Rhodes island, the capital of the Dodecannese or string of 'twelve islands' in the Eastern Aegean Sea, featured a number of major international conferences this year confirming its developing position as one of the most popular choices in Europe for combining business meetings with holidays, culture and entertainment.

In almost all cases the conferences and cultural events took place at the Rodos Palace International Convention Center and Resort Hotel, perhaps not surprising considering that it has 20, well equipped inter-connected halls of varying sizes which can cater for anything between small private business meetings and mass conferences up to 4000 delegates.

The Western European Union

Foremost among this summer's events was, no doubt, the May conference of the Western European Union, which is the military branch of the EU. On that occasion the Rodos Palace attracted world attention as it hosted the Ministers of Defence and Foreign Affairs from 28 countries, as well as political celebrities such as NATO Secretary General Xavier Solana and WEU Secretary General J. Cutileiro. The meeting was of pan-European importance as the participating countries discussed the future of the tension-afflicted Balkans and the expansion of the WEU in Eastern Europe.

Heart Research

Perhaps the second most important conference was the 16th World Congress of the International Society for Heart Research (ISHR), which attracted some 2000 top-level medical experts from around the world. Held May 27-31 under the auspices of Greek Prime Minister Constantine Simitis, it hosted such renowned heart ailment researchers as professors Magdi Yacoub, Roberto Ferrarri and David Hearse. Naturally, it featured the presentation of the very latest developments in the battle against heart-related medical problems. It should be noted that the hosting of this congress had been pursued by a number of other conference and resort centers in European and Asian countries.

'Union for Europe'

Another politically oriented conference was that of the centrist 'Union per L'Europe' (UPE), which was held at the Rodos Palace June 8-12 with the participation of 150 members of the European Parliament. Among the delegates were Mr. Claude Pasty, the President of the UPE, and Antonis Samaras, the leader of Greece's 'Political Spring' party. Post-conference events included a reception hosted by Rhodes Mayor, George Yannopoulos and the 'Sound and Light' show at the perimeter of the island's renowned Medieval Castle and City, which in this case was hosted by the Greek deputies of the European Parliament.

Pediatric Radiology

Yet another conference of major medical significance was the 35th Congress of the European Society of Pediatric Radiology (ESPR), which hosted 450 scientists from 42 countries and presented the latest theories and developments in this field of child health. The President of ESPR, Mr. B. Theodoropoulos, attributed much of the conference's success to the Rodos Palace facilities and equipment.

Mobile Telephony

Mobile telephony, and the currently most advanced forms of electronic communication, featured at the June 7-12 'ACTS Mobile Communications Summit 1998'. Organised by the European Commission and Greek communications giant Intracom, it hosted 650 delegates working within the framework of the European Research Programme called 'Advanced Communication Technologies and Services' (ACTS). This programme promotes the research and development of third generation advanced technologies and mobile telephone services.

Other major International Companies

In addition to the above, a series of other major international companies chose the Rodos Palace for their conferences, incentive travel, meetings or product presentations. Examples were France's Alcatel, Goodyear International, the seminars by AMWAY and Body Shop. In the case of Alcatel, the presentation of their mobile telephony models was carried out in an original and spectacular way, as it took place in the star-lit, dome-covered giant swimming pool of the Rodos Palace and was combined with the display of the latest fashion collection by renowned designer Aslanis.

According to a number of local and international press reports, Rhodes island and Rodos Palace are chosen for such business conferences and venues because of the island's multiple offerings. More specifically, Rhodes has an excellent climate and sunshine record, long stretches of beaches, many top-quality hotels, a very active night life, numerous cultural activities, a good port and yachting marina which allows for visits to nearby islands, and a long history which permits the visitor to see the archeological remains and other traces of many different civilizations. Most famous of all is its renowned Old Town with its Medieval Castle, which was built by the Crusaders of the Order of St. John in the 14th and 15th centuries and remains today as one of the unique and active medieval towns in Europe.

marketing@rodos-palace.gr