Local Chair

The Local Co-Chairs are not only venue providers—they are cultural ambassadors. This section is where they (and their team) collect and share the stories, flavors, and experiences that make Athens special. It should be fun, visual, and community-oriented, and it doubles as a feed for the Strategic Comms team.

🎨 What to Include

1. Cultural Highlights

   • Key features of Athens: history, architecture, music, cuisine.

   • Strategic Comms: Use Greek Mythology, History, Culture, and People in developing & telling the iLRN2026 narrative / story. 

   • Local “hidden gems” that visitors might love.
     

   • Adventures to be had in Athens *and Greece, generally
     

2. Food & Drink

   • Traditional Greek dishes to highlight (e.g., souvlaki, moussaka, baklava).

   • Vegetarian/vegan/gluten-free friendly options to recommend.
     
     

3. Athens Vibes

   • Photos, short videos, or even playful “day in the life” clips.

   • Fun facts about the city (quirky, surprising, or historical).
     
     

4. Excursions & Tours

   • Pre-conference or post-conference tours.

   • Excursions that connect to iLRN’s theme (e.g., Plato’s Cave sites, local museums, cultural centers).
     
     

5. Local Voices

   • Short interviews with Athens-based educators, students, or cultural guides.

   • Quotes from volunteers or local hosts (“What I love about Athens…”).
     
     

6. Practical Local Guide

   • Getting here: Airports, trains, ferries.

   • Getting around: Metro, taxis, walking.

   • Tips: weather, clothing, medical info, safety.

📸 Codex Function

• Map and keep record of our plans for Athens here: as Single Source of the latest plan & documents supporting the events each hour of each day. 
  
  

• Gallery Page: Collect photos, short clips, and graphics here for the comms team.
  
  

• Spotlight Templates: Ready-to-go posts the Social Media Chair can copy/paste:
  
  

  • “🌟 Athens Highlight: [Place] — here’s why you’ll love it…”
    
    

  • Immersive Athens (immersive learning & XR industry spotlight)
    
    

  • “🍴 Taste of Athens: [Dish] is a must-try at iLRN2026!”
    
    

  • “🎶 Athens Vibes: [Music/Event] — coming soon at the conference…”
    
    

• Excursion Sheets: One-page “mini itineraries” for tours or excursions, linked to registration add-ons.

🌟 Nice-to-Have

• Local Playlist (Spotify or YouTube) curated by hosts — “Sounds of Athens.”

• Athens Virtual Walkthrough — a short video walk from conference venue to nearby spots.

  • Somebody shoot a rough cut on your local phone and share? 
    
    

• Cultural Partners Page — highlight local museums, universities, or organizations supporting iLRN2026.

• “Athens Myth & Modernity” Series — 2–3 playful posts tying Greek myths to XR/immersive learning.

🤝 Coordination

• Local Co-Chairs: Gather and upload cultural assets.

• Strategic Comms Team: Adapt into social posts and visual stories.

• Virtual Campus Team: Mirror some highlights in the online campus.

• Awards & Ceremonies: Incorporate local culture into Opening/Closing.

👉 We want Athens to feel like more than just a venue—it becomes a character in the story of iLRN2026.

iLRN2026 Conference Organizing Committee Handbook description for Local Chair role: 

The Local Co-Chair/s prepare the physical space for the conference work with local vendors, management companies, the conference, and other committees in the planning of the conference space, including room set-up, attendees insurance, hiring of entertainment, tours, and other local logistics.

The Local Co-Chairs have the following responsibilities:

• Provide a physical venue.

• Arranging the spaces for the conference (rooms for presentations, exhibitions, special sessions, meeting rooms, social gathering rooms and food, registration desk)

• Assist Program Chairs to develop and coordinate an optimal conference schedule based on informed understanding of the capacities and limitations of the physical layout of the space provided. 

• Arranging technical support in the physical venue:

• access to wireless Internet access for conference participants (make sure that arrangements are as convenient as possible for users of all types of computer and all ports and services that can be accommodated)

• Handling AV needs of presenters (conference, workshops, tutorials) as well as the needs of system demos. This includes projection equipment, microphones, blackboards, writing materials, internet access, etc.

• Handling support for hybrid presentations using the conference VR system (Virbela)

• Making arrangements for food provision for attendees (refreshments during the conference, meals, etc.).

• Negotiating with provider(s) of accommodations: hotel and/or dormitory organizers and provide this information to the conference 

• Organizing all additional activities for local entertainment

• Arranging any local excursions, for example pre-conference tours

• Providing travel information (airport, weather, medical, visas)

• Arranging local transport, if needed

• Arranging local support, including:

• a support team, that helps both before the conference (to prepare registration materials) and during (with registration and attendee questions) and after (for teardown)

• a suitable person to act as Volunteer coordinator to act as a focal point for volunteers

• a suitably secure registration area, with computer and printer and internet access

• signage to rooms, meetings, etc., as needed

• several notice boards: participant messages, job postings, official announcements, etc.

• Prepare brochure and other promotional materials relevant to the local host location for the conference. Including onsite conference signage.

• Issue VISA invitations for accepted papers

• Supervise the building and make insurance arrangements.

• Recruit and coordinate local volunteers to run conference sessions.

• Contribute to the presentation of the opening and closing ceremonies of the conference.

The role is reviewed annually based on the location of the conference organisation.