The attendance was very high from all over the country in the 34th Bakers’ Conference, which took place in ARTOZA 2021 (November 12-15, Metropolitan Expo). The conference, which at first was scheduled for next February in Patras, transfered its work to the 17th ARTOZA, in order to strengthen the cohesion of the industry and highlight the crucial role played by the most historic bakery and confectionery exhibition in the country.
The works of the conference started after the Second Vice President of GSEVEE Mr. Ioannis Vafeiadakis was invited to the podium. As a representative of GSEVEE, Mr. Vafeiadakis referred to a recent study by IME GSEVEE that speaks of economical losses of 25% in small and medium companies in the country. Mr. Vafeiadakis reminded that these companies constitute 96% of the business backbone of the Greek economy, which has been severely affected by the crisis, without having easy access to the services of the banking system.
2nd Vice President of GSEVEE, Ioannis Vafeiadakis
The President of OEZE, Giannis Glykos
Then the speech was given to the – recently re-elected – president of OEZE Mr. Ioannis Glykos. In his brief greeting he said: “I wish good luck in the work of the conference and hope in the next one that we will be all well, without covid”.
Then the Vice President of FORUM SA (Major Sponsor of the Conference) Mr. Thanassis Gialouris took the plabe in the podium and among others he said: “We took the responsibility and undertook the hosting of the Conference regardless of cost, as we always stand by the bakery industry. The exhibitors who trusted FORUM are absolutely satisfied that ARTOZA was held with the prestige of the two Federations as well as with the prestige of the organizing company”.
The Vice President of FORUM, Thanassis Gialouris
The President of OAE, Michalis Mousios
Mr. Mousios referred to the actions of his term as president and defended the decision of the Board of the OAE to hold the Conference, for the first time in its history, within the framework of ARTOZA. At the same time he spoke about the good administration applied during his term, which ensured the financial viability of the Federation.
More than 30 delegates spoke, analyzing their positions on the problems of the industry, as well as on the local issues of the Associations, followed by the electoral process – by physical and electronic voting. The ballot box again showed the re-election of Mr. Mousios’s faction, while the faction of Mr. Jason Kaplanis came in second place. The final composition of the new Board of Directors is as follows: Michalis Mousios (President), Elissavet Koukoumeria (1st Vice President), Prokopis Tsoukalas (2nd Vice President), Dimitrios Koyias (3rd Vice President), Konstantinos Kevrekidis (General Secretary), Theodoros Sindros (Deputy General Secretary), Andreas Papaioannou (Treasurer).