The 16th DIY & Home Improvement Conference, organized by Karydakis Media on Wednesday, November 12, at the Benaki Museum Amphitheatre, highlighted all the prospects, the major challenges and the technological developments shaping the future of the Home & Garden market. With the central theme “Innovation and Technology in the Service of Home Improvement,” the event confirmed its role as the leading annual B2B networking event of the sector.
Platinum Sponsor of the 16th DIY & Home Improvement Conference was Praktiker Hellas, Gold Sponsors were the National Bank of Greece and Nova, Silver Sponsors were Bostik, Isomat, Kärcher, Leroy Merlin, Rollex, and Sponsor was Kraft Paints.

The Minister of Digital Governance, Dimitris Papastergiou, in his speech “Digital Transformation for a More Competitive Economy,” after referring to the decisive impact of the construction and renovation market on the national economy, characteristically stated: “As the state digitizes the procedures related to real estate, barriers are reduced and the space for Home Improvement projects expands. The digitalization of real estate builds trust and transparency – the basic prerequisites for releasing the dynamics for new constructions, renovations and energy upgrades.”
Taking the floor, Prokopis Karydakis, CEO of Karydakis Media, said: “The DIY and Home Improvement sector in Greece is living a great moment of opportunity: the market is changing, the home is changing, the customer is changing, let’s change too – together, with a common message of creativity and participation in all renovation and energy-saving works.”
During the 16th DIY & Home Improvement Conference, the exclusive consumer research of Xenia Kourtoglou was also presented. The Founder of Focus Bari & Resilience Expert revealed that “7 out of 10 Greeks place home renovation among their main priorities, while the home becomes the new ‘national sport’ and the Home Improvement market enters a steadily upward trajectory.”

his year’s event had a strong international footprint, hosting 16 top market executives from the United Kingdom, Denmark, Spain, Italy, Belgium, the Netherlands and Greece, as well as representatives of major European retail chains and wholesalers, members of EDRA/GHINSpecial emphasis was given to connecting Greek production with European retail stores, offering decision makers unique opportunities for direct contact and international networking, with the presence of senior executives from the highest management levels of major DIY & Home Improvement chains.
At the “heart” of the Conference was the panel “The Next Day of Construction,” dedicated to how technology is changing the design, implementation and management of projects. Participants included Konstantinos Aslanis, R&D – Technical Support Director of Isomat,, Katerina Vasilakou, Founding Partner of AVW Architecture,and Virginia Daouli, Project & Construction Manager of APAX Constructions.The discussion was moderated by journalist Nikos YpofantisFurthermore, at the forefront of the 16th DIY & Home Improvement Conference were the new models of collaboration between production and retail, sustainable entrepreneurship, Customer Experience, and the ways in which Artificial Intelligence, robotics and climate forecasting solutions are redefining the operation of retail stores, wholesalers, and the traditional market.

A special highlight of the event was the award presented to one of the most emblematic personalities of the industry internationally: John W. Herbert, General Secretary of EDRA/GHIN. John Herbert was honored with the Lifetime Award of the Greek DIY Market – a distinction recognizing his long-standing contribution to the shaping and development of the global DIY & Home Improvement industry, also bringing the Greek market to the forefront.
John Herbert’s career in retail began in 1956, while since 1983 he has been closely connected to the DIY sector. Throughout his career, he has held top executive positions in companies such as Home Depot, Knauber, etc., while in 2002 he co-founded EDRA (European DIY Retail Association), where he still holds the position of General Secretary, and in 2015 the GHIN (Global Home Improvement Network), uniting in one network the world’s largest retailers and manufacturers.