About AgriBusiness Forum 2019

AgriBusiness Forum 2019 to be held in Serres-Greece 1-2 November 2019 under the topic “The future of agriculture in the digital era” is committed to advancing knowledge for the digitization & digital transformation of the agrifood value chain from seed to fork.

AgriBusiness Forum, agro-technology premier event is focused on boosting innovation, integrating partnerships, enhancing cross-sectoral cooperation and dynamically debating the near-future of the production, processing and distribution of sustainable and value-added agrifood products in Greece, the Balkans and beyond.

AgriBusiness Forum 2019 intriguing agenda features 8 content driven sessions, 50 distinguished speakers from Europe, Greece and the US, and be attended by 250 hi-level delegates of farmers, leading businesses, financial services, innovative scaleups, research, academia and the public sector. It also boosts entrepreneurship and innovation through a Masterclass to be delivered by its designated scientific partners.

  • AgriBusiness Forum 2018 highlights video here

Speakers

Mr. Tassos Mantagaris

Sector Expert, Eurobank Small Business Segment General Division

Mr. Grigoris Tasios

President, Hellenic Hotelier’s Federation

Dr. Konstantinos Baginetas

Secretary General of Agricultural Policy and Management of European Funds, Ministry of Rural Development & Food

Mr. Christos Yiannakakis

Board Member of Sasoee, Executive Consultant at Venus Growers Cooperative

VIEW ALL SPEAKERS

Agenda

Thursday, October 31st 2019

The Challenge

The Challenge is a pitching and pre-opening event to the AgriBusiness Forum. Τhe Challenge made for the food & agtech scaleups being participants to the Masterclass and focuses on bringing them into the radar of agrifood industry representatives, also promoting innovative products and business value propositions to the public, the delegates and the media.

16:00 - 17:00

Registrations | Serres Chamber of Commerce

A conference badge or a valid registration pass, or a personal invitation should be presented at the entrance.

17:00 - 20:00

AgriFood Innovation Challenge

Serres Chamber of Commerce, Main conference hall

20:30 - 22:30

Networking reception | sponsored by EUROBANK

By invitation or conference badge or a valid registration only

Friday, November 1st 2019

AgriBusiness Forum Day-1:

Day one focuses on boosting innovation and dynamically debating the near-future of the production, processing and distribution of sustainable, profitable and value-added agrifood products.

2019 headline: The Future of Agriculture in the Digital Era

08:00-08:45

Registrations | Elpida Resort & Spa Hotel

08:45-09:30

Opening Remarks

photoMr. Giannis Balakakis

President, Geo Routes Cultural Institute
Chair Organizing Committee AgriBusiness Forum

photoMr. Panagiotis Spiropoulos

Governor, Regional Unit of Serres
Vice-Chair Organizing Committee

photoMr. Alexandros Chrysafis

Mayor of Serres
09:30-11:00

Session 1: Precision Agriculture and Artificial Intelligence, factors for value-added farming systems

photoDr. Charalambos Kasimis

Professor, Agricultural University of Athens
1/11: The new challenges for agriculture and the european policy for digitization

photoDr. Philip Papadopoulos

Director, Strategic Project Management Office, American Farm School
The contribution of digital network infrastructure to the development of the agrifood sector: LoRa networks created with the support of the Transadriatic Gas Pipeline and the Regional Authority of Central Macedonia

photoDr. Peter Oudemans

Professor, Plant Biology & Pathology, Rutgers University, New Jersey, USA
Communicating with Data: Pipelines and Pitfalls

photoDr. Vasilis Vasiliou

Chair of the Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Yale School of Public Health
Artificial Intelligence for a Better Planet: Computing for a Sustainable Future

photoDr. George Zalidis

Director of the Laboratory of Remote Sensing, Spectroscopy and G.I.S., AUTh, Faculty of Agriculture
Earth Observation Data & Services to Achieve Food Security

photoDr. Nikos Tsotsolas

Ass. Professor University of West Attica, KalaΘos platform Co-founder
KalaΘos platform and IoT networks
11:00-11:30

