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The final conference of the project “RE-thinking MICROcredit as a tool to support SMEs and boost LOCAL economies” with the acronym “REMICRO LOCAL” which was held on Thursday September 21, 2023 in the city of Serres as part of the SEREXPO Festival, was successfully completed.

The conference “opened” Mrs. Vicky Bitsiou, who represented the Serres Chamber’s Development Company (EP.AN.E.SER.), the project partner that hosted this event, welcoming all participants. The results of the project for the region of Serres were presented by Mr. Yiannis Tsoukalidis, EP.AN.E.SER.’s partner, while Ms. Agni Pagouni from KEPA, presented the activitites that had been implemented in Thessaloniki, Kavala, Drama, Komotini, and Halkidiki throughout the whole duration of REMICRO LOCAL.  From Bulgaria’s side, the results of the region were presented by Mr. Georgi Breskovski, partner of the organization “RTA Rodopi”, while Mr. Georgi Pamporov, founder of the organization, highlighted the dynamic perspective of all these projects for the development of the cross-border area.

In hindsight, the project results were particularly satisfactory counting a variety of diverse workshops, mentoring, B2B meetups, networking events, as well as the establishment of six business support centers in the areas of Thessaloniki, Serres, Kavala, Komotini, Smolyan and Haskovo. Through their participation in the project activities, the entrepreneurs had the opportunity to join a cross-border business network and created contacts and links with businesses from other areas of the participating regions of the Greek-Bulgarian eligible area.

In addition, the conference took place on the occasion of Interreg Cooperation Day, a European campaign that aims to make visible successful cases of European cooperation in society through fun cultural activities across Europe. In this sense, every September 21, Europe celebrates cooperation between countries by organizing more than a hundred activities that take place in many European cities.

The project is co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund and by national resources of the countries participating in the INTERREG VA Cooperation Program “Greece-Bulgaria 2014-2020.

#remicro #remicroLOCAL #local #localchamber #SerresChamber #epimelitirioserron #Serres #Serexpo #FinalEvent #RemicroLocalFinalEvent

The series of the Remicro LOCAL Workshops in Kavala and Drama was concluded with great success, hosting discussions about effective communication, branding, the creation of an online store, as well as the digital promotion of a business or an e-shop.

Specifically in Drama, on Monday March 13, 2023, Lab40 – which is an initiative of the Chamber of Drama – hosted the thematic workshop entitled “How will I create my e-shop and how will I manage it for continuous and efficient sales”.  The response of the audience to the workshop was great, with the participants attending with undiminished interest the speaker, Mr. Alkis Polioudakis, founder of “hello advertising”, Marketing Expert and Online Trainer.   Our speaker, through his presentation and discussion with the attendees, aimed to present to the owners of electronic stores (e-shops) the significant development opportunities that the rapid rise of e-commerce has brought. Emphasis was placed on the fact that among millions of different e-shops, each one can stand out and given this, the participants had the opportunity to learn basic rules and tips such as how they can create their own e-shop as well as for the 30-40-30 rule.  Also, key issues concerning the expansion of the buying public, the possible ways of finding customers and gradually creating a clientele were discussed. Our guest speaker analyzed the stages to follow for incremental and continuous sales, talked about the Marketing Funnel and the Marketing Tree as well as the newest trends in live shopping and dropshipping.

During the second workshop that was held on Wednesday, March 29, 2023, at Lab40 in Drama, participants had the opportunity to understand concepts such as digital display campaigns, among them social media ads, search engine ads (google ads), as well as email marketing.  Specifically, our speaker, Mr. Angelos Synadakis, e-Commerce Consultant and founder of Social Mind, made special reference to the value of audience targeting and also to the goals that an electronic store (e-shop) sets for each of its campaigns. In addition, through tangible examples, he analyzed the steps for formulating a promotional action per category of digital promotion.

