How to turn a conference into a leisure trip !

 

 

Travel to attend international and domestic conferences provides the opportunity for those who choose to attend to combine work and training with leisure.

Conference tourism, which has existed for the last three decades as a type of tourism and is defined by Greek legislation as organised meetings of people with common interests or professional qualities for the purpose of scientific information and the exchange of information and opinions, can be transformed into a leisure tourism opportunity, provided that activities aimed at entertainment are included.

By combining the ‘good after the bad’, any participation in a conference, in addition to the work to be done at the conference, can also include scheduled leisure activities, making the stay of those at the conference destination even more enjoyable, refreshing their mood and boosting their motivation for better performance and increased productivity.

How can this combination of conference and leisure tourism be achieved, bringing multiple beneficial benefits to both participants and companies/businesses? Some ideas for achieving this are presented below.

 

How a conference trip can include leisure moments

 

Create a plan for all the activities of the trip

From the very first moment of planning a trip to attend a conference of your interest, it is important to create a plan that includes both the professional or educational obligations and the leisure activities you seek to include in it. It is best to have your planning done well in advance, and any bookings you need to have arranged before you arrive, so that you are more likely to be able to stick to them during the trip.

Combining conference work with tourist visits

During the times when conference work is not in progress, you have the opportunity to “take advantage” of the recreational opportunities on offer and schedule regional conference-related meetings at a museum or even gallery venue. This will give everyone who attends the opportunity to see the sights of the region where the conference is taking place and of course to get in touch with the culture of the destination.

 

 

Alternative proposal for gastronomic meetings

Of course, if the conference includes lunches with the participants, you can plan for these to take place during the lunch hours, when the conference work is usually paused, and the meetings to take place in restaurants in the region that are famous for their cuisine, so that everyone has the opportunity to enjoy the flavours of the local cuisine.

Extension of the length of stay for participants

Another way of combining conference tourism with leisure time is to extend the length of stay of participants for at least one or even two more days after the end of the conference. In this eventuality, considerable time is provided either to the organisers or to participants who, after the end of the conference, wish to see the area, to visit sights and points of interest, such as historical monuments and archaeological sites, that they would like to see before returning to their daily routine.

 

 

Photo by Glenn Carstens-Peters on Unsplash