Break

11:30-13:00

Session 2: Trends, challenges and perspectives in the era of smart livestock farming

photoMr. Geert Wilms

Director, Agricultural Innovation Brabant LIB/ZLTO, South Holland Farmers Organization
1/11: Smart Livestock farming; enhancing sustainable development
2/11: Agro Innovation System: Collaboration between Academia, Farmers and Government

photoMr. Georgios Rigas

Director, Directorate Animal Genetic Resources and Livestock Facilities, Ministry of Agriculture & Food
Challenges, Trends and Prospects in the New Era for Greek Livestock Breeding

photoMr. Lefteris Gitsas

President, Hellenic National Interbranch Meat Organization (EDOK)
Opportunities and potential of the meat sector. The prospects of growth in the new socio-economic environment

photoDr. Evdokia Krystallidou

Project Leader, Strategic Project Management Office, American Farm School
Traceability as a tool to promote the local identity of meat from indigenous breeds

photoMr. Dimitris Tasioulas

Executive Chef Thria restaurant, Chef Ambassador for Thessaloniki in 2008
Greek Premium raw materials in hotels and restaurants, myths and possibilities!
13:00-14:00

Lunch Break

14:00-15:30

Session 3: Agrifood products, key for branding destinations and tourism acceleration; Agritourism, driver for rural development

photoMr. Harry Theocharis

Minister of Tourism, Greece
Agrotourism and Development

photoMr. Konstantinos Skrekas

Deputy Minister of Rural Development & Food
Sustainable agriculture is a conditionality for achieving long term high growth in Greece

photoMr. Giannis Balakakis

President, Geo Routes Cultural Institute
Chair Organizing Committee AgriBusiness Forum

photoMr. Grigoris Tasios

President, Hellenic Hotelier’s Federation
OCAL & BRANDED: the Project TEToP by Hellenic Hoteliers Federation as a tool of cooperation and co-marketing of Destinations, Hotels & Products
15:30-15:45

Break

15:45-17:00

Session 4: New products, services and financial instruments for smart & efficient agribusiness

photoDr. Konstantinos Baginetas

Secretary General of Agricultural Policy and Management of European Funds, Ministry of Rural Development & Food
Financial Tools RDP 2014-2020

photoMr. Alexandros Dimitrakopoulos

Regional Mandate Manager, European Investment Fund (EIF)
EIF Financial instruments

photoMs. Effie Kokoreli

Head of Agricultural and Bank Assurance, INTERAMERICAN SA
Insurance: Protective shield for the agricultural chain

photoMr. Tassos Mantagaris

Sector Expert, Eurobank Small Business Segment General Division
Business Banking Agro sector: Integrated solutions to support the agri-food sector
17:00-17:15

Break

17:15-19:00

Session 5: The future of plant biodiversity conservation and certification in Greece

photoMr. Georgios Stratakos

Secretary General, Ministry of Rural Development & Food
The transformation of the food chain

photoDr. Eleni Maloupa

Director Institute of Plant Breeding & Genetic Resources, HAO-DEMETER
Holistic utilization of plant biodiversity, through protection and conservation in Genes Banks

photoDr. Anagnostis Argiriou

Deputy Director, Institute of Applied Biosciences – CERTH
Exploiting and tracing the biodiversity in a digital era

photoMr. Anastasios Kalantzis

Vice-President, Hellenic Plant Importers & Exporters Association
Commentator

photoMr. Panagiotis Sainatoudis

Founder, Peliti NPO
Commentator

photoMr. Yiannis Glavakis

Agronomist, former EP MEP, Glavakis Nurseries
Commentator

photoMr. George Kostelenos

Αgronomist-Author, Kostelenos Nurseries
Commentator

photoMr. Konstantinos Bakasietas

General Manager, Vine Nurseries Bakasieta
Commentator
19:00-20:30

Networking reception

For conference delegates only

Saturday, November 2nd 2019

AgriBusiness Forum Day-2:

Day 2 focuses on synergies between Academia-Research and Businesses and providing Policies/Perspectives for sustainable agrifood systems in the EU, Greece and the Balkans. The event is concluded with an experiential field visit at Lake Kerkini.

