Another year is over; another fruitful year, full of experiences, a few trips and some interesting connections and opportunities for the future. I had the opportunity to try new things, to gain experience in new fields and even push myself to the limits.
My top 5 moments in 2018 - in terms of events, as I recall them now, are the following (in random order):
1. My presentation on smart farming at COPA COGECA: It was one of the most interesting experience ever; COPA COGECA is a huge organization with huge impact on the agrifood sector and it was an honor for me to have the opportunity to talk about smart farming in a pretty restricted and selected audience. The trip itself was also unique; it was a 1-day trip from Athens to Brussels through a total of 5 airports (Athens, Zurich, Geneva, Brussels, Zurich, Athens). An exhausting trip to remember.
2. My participation in the RDA Interest Group on Agricultural Data (IGAD) Pre-Plenary Meeting 11: Being among people that I have worked with throughout the last 8 years (and haven't seen for the last two) was really exciting. Research Data Alliance is a huge global network and being a part of it, is a privilege. I felt really comfortable among friends, old and new, and had the opportunity to present the role of FAIR Data in our H2020 DataBio project. The trip was challenging for once more, as I missed my connecting flight to Berlin from Frankfurt, had to stay for 3-4 hours at a hotel in the middle of nowhere (!!) and then my flight back was also cancelled so I found myself rushing to Berlin airport, in order to catch an earlier flight that I was rebooked.
3. The gaiasense workshop in Heraklion, Crete and GAIA Congress 2018: These were two side-by-side events, in which I had multiple roles. The gaiasense event was a big success and a great experience; we had to set up everything from scratch (from posters and dissemination materials to sound and video checking) and deliver our presentations. I had to cover a couple of topics along with a demo of selected gaiasense applications. I also managed our social media and
The next day, I participated in the 5th Panhellenic Congress on the Development of Greek Agriculture. I was responsible for covering parts of the Congress through social media, spending time in the gaiasense stand, drop by our DataBio booth and give a hand to my Italian colleague with her communication with Greek stakeholders, network with participants, disseminate our LIFE GAIA Sense project along with a couple of our Greek projects (SymbIoT and SmartPeach), give interviews for Greek media etc. The event concluded with a DataBio session with me being the only presenter :-)
Yet another exhausting but fruitful experience.
4. My participation in the Agrotica 2018 International Fair: Agrotica is one of the largest international agricultural Fairs in the Balkans. We had an impressive booth there, we had lots of visitors interested in what we were offering, we worked long hours but it was great. For me it was yet another opportunity to get to know more about the agricultural sector, being an agronomist with almost no agricultural experience :-)
5. Thessaloniki International Fair 2018: This is also one of the largest international Fairs in the Balkans, too, but not only focused on agriculture. We had a great booth for once more, we got to meet key people from the government, political parties and others, and we addressed everything in a professional way. As regards the trip, I had the opportunity to travel to Thessaloniki by train (I cannot recall when was the lest time I did a train trip) and I really enjoyed it!
Of course there were other highlights in 2018, too, not related to events but to personal and professional achievements. I will try to make a list for them, too, if time allows so that I can use it for future reference.
My top 5 moments in 2018 - in terms of events, as I recall them now, are the following (in random order):
1. My presentation on smart farming at COPA COGECA: It was one of the most interesting experience ever; COPA COGECA is a huge organization with huge impact on the agrifood sector and it was an honor for me to have the opportunity to talk about smart farming in a pretty restricted and selected audience. The trip itself was also unique; it was a 1-day trip from Athens to Brussels through a total of 5 airports (Athens, Zurich, Geneva, Brussels, Zurich, Athens). An exhausting trip to remember.
2. My participation in the RDA Interest Group on Agricultural Data (IGAD) Pre-Plenary Meeting 11: Being among people that I have worked with throughout the last 8 years (and haven't seen for the last two) was really exciting. Research Data Alliance is a huge global network and being a part of it, is a privilege. I felt really comfortable among friends, old and new, and had the opportunity to present the role of FAIR Data in our H2020 DataBio project. The trip was challenging for once more, as I missed my connecting flight to Berlin from Frankfurt, had to stay for 3-4 hours at a hotel in the middle of nowhere (!!) and then my flight back was also cancelled so I found myself rushing to Berlin airport, in order to catch an earlier flight that I was rebooked.
3. The gaiasense workshop in Heraklion, Crete and GAIA Congress 2018: These were two side-by-side events, in which I had multiple roles. The gaiasense event was a big success and a great experience; we had to set up everything from scratch (from posters and dissemination materials to sound and video checking) and deliver our presentations. I had to cover a couple of topics along with a demo of selected gaiasense applications. I also managed our social media and
The next day, I participated in the 5th Panhellenic Congress on the Development of Greek Agriculture. I was responsible for covering parts of the Congress through social media, spending time in the gaiasense stand, drop by our DataBio booth and give a hand to my Italian colleague with her communication with Greek stakeholders, network with participants, disseminate our LIFE GAIA Sense project along with a couple of our Greek projects (SymbIoT and SmartPeach), give interviews for Greek media etc. The event concluded with a DataBio session with me being the only presenter :-)
Yet another exhausting but fruitful experience.
4. My participation in the Agrotica 2018 International Fair: Agrotica is one of the largest international agricultural Fairs in the Balkans. We had an impressive booth there, we had lots of visitors interested in what we were offering, we worked long hours but it was great. For me it was yet another opportunity to get to know more about the agricultural sector, being an agronomist with almost no agricultural experience :-)
5. Thessaloniki International Fair 2018: This is also one of the largest international Fairs in the Balkans, too, but not only focused on agriculture. We had a great booth for once more, we got to meet key people from the government, political parties and others, and we addressed everything in a professional way. As regards the trip, I had the opportunity to travel to Thessaloniki by train (I cannot recall when was the lest time I did a train trip) and I really enjoyed it!
Of course there were other highlights in 2018, too, not related to events but to personal and professional achievements. I will try to make a list for them, too, if time allows so that I can use it for future reference.