In Kavala city, the Remicro Local workshop that was held on Wednesday, March 22, 2023, on the topic of branding and specifically the power of photography to enhance the image that a brand creates for the public, was of great interest. Our guest speaker, Ms. Katerina Daulka, photographer and stylist, with her excellent presence, constructive discussion, professionalism and of course her love for photography, explained to the audience how a picture can be worth a thousand words!  The participants had the opportunity to familiarize themselves with the concept of branding and to understand the role of photographing fashion items and products, food-drinks, restaurants, tourist or airbnb accommodation or real estate, but also the importance of photography as a means of advertising . The speaker emphasized this utility as it can bring about a strengthening of the brand name and also an increase in the demand for products/services. Through tangible examples and a lot of photographic material the audience understood the “power” of a visual stimulus in relation to a simple description and therefore the direct connection of e-commerce and photography.

Finally, on Monday 27th of March, the last Remicro Local workshop for the city of Kavala was successfully implemented.  The topic of the workshop was professional communication and the personal empowerment of a professional.  Our guest speaker. Ms. Maria Alexiadou Iosifidou, Haircut Trainer & Transformation Coach, Pimp My Style, successfully managed to give to the participants the opportunity to familiarize themselves with the concept of communication and to delve into issues of client-professional and organizational communication which is a necessary condition to emerge the professionalism. Emphasis was placed on the fact that grooming is not a luxury, but a key component for a professional’s self-confidence as well as that the combination of external appearance and internal attitude can affect professional communication. Also, personal empowerment can be the prerequisite for mood, communication and life balancing by harmonizing professional – personal time.  The audience watched the speaker with undiminished interest, as through interesting examples and experiential descriptions she emphasized the importance of effective communication and quality service in the provision of services, which are not just rules of good behavior, but perhaps one of the most important factors that lead to satisfied customers, and by extension to an increase in the revenue of our business.

The Networking event that was organised by the Department of Programs & Lifelong Learning (under the Directorate of Education) of the Municipality of Thessaloniki  in collaboration with KEPA, as part of the implementation of the Remicro LOCAL project, was an exceptional success!

The event entitled “Find your “Youthful” Value and make your Voice heard!” was held on Saturday, December 10, 2022 in the M. ANAGNOSTAKIS room at the Thessaloniki City Hall, on the occasion of the designation of 2022 as the European Youth Year (EYY), as an awareness-raising action for the young men and women of the city.

The aim of the event was to give young people the opportunity to participate in actions that focus on the continuous improvement, completion and upgrading of the knowledge, skills and abilities of individuals for the continuation of their personal and professional development, but also their active adaptation to the rapidly changing social and professional environment. In this direction, the guest speakers through an experiential approach and examples of their personal experiences, highlighted the importance of cultivating soft skills with a view to cultivating a growth mindset.

Specifically, Ms. Chryssa Herkeletzi, Business Coach, EMCC Accredited Practitioner (EIA) & Adult Educator, Certified by EOPPEP spoke about time management, starting with the key topic of priorities, presenting models for prioritizing tasks and goals, digital and non-digital tools that improve personal and our professional organization, among them the Pomodoro technique, as well as the enemies of “organization”, such as “time-stealers” and procrastination.

Afterwards, Ms. Mary Spathari, Psychologist, Organizational & Personal Growth Coach, developed the concept of the conflict and the possible benefits that can arise from it, so that one can face it as a potentially useful process, in terms of personal development and the improvement of interpersonal and social relationships. In particular, through a personal experience that she shared with the participants, the three dimensions of the conflict were understood: the interpersonal, the internal, and the social, conflict models, the role of empathy, and the power of vulnerability. Concluding, he highlighted the stages of escalation of a conflict, the role of communication and the use of words between those involved, as well as the concept of mapping and the practice of applying its steps, through “circular observation”, so that they are able to the stakeholder to analyze different conflict maps and explore alternative options that emerge from them, with the aim of resolving the conflict.

