ABOUT US
Welcome to the website of the Greek Association of Traditional Art & Craft Producers.
Allow us to introduce ourselves.
Our Association was established in 1958 as the Association of Traditional Art & Craft Producers of Attica.
Our objective is to deal with the sector’s problems, to take action so as to ensure the preservation and protection for future generations, of the rich tradition and know-how that Greece possesses in the field of arts & crafts.
We organize exhibitions in Greece, take part in international exhibitions and lobby the competent authorities to improve the conditions under which traditional art and craft producers create and operate.
The Association quickly became known for its activities, and many colleagues from other parts of Greece expressed the desire to become members.
It was our duty to make the Association even more inclusive, and this led to the establishment of the Greek Association of Traditional Art & Craft Producers in 2004.
Ever since its establishment in 1958, the Association of Traditional Art & Craft Producers has done everything in its power to help its members and the sector.
We have continued the union tradition with an ongoing exchange of views, concerns, thoughts and visions, and this has resulted in more and more producers joining the Association.
At the beginning of the 1980s, our members decided to organize an exhibition to promote their products. The first “Laiki Techni” expo took place in 1983. After 38 consecutive events up to the year 2020, this exhibition is now a milestone, a benchmark and the ultimate destination for tourism trade, at the METROPOLITAN EXPO CENTER in Athens every January.
Visitors to the expo know that the variety and quality of products, and the original materials and designs, inspired by millennia of history and tradition, can secure increased sales and higher profits for them.
At the same time, the Association cannot leave its members out of the international market. Whenever possible, we provide colleagues with financing in order to take the first step and bring their products to the global market.
Another need that has come to the forefront, is the protection of products made in Greece, due to the unregulated importation of pseudo-Greek tourist products.
The Association has created a protective umbrella, its registered trademark.
We promote this to our members, allowing them to register their products, and advertise them to the public, having secured the recognition of the Chambers of Small and Medium Enterprises of Athens, Piraeus and Thessaloniki, as well as the General Secretariat for Trade.
None of the Association’s Boards have rested on the laurels and successes of the previous boards. Each Board of Directors makes efforts for more and better results. And this is why we will soon have even more to add to OUR HISTORY.
President
Stavropoulos Evangelos
Vice president
Paitari Angeliki
GENERAL GRAPHIC
Funta Panagiota
Treasurer
Katritsis Panagiotis
Members
Kourmouli Spyridoula
Mamas Stefanos
Varnalis Dimitrios