Part of Balkan eCommerce Summit Cross-Border Networking Events
On the evening of March 20, 2026, the Balkan eCommerce Summit Cross-Border Networking series made its Greek debut and the city delivered. We brought together 65+ professionals from the digital and eCommerce community, including founders, executives, and growth leaders, in the heart of Athens for an evening of candid conversation, strategic introductions, and a shared ambition: scaling beyond borders.
Doors opened at 18:00, and from the first handshake, it was clear this was not a typical industry cocktail hour.
The evening at a glance
18:00 – Doors Open & Welcome Networking
Guests arrived, introductions began, and the room warmed up quickly with conversations spanning logistics, marketplaces, and expansion strategy.
18:30–19:00 – Featured Discussion
Live conversation with the evening’s keynote guest, followed by open Q&A from the floor.
19:00 onwards – Open Networking
The conversations didn’t stop – attendees continued exchanging contacts and ideas well into the evening.
The evening was organised and moderated by Nikola Ilchev, PhD, founder of the Balkan eCommerce Summit. Known for his ability to create the right conditions for genuine exchange, rather than just another industry mixer, Nikola set the tone from the opening, guiding the program with a focus on substance and real cross-border dialogue. His presence ensured the event stayed true to what the Balkan eCommerce Summit networking series stands for: curated, purposeful, and community-driven.
The conversation that set the tone
The program’s centrepiece was a live discussion with Theocharis St. Theodoridis, CEO of Lastmily, one of the region’s leading last-mile delivery intelligence platforms. Speaking from the front lines of cross-border logistics, Theodoridis offered the room an unfiltered look at what it actually takes to operate and scale across multiple markets: from the operational complexity of localised delivery expectations to the technology decisions that determine whether an expansion succeeds or stalls.
The session generated a lively back-and-forth with the audience, who came prepared with real questions about performance marketing localisation, payment method strategy, and managing returns across borders. It set the tone for an evening where the conversations that followed felt informed, purposeful, and refreshingly direct.
Across the networking tables, a handful of themes came up again and again, reflecting both the ambitions and the challenges of the Greek eCommerce market as it looks outward:
∙ Cross-Border Market Entry
∙ Last-Mile Logistics & Delivery
∙ Payments & Localisation
∙ Performance Marketing Across Markets
∙ Returns Management
∙ Strategic Partnerships & Ecosystem Building
In addition to the talks and presentations, attendees received gift bags prepared for the event by Ina Essentials, featuring Bulgarian cosmetic products. These provided a small insight into local brands and sparked conversations about cross-border opportunities, product localisation, and bringing regional products to international markets.
A key ingredient in the success of the Athens edition was the presence and active participation of the Balkan eCommerce Summit’s Greek brand ambassadors, local experts who have been championing the BES community in Greece and helped bring the right people into the room.
Other notable participants and partners included:
- George Goumpouros – Global Head of Growth & Acquisition at Findbar
- Gina Sanni – Marketing Manager at tgndata
- Dimitris Sideridis – Head of International Marketplace at Skroutz
- Thanasis Psychogios – International Business Developer Manager at Skroutz
- Chris Papandropoulos – Group CMO BOX NOW
- Markella Kontorozi – Sales & Account Development, Meest International
- Costas Nostis – Editor in Chief at Smart Press
- Lydia Sakellaropoulou – Boosting SaaS Sales at Base.com
- Alex Vandoros – Architect, co-founder & CEO of WEALTH AVENUE PLC (now GLOBAL WEALTH GROUP), founder of VaCo Group | Vandoros + Partners, partner in ApofasiZO, and creator of the Game of Money platform and podcast.
Vasileios Mylonas – VMylonas / The Cool Lion
One of only 50 LinkedIn Certified Marketing Experts globally and the first in Greece. Ranked among the Top 30 LinkedIn Influencers worldwide, he is a digital strategist, university lecturer, and author of From Connections to Conversions, having helped brands in over 120 countries turn visibility into measurable growth.
Thomas Katakis – Nail That Lead
Outbound Sales Expert and GTM Engineer dedicated to helping eCommerce brands scale with predictable, data-driven revenue systems. Author of The Timeless Leaders, he specialises in building outbound engines that open new markets and accelerate customer acquisition.
Stevy Liakopoulou – Liakopoulou
Dynamic SEO strategist and trainer with deep expertise in eCommerce brands. Speaker at BrightonSEO and Women in Tech SEO, and contributor to leading platforms including Moz and Sitebulb. She has trained over 30 professionals one-on-one and is passionate about making SEO actionable for businesses of all sizes.
Awarded eCommerce consultant based in Athens and founder of UpCommerce.gr, the first agency to become a Skroutz partner. He is also co-founder of the eCommerce Learning Hub, adjunct instructor at René Descartes College (CNAM), and a mentor at GrowthMentor.
Together, these ambassadors and partners represent the depth and ambition of the Greek eCommerce ecosystem, and their involvement in the Athens edition was instrumental in creating an evening where connections felt meaningful from the very first conversation.
For many attendees, this was their first encounter with the Balkan eCommerce Summit community. The format was intimate, curated, and focused on meaningful introductions rather than mass networking, so it landed well. Guests consistently noted that the signal-to-noise ratio felt different: fewer random business cards, more conversations that actually led somewhere.
The format worked because the room was the right room. Everyone there was genuinely thinking about growth beyond Greece and that made every conversation count from the very first minute.
This kind of cross-border community building is exactly what the Balkan eCommerce Summit series has been designed to do. Not to replicate the energy of a large conference in a smaller setting, but to create something distinct, a trusted circle of peers who can navigate expansion together, share what is working right now, and build relationships before they need them.
The Athens evening was also a meaningful step on the road to Balkan eCommerce Summit 2026 in Sofia. For participants who had been curious about the main event but hadn’t yet connected with the community, this was an ideal entry point. Several attendees confirmed they would be registering for Sofia as a direct result of the connections and conversations made on March 20.
The Balkan eCommerce Summit Cross-Border Networking series continues to expand its footprint across the region, bringing the same curated, high-quality format to more cities and more communities. Athens has set a strong benchmark.
Following the successful editions of the “Cross-Border Networks” series in Budapest and Romania, the Athens Evening was a significant step on the way to the Balkan eCommerce Summit 2026 in Sofia, which will take place on April 28–29. This two-day gathering will bring together an even larger community of eCommerce leaders, founders, and digital professionals from across the Balkans, offering curated sessions, high-level networking, and actionable insights for discovering and scaling into your next market beyond borders.
If you were in the room on March 20, thank you for being part of the evening. And if you missed it, stay close: more is coming.