08:00-09:00

Registrations | Elpida Resort & Spa Hotel

09:00-09:15

Opening remarks

09:15-09:30

Lessons Learnt from the AgriFood Traction Tour 2019 to the Netherlands

AgriFood Traction Tour is networking & learning event trips to top agri-destinations about providing knowledge and output assessment in agriculture, horticulture, food technology and deal flows.
AgriFood Traction Tour 2019 went to the Netherlands, Noord Brabant 27-30/8/2019 and conveys meaningful messages from the Dutch agribusiness models.

photoMs. Siwarde J. SAP

V.C. Steering Committee, Balkans & Black Sea Cooperation Forum
Sr. Economic Policy Advisor, Embassy of the Netherlands
09:30-11:00

Session 6: Policies/Perspectives for sustainable agrifood systems in the EU, Greece and the Balkans

photoMr. Makis Voridis

Minister, Ministry of Agriculture, Rural Development & Food

photoMr. Kostas Karamanlis

Minister of Infrastructure & Transport

photoAmbassador Michael B. Christides

Secretary General, Organization of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation

photoMs. Fotini Αrampatzi

Deputy Minister of Rural Development & Food

photoMr. Yanko Ivanov

Deputy Minister, Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Forestry, Bulgaria
11:00-11:15

Break

11:15-12:45

Session 7: The future of agriculture through synergies between Academia-Research and Businesses

photoMr. Gregory W. Pfleger

Consul General of the United States of America to Thessaloniki, Greece

photoMr. Nikos Thymakis

President, Institute of Agronomic Sciences
Hellenic Garden as a tool of sustainability in urban landscape

photoDr. Dimitrios Vlachos

Director, Laboratory of Statistics & Quantitative Analysis Methods, Logistics & Supply Chain Management, AUTh
Academia and Business Collaboration: Success Stories

photoMr. Geert Wilms

Director, Agricultural Innovation Brabant LIB/ZLTO, South Holland Farmers Organization
1/11: Smart Livestock farming; enhancing sustainable development
2/11: Agro Innovation System: Collaboration between Academia, Farmers and Government

photoDr. Kostas Karantininis

Professor, University of Agricultural Sciences Uppsala Sweden (SLU)
From lab to farm: The missing medium
12:45-13:15

Session 8: Agrifood actors’ initiatives to address challenges in the competitive agrifood environment

photoMr. Christos Meglas

President, Serres Chamber of Commerce
Effective & Applicable Competitive Rural Entrepreneurship

photoMr. Christos Yiannakakis

Board Member of Sasoee, Executive Consultant at Venus Growers Cooperative
Precision farming sustainability factor for the cultivation of the stone fruits

photoMr. Pavlos Satolias

President, New Hellenic Confederation of Agricultural Cooperatives
Agricultural Cooperatives: responsibilities and contemporary challenges

photoMs. Effie Lazaridou

Managing Director, New Agriculture for a New Generation
New Agriculture for a New Generation: Supporting the agrifood ecosystem in Greece

photoMr. Constantinos Michailides

Director, Directorate Innovation & Entrepreneurship, Region of Central Macedonia
The Contribution of the Research and Innovation Smart Specialization Strategy to the enhancement of the Competitiveness of the Agri-Food Sector of the Region of Central Macedonia
13:15-13:30

Conference conclusions

photoMr. Giannis Balakakis

President, Geo Routes Cultural Institute
Chair Organizing Committee AgriBusiness Forum
13:30-17:30

Field visit at lake Kerkini

Lake Kerkini is one of the most important wetlands in Europe and home of the largest water buffalo colony in Greece.

See the program online: Practical Info/Field Visit.

17:30

Return to Serres

End of AgriBusiness Forum 2019

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Organizers

Co-Organizers

Auspices

Official Partners

Sponsors

Scientific Partners

Field Experts

Media

Venue Information

Location

Elpida Resort & Spa, Serres

Travel Information

Accredited Hotels