Finally, Ms. Phyllis Gavriilidou, Author, Coach, and co-founder of “The Brain Hacking Academy”, spoke about the importance of managing a change, stressing that adaptability is a skill, and those who have the ability to adapt to it, achieve the desired results for them. Change management is a structured approach to how individuals, groups, organizations and societies change, as they seek to move from an existing state to a future state, which is sometimes dependent on their own actions, and sometimes is consequence of external factors. She characteristically mentioned the phrase “Premeditatio malorum” which comes from Latin and translates as the foresight to foresee any undesirable events or situations. Summarizing, he added that this approach is similar to the stoic technique of negative visualization, but through the “Hack the Change” perspective, it is possible to design a “change strategy”, providing flexible, human-centered and knowledge-based experience, tactics for managing change.

A crowd of people, local agencies, entrepreneurs, executives of organizations and media representatives, embraced the stories of three active entrepreneurs from the wider area of Kavala, during the networking event held by KEPA as part of the implementation of the REMICRO LOCAL project, on Wednesday, December 7 2022, in the particularly welcoming and warm area of the Bistro Café “Aparto” in Kavala.

The event started with an epigrammatic presentation of KEPA by Ms. Margarita Fydanaki, Responsible for the Remicro LOCAL project in the Region of Eastern Macedonia Thrace, while the discussion was moderated by Mr. Yiannis Komninos, journalist of the TV show “On Camera” on Center TV, highlighting the dynamics of the region and the prospects for its development.
The title of the networking event “We do business locally, we promote our products cross-border”, aptly captured the business journey of three visionary and extroverted people.

Ms. Vasiliki – Zafeiria Ypsilanti, founder of the company Mantility, Mr. Apostolos Adalialis, owner of Mousthenis Farm, and Mr. Theodoros Tsikrikonis, Oenologist of Tsikrikonis Winery, shared with the audience their experiences, as well as the challenges they had to face in during their business journey, in order to develop, consolidate and operate successfully beyond their territorial waters, opening horizons for the penetration of their products into foreign markets. The audience’s interest was particularly intense with multiple questions posed to the guest speakers, who were asked to position themselves on issues regarding future plans, previous ventures, export activity, bureaucratic obstacles, support structures for their business endeavors, access to finance, business networking and coordinated outreach and promotion actions.

Through a constructive dialogue between speakers and audience, the interventions of Mr. Markos Dembas, President of the Kavala Chamber, Mr. Zafeiris Mystakidis, President of the GEOT.EE department of Eastern Macedonia, Mr. Vizikas Ioannis, President of the Institute of Social Movements and Tobacco History of Kavala, as well as Dr. Georgiou Theriou, Asst. Professor at the International University of Greece, who graced the event with their presence, everyone’s views converge towards a common agenda for the cultivation of the “Kavala” brand name through the promotion of local business initiatives.

In a very friendly atmosphere, the discussion continued after the end of the event, with an exchange of opinions and good practices, with a festive mood under the Christmas atmosphere of the Bistro that hosted the said event.

This year’s  Remicro LOCAL Workshops for the city of Drama have been completed with great success, with the holding of two thematic workshops in the welcoming spaces of Lab40, focusing on new financial tools and the digital presentation of a business on social media.

In the first one for the month of November, Remicro LOCAL Workshop, a very constructive dialogue took place around the financing possibilities of a small and/or small and medium-sized business.
🗣 Speakers were Mr. Nikolaos Charalambogiannis, Coordinator of Development Law & European Programs Advisory Services at ena Σύμβουλοι Ανάπτυξης and Mr. Neoklis Stamkos, Project Manager and CFO of KEPA who presented:

💸 Financial tools available to leverage
💸 Ways of financing outside banks, including microcredits
💸 The main points of the New Development Law 4887/2022
💸 The active invitations of the Development Law

Specifically, Mr. Stamkos referred to the financial tools that can be used by businesses in our country, as well as to the new non-bank financing methods that have recently appeared in Greece.
Subsequently, Mr. Charalambogiannis presented the main points of the New Development Law 4887/2022 and then presented the 2 active invitations of the development concerning the regimes “Agriculture-Primary Production and Processing of Agricultural Products-Fishing-Aquaculture” and “Enhancement of Tourism Investments” ” and their details.

