I’ve been waking up to go to college for four years now, but this morning was different. I had hung out the clothes I would wear today at school. No, it wasn’t the jeans and tees I’ve been wearing ever since I can remember. It was a suit.

The 2008 Business Week brought students and business professionals together to discuss how sustainability can ensure the survival of businesses in the near feature.
Academic and business professionals shared their knowledge with 1300 students that attended one or more lectures during the four-day event.

The topic of this year’s Business Week – “Sustainability Today is Business Tomorrow” – was chosen by the advisors of the College’s business academic societies and their governing bodies. “It is crucial for corporations today to implement tactics that will not put environmental and business sustainability at stake,” said Deree professor Evgenia Vagianou, one of the coordinators of Business Week.

Students could attend up to 16 lectures on topics ranging from “Environment and Sustainable Development: The Legal Framework, Principles and International Developments,” to “Can consumers influence environmental performance and do they?”

“There’s a merging concern in companies to create environment-friendly products ,” said Vangelis Sofos, a business student.

The President of the Greek Tourism Enterprises Association, George Drakopoulos, delivered a presentation on the sustainability of Greek tourism and its effects on the environment. “For countries with an economy heavily dependent on tourism, it is a real challenge to acquire tourist infrastructure which respects and fits well with the environment,” said Valia Gklava, president of the Marketing Society.

Although Business Week goes years back, it has only been an annual event the last three years. “Our purpose is to bring academic and business professionals into contact with Deree students so the latter can become familiar with the latest trends in the market,” said Vagianou.