The fourth and final event in the series of information sessions and Digital Transformation solution presentations, titled “Digital Transformation of Businesses in Eastern Macedonia and Thrace”, was completed successfully. It was organized by ena Development Consultants, Supporting Body of the eMT cluster, in collaboration with the Xanthi Chamber of Commerce and the technology companies that make up the eMT cluster.

The event took place on Friday, July 1, 2022, at the multi-purpose space of ena Development Consultants, #enahub, a meeting point for people and ideas from every sector with a shared goal of growth in education, the economy and entrepreneurship.

Welcome addresses were given, on behalf of the Municipality of Xanthi, by the President of the Xanthi City Council, Mr. Ioannis Boutos, and on behalf of Democritus University of Thrace by Mr. Vasilis Diamantis, PhD of the Department of Environmental Engineering and Co-Founder of Act4energy.

This was followed by a presentation of Democritus University of Thrace's business incubator, Thinc Thrace incubator, by Mr. Michalis Pouspourikas, co-founder of FM-EPICHEIREIN, which is the incubator's contractor together with ena Development Consultants.

Mr. Giorgos Papastamatiou, head of strategic planning of the eMT cluster, speaking about the cluster's strategy, stressed how far the eMT cluster has gone beyond the formal requirements of the General Secretariat for Research and Innovation programs. He also stressed that the eMT cluster is a meeting point for businesses in Eastern Macedonia and Thrace, where they can find advisory support and explore alternative technologies for their digital transformation. He also noted that the eMT cluster puts into practice cooperation with every development initiative in the Region of Eastern Macedonia and Thrace, as well as with initiatives across Greece, so as to act as a channel for every business that wants to network at national or European level, find staff through Universities and Chamber Incubators, and strengthen know-how exchange with Institutes and Cooperative Associations already in operation.

Next, the scope and the innovations brought together by the technology ecosystem of the eMT cluster, the first Innovation & Technology cluster in the Region of Eastern Macedonia & Thrace, were presented by the project's Project Manager, Mr. Stelios Kotopoulos.

Five (5) of the businesses that make up the eMT cluster took part in the event. They had the opportunity both to connect with the business community of the Xanthi area and to present the digital transformation solutions they are developing as members of the eMT cluster.

More specifically, the following companies took part with their representatives:

  • ATC: Mr. Dimitris Tziotis, Business Development at Athens Technology Center (ATC), gave an overview of the activities of his company, one of the longest-established in Greece. He spoke about the news and updates aggregation and analysis applications used by news agencies across Europe, as well as by major organizations and prominent figures. He also spoke about urban mobility applications and the integrated ERP system that ATC represents, Epicor, which already runs in major industries in Greece and abroad.
  • GeoSense: The company's CEO, Mr. Dimitris Ramnalis, presented services and products related to unmanned aerial vehicles, UAVs (Drones), and their typical uses across a very wide range of applications, such as collecting crop data for digital farming, monitoring hard-to-reach areas for protection or natural disaster research, and inspecting/monitoring hard-to-reach structures (such as refinery furnaces or mobile phone masts), while also explaining the enormous usefulness of drones across economic and scientific sectors.
  • Ten06: The company's founder, Mr. Giorgos Papastamatiou, presented the startup TEN06, which focuses on developing applications that combine consulting and business logic with technology, accelerating the delivery of digital transformation systems for Tourism and Travel, Agri-tech and commercial businesses. It offers clients short delivery times and lower costs, while helping to address the shortage of suitable technical staff for application development.
  • Genet Advertising – ZZDOT: The owner of the group, Mr. Ilias Grilias, presented the range of services his group offers and, through real examples of serving local, national and international clients, focused on the importance of professional communication for products, services and ideas, combining a holistic approach (visual, financial, legal, market trends, market segmentation, etc.) with the right technology, whether in digital marketing, in design and creative work, or in operations. The virtual tour system he presented, which helps users become familiar with complex technology environments and connect with businesses, drew even more interest from the audience.
  • SEEMS: Its co-founder and Advisory Board member, Mr. Petros Soukoulias, presented the digital transformation solutions for industrial production in which the company has specialized over the past 5 years.

ena Development Consultants, Supporting Body of the eMT cluster, was represented by the company's co-founder and Director of Coordination & Development, Mr. Stavros Amoiras, who, after a brief look at ena's presence and role as a development hub in the Region of Eastern Macedonia and Thrace, presented the financing tools available to businesses to support innovation and entrepreneurship. Mr. Amoiras also mentioned the projects ena Development Consultants has undertaken, whose ultimate recipient and beneficiary is the wider economic and educational community of the Region of Eastern Macedonia and Thrace.

At the end of the event, participants had the opportunity to discuss individual questions about the digital transformation of their businesses with the speakers and the representatives of the eMT cluster and the participating member businesses, while enjoying a variety of gourmet dishes and fine wines.

The Xanthi event was the last stop in the eMT cluster's series of information events in the Region of Eastern Macedonia and Thrace. These events presented Digital Transformation solutions mainly, but not only, for primary and secondary sector Agri-food businesses, Manufacturing and Industrial businesses, Commercial businesses, Cooperatives and Local Government Organizations.

The eMT cluster has already begun connecting with bodies from other parts of Greece, with the aim of transferring know-how and building closer contact with professional bodies and financial institutions relevant to every sector of the economy of the Region of Eastern Macedonia and Thrace.

You can find photos from the Xanthi event at the link below:

The eMT cluster, the first Innovation & Technology cluster in the Region of Eastern Macedonia & Thrace, thanks everyone who honored the event with their presence. It especially thanks the companies that took an active part in the talks with their own investment, as well as the staff of ena Development Consultants, who also privately took on the entire organization of these events.