There was a great interest of participants for the second Remicro LOCAL Workshop in November, where through a highly interactive presentation, Ms. Vassiliki Theodoridou, Marketer and founder of Social Media Jungle, spoke about the existing social media #socialmedia and the characteristics of each one, but mainly focused on:
🔰 the importance of formulating a strategy, setting goals for a brand’s digital presence, as well as
🔰 the management of the digital presence in the everyday life of the company, through specific “steps”.

At the same time, the second member of Social Media Jungle, Ms. Nikoleta Theodoridou, presented the 80/20 rule, which indicates that 80% of posts on social media should be useful information for the public, that add value – that is, information that educates, entertains or offers a solution to needs or its problems – and only 20% should promote / advertise the business.

We sincerely thank the manager of the Lab40 Hub, Ms. Fotini Dimiou, as well as the Administration and the President of the Chamber of Drama, Mr. Stefanos Georgiadis, for their honorable invitation and kind hospitality of the actions implemented by KEPA.

We highly appreciate all our partners for their trust and thank each and every attendee who honored us with their presence!

The Chamber of Halkidiki, in the context of the continuous training and education of its members, organized in collaboration with KEPA’s project team, three online workshops that were completed with great success!

The workshops were organized within the framework of the implementation of the REMICRO LOCAL project, focusing on the following thematic fields:

Initially, on Monday 14th November, our guest speaker, Mr. Alexandros Gagalnas, Educator and Business Coach, presented ways in which a business can use digital tools to acquire more customers. In particular, he underlined the importance of cultivating a mindset for digital presence and visibility, pointed out frequent mistakes that we encounter in campaigns to promote the products / services of a company, helped the entrepreneurs present to familiarize themselves with the marketing funnel concept, while at the same time highlighted the benefits of digital marketing for a business. Through tangible examples, it became clear how to use advertising (ads) on social media and Google, as well as promotion through Email marketing, in order for the company to achieve more sales.

Then, on Wednesday 23th November, our speakers, Mrs. Stella Tsiarvoula, Creative / Cultural Manager & Development Expert, PhD candidate in Cultural Policy Department of Journalism & Media, AUTH and Christina Mavromati, Communication & Events Manager, MSc Museology & Museum Management, focused on concepts such as local and cultural development (heritage), the organization of events, tourism, communication policy, as well as their connection with tourism. The combination of local products with cultural events and other actions of local bodies, strengthens not only the cultural but also the economic development of a place. In addition, through the promotion of the cultural management and communication policy of local and private entities involved in the region and in the cultural events of the place, the prominence of the products themselves is enhanced. The coordinated efforts on the part of businesses and organizations to draw up an integrated communication strategy for the development of the region with the local products and cultural elements of Halkidiki as key tools, will increase the profitability of local businesses and, by extension, the tourist and economic activity of this place.

Finally, on Monday 28th November, the participants had the opportunity to be informed by our speaker, Mr. Alki Polioudakis, Marketing Expert and founder of hello advertising, about the new trends in e-commerce, among them “live” shopping, a different perspective on the issue of product and/or service promotion. Live shopping combines the worlds of live streaming, social media, influencers and eshops and provides an interesting look at what could be in store for certain aspects of e-commerce sales in the future. The rise of nano influencers and technology for streaming and e-commerce offers an incredible opportunity to modernize the typical shopping network.

Starting from the basics about creating an eshop, Mr. Polioudakis asked a basic question to the participants, about who is the one who ultimately wants to create an eshop’ “someone who already has a physical store or someone who sees an opportunity and wants to sell online?” while in the second year he referred to the steps that a small entrepreneur needs to follow in order to structure his online store, with the triptych “Branding – Awareness – Ads & Sales” based on the “Marketing Tree” philosophy. Afterwards, our guest speaker analyzed the 30-40-30 rule, highlighting the importance of allocating the costs of building, displaying and promoting an eshop, but also how these combine with customer acquisition / expansion tactics, as well as online strategy sales, in order to make our online store profitable.

We sincerely thank the President of the Halkidiki Chamber, Mr. Yiannis Koufidis, as well as the executives of the Chamber’s administration, for their trust in KEPA’s activities!