GEP Summit guests: NJV Athens Plaza, King George Palace, and Hotel Grande Bretagne.
One-on-One Appointments
Michael O'Conner, president of Chicago DMC Chicago Is...Inc., gets ready for the one-on-one appointments with planners—the key business sessions at the GEP Summit.
The Heart of the Business
DMCs and meeting planners each had 12 scheduled 20-minute appointments during the GEP Summit. Business sessions were held at the Hotel Grande Bretagne.
GEP and its Partners
Jim Schultenover, president of Global Events Partners and Krisam Group, with Denis Kalinic, managing director and owner of Adria Events Ltd., Croatia
The Illinois Contingent
Jennifer Hopkins, CMP, CMM, president of Hopkins Consulting Group, Aurora, Ill., and Bruce Smith, president of NorthPointe Meetings & Incentives, Naperville, Ill., get ready for an afternoon cruise down the Greek coast.
Global Partners
DMC pros from two sides of the globe: Pallan Katgara (left), chairman, India Destination Group, and Tom Kostoff, CMP, GEP Destination Management, Las Vegas
Fun Run
About 40 people participated in the GEP Summit's morning fun run, which finished at an Olympic stadium built in the 1860s.
Westin Astir Palace Reception
Enjoying a reception at the The Westin Astir Palace, a coastal resort about 25 minutes from Athen's center city, are (from left to right) Machteld Liebregs, manager, Holland Destination Management, Amsterdam; Francois Gailliard, president, Lafayette Travel, Paris; and Argen De Man, manager, GI Sports Travel, GI Travel, Rotterdam, Netherlands.
Partner of the Year (U.S.)
Bonnie Boyd, CMP, DCMP, (right) was honored at the GEP Summit as Partner of the Year (U.S.). Boyd, president and CEO of BBC Destination Management in New Orleans, joins Kimberly Tronzo, operations manager, senior meetings manager with HRG North America, Stamford, Conn., for refreshments during a reception at The Westin Astir Palace.
Tough Job...
Taylor Weinstein, event coordinator at Toronto's Managing Matters, enjoys the view at the The Westin Astir Palace.
Networking with a View
(Left to right) Anna Williams, general manager, GEP Destination Management, Atlanta; Jodi Sniegocki, manager, marketing events, Allscripts, Pittsburgh; and Richard Hart, director, Event Logistics Ltd., Stocklinch, U.K.
Brain Trust
Bernadette Petz (left), operations manager at Panorama Tours & Travel, Salzburg, Austria, and JoAnn Taie, executive director at the Organization for Human Brain Mapping
Meet the Russians
In from Moscow for the GEP Summit are Dasha Zueva (left), general manager at Business Travel Solutions, and Tanya Agapova, senior marketing events manager for Kaspersky Lab.
The Networking Continues
Margaret Stafford, meetings director with the American Bar Association, talks technology with Jim Schultenover, president of GEP and Krisam Group.
Tours Too!
A trip to the top of Athen's Acropolis was the first choice of many attendees for an afternoon tour.
Final Night Gala
The Zappeion, a landmark building in the National Gardens of Athens, was the site for a red-carpet evening at the GEP Summit.
Renaissance Man
Chris White, chairman and CEO, GEP and Krisam Group—and accomplished clarinetist—entertained guests at the final-night dinner.
