Serafio: The City of Athens’ complex of sports, culture and innovation.
We are Stefania Koutsoupia, Manwlis Nanouris and Romalea Ntregka, post-graduate students of MA in Cultural Management at Panteion University. As part of the Athens Co-Creation City Branding Project and under the lead of Betty Tsakarestou as our professor and project initiator, we were challenged to discover the best city-branding tactics for Athens, wondering what can make the city a strong player in the worldwide cultural field.
At the very beginning of this exciting experience, we had the opportunity to find out more about Serafio, a modern center of Sport, Culture and Innovation of the Municipality of Athens. Located in the center of Athens, Serafio is the new urban destination and offers Athenians new opportunities for education and entertainment while highlighting the importance of innovation and the benefits of creativity and networking. The Serafio complex houses an exhibition space, 2 swimming pools, an indoor gym, basketball and tennis courts, as well as football fields and a playground for minors.
Further, at the premises of the Serafio Complex, several initiatives are being hosted, such as the Maker Space, an innovation lab equipped with digital design, printing and manufacturing tools as well as the Athens Digital Lab, which aims to introduce innovation and enhance youth entrepreneurship. The “SynAthina” initiative is also housed in Serafio along with the Athens Culture Net, operating under the support of the Stavros Niarchos Foundation and Athens Partnership and including a network of the capital’s most significant cultural institutions. Last but not least, Europe Direct, based on the ground floor of the complex, provides information and organizes events related to the European Union.
Another interesting and ambitious project called Polis2 is currently being hosted by Serafio. Having met twice with Matina Magkou, communication and PR officer of “The Athens Development and Destination Management Agency” (ADDMA), we came to discover more about this pilot project, initiated by the Municipality of Athens, implemented by ADDMA and signed by This is Athens. Polis2 initiative invites Athenians to co-create the identity of Athens by implementing bottom up interventions across the city and encourages them to collaborate to create a city attractive for both residents and visitors. To better achieve that, the project provides support to shape proposals for small-scale interventions and offers financial grants for their implementation.
Two components comprise the Polis2 project; one being ‘INTERVENTIONS IN POLIS’, which aims at mild interventions in the urban area of Athens, while the other one is ‘SHOP IN THE CENTER’ and focuses on boosting entrepreneurship and revitalizing forgotten areas in the center of Athens by reusing abandoned stores.
To overcome any challenges, fulfill its goal at city-branding as well as set the example as a change-maker, it is of utmost importance that the Serafio project is broadly communicated, particularly to the stakeholders that have the interest and power to support its purposes and further increase its momentum.
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