1st Athens Media & Communications Summit
Future of Media & Storytelling
Friday, October 2, 2026 · The Golden Room, Hotel Grande Bretagne, Athens
09:15 – 09:55
Arrival
Registration and Welcome Coffee
10:00 – 10:25
OFFICIAL OPENING
Welcome and Opening Remarks
Thodoris Kaloudis Chair of the Organizing Committee ·
Dimitris Papastergiou Minister of Digital Governance & Artificial Intelligence
10:30 – 10:50
Signature Lecture – “Democracy in the Age of Influence”
How artificial intelligence, platforms, and new ecosystems of influence are transforming the public sphere.
Theodoros Roussopoulos, President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (2024–2026), Member of Parliament
10:55 – 11:30
Opening Discussion — “From Media Ecosystems to Influence Ecosystems”
From the information economy to the attention economy.
Moderator: Theodoros Kaloudis, journalist.
Speakers: Triantafyllos Mantanis, CEO of UM Greece, a member of Omnicom Media Group · Konstantinos Botopoulos, Constitutional lawyer · Giorgos Pleios, Professor, Department of Communication and Media Studies, NKUA · Dimitris Tsiodras, Member of the European Parliament, journalist and author
11:35 – 12:05
Newsroom 2030: Storytelling at Machine Speed
Artificial Intelligence in Content Production and Distribution
Moderator: Marianna Skylakaki, Founder & CEO, Forest + Tree.
Speakers: Aria Agatsa, President of ANA-MPA · Themis Drakonakis, Co-founder & Chief Product Officer, Aldeus · Panagiotis Kakolyris, Chief Operating & Strategy Officer, SOCIALDOO · Kostas Fotopoulos, General Manager, Audiomax Investment, President of EIIRA
12:10 – 12:40
Can AI and TikTok Determine Who Forms the Government?
Moderator: Angeliki Spanou,Journalist, KATHIMERINI
Speakers: Stelios Zontos, Managing Partner at The Newtons Laboratory · Antonis Kaloudis, CEO, Celyphos S.A. · Nikos Romanos,Director of Digital Communications to the Prime Minister
12:45 – 13:20
Smart Money: Where Is Capital Flowing in Media Through 2030?
Moderator: Christos Konstas, journalist.
Speakers: Georgios Zeritis, Co-Founder & CEO, Aldeus · Nikos Biliris, Chairman of the Secondary Committee, SEE Michalis Stangos, Πρόεδρος και Διευθύνων Σύμβουλος, MSCOMM · L-Stone Capital · Haris Laoudis, CEO & Managing Director, Max Greece
13:25 – 13:45
Live demo -The AI Newsroom: A Real-World Demonstration
Presented by: Themis Drakonakis, Co-founder & Chief Product Officer · Pavlos Efthymiou,General Manager of E.EN.E., Partner at Fortune Greece
13:45 – 14:30
BREAK
Networking Lunch Buffet
14:35 – 15:15
The Media–Brands–People Triangle: Who Shapes Communication Today?
Moderator: Niki Boutari, Marketing and Communications Consultant, Founder, Just a Number.
Speakers: Nikos Efstratiou, Editor in Chief, Wired Greece · Xenia Kourtoglou, Founder, Focus Bari · Giannis Konstantinidis,Associate Professor, University of Macedonia · QED
First Presentation: QED Research “Who Do We Listen To and Who Do We Turn To for Advice?
15:20 – 15:50
Interview – Democracy, Trust and the New Media Landscape
Pavlos Marinakis, Deputy Minister to the Prime Minister, Government Spokesperson.
Interview: Giorgos Evgenidis, Presenter at Star Channel, Political Editor at Proto Thema
15:55 – 16:25
Corporate Communications: Owned Media or Institutional Media?
Moderator: Katerina Tsamouri, Journalist, STAR News Anchor
Speakers: Eleni Rapti, Communications Director, Natural Gas Hellenic Energy Company · Vasilis Rousopoulos, Strategic Communications Consultant · Stavi Spanou, Account Director, V+O Greece · Alexandros Stylos, Deputy Director, Communications Unit, Bank of Greece
16:30 – 17:05
Can Majorities Still Be Built in a Fragmented Media World?
Moderator: Apostolos Maggiriadis,Journalist – News Anchor, SKAI
Speakers: Gerasimos Zagoritis, Founder, Campaign Lab & Zagori Forum, Partner, Celyphos · Kleio Kenterelidou, Assistant Professor at Aristotle University of Thessaloniki · Nadia Giannakopoulou,Member of Parliament Dimitris S. Papangelopoulos,Communications and Political Management Consultant, Board Member, Synergia Think Tank
17:10 – 17:40
Who Owns the Future of Information?
Moderator: Antonis Kaloudis, CEO, Celyphos S.A.
Speakers: Tasos Zachos, Managing Partner, Fortune Greece · Giannis Mastrogeorgiou,Special Secretary for Long-Term Planning at the Presidency of the Government, Thanassis Sofianos, Founder & CEO, Relevance Digital Agency
17:45 – 18:05
Signature Lecture — Who Shapes the Era’s Grand Narratives?
Petros Efthymiou, educator and journalist, former Minister of Education
18:10 - 18:15
Farewell
Video highlights