87th TIF: 1500 exhibitors, 18 international participations, Bulgaria as the Honoured Country with 60 enterprises
A wealth of economic, cultural and sports events One concert every evening
From 9 to 17 September, the 87th TIF will be at the centre of the domestic political and economic scene, with 1500 exhibitors, 18 international participations, Bulgaria as the Honoured Country, 382 SMEs via 49 Chambers, and nine thematic events.
Greece and Entrepreneurship, Akademia, Regional Greece, Circular Economy, Gastronomy-Nutrition, Digital Greece Startups, Public Bodies-Organisations, Cosmos-International Participations, and Furniture-Household Equipment, will all present the latest developments in each sector separately, and the most modern market options.
There will be 18 international state participations this year, including Bulgaria as the Honoured Country. In fact, South Korea, Moldova, and Thailand are participating for the first time, while the other countries are Cyprus, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Vietnam, Uruguay, Ukraine, Armenia, Iran, Italy, Poland, Serbia, India, and Nepal.
The Bulgarian participation consists of 60 enterprises from sectors such as energy, circular economy, industry, innovation-technology, food, transports-logistics, cosmetics, tourism, primary sector, packaging, and services, and it will cover 2600 m2 in pavilion 13.
Interest by Bulgarian enterprises in the TIF was high from the very beginning, and in this framework they will hold an estimated 1000+ b2b meetings with Greek enterprises, which will be organised by the exhibition body and the Federation of Greek Industries (FING). At the same time, there will be the highest possible institutional representation in the Bulgarian participation at the 87th TIF, with the Bulgarian President, the Bulgarian Prime Minister, and many members of the cabinet of the Bulgarian government attending.
The Bulgarian presence will be framed by a wealth of side events, spearheaded by culture, as well as the economic relationships between Greece and Bulgaria. These include the Greek-Bulgaria Colloquium on Monday 11 September at ‘I. Vellidis’ Congress Centre, which will examine a number of fields of common interest for the two countries, starting a dialogue on important matters, such as ports and infrastructure, technological innovation, and digital connectivity, energy, and circular tourism.
Visitors to the Bulgarian pavilion will have the opportunity to watch the presentation of Supercomputer, a world class petascale computer, while also being scheduled are presentations and shows on cutting edge technology in pharmaceuticals, robotics, and virtual reality, as well as educational actions on new methods of learning STEM. There will also be many cultural events organised by Bulgaria, with music, theatre, and dance performances.
The Union of Hellenic Chambers will be dynamically present with 49 Chambers and 382 SMEs from all over Greece. Four Chambers will be attending with separate participations; namely, the Professional Chamber of Thessaloniki, the Thessaloniki Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Athens Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and the Thessaloniki Chamber of Small & Medium-Sized Industries (VETH). In fact, the Thessaloniki Chamber of Small & Medium-Sized Industries (VETH) is organising a special thematic unit on clothing, footwear, and accessories at pavilion 16, titled Thessfashion, with the participation of important names in the world of fashion. There will be 40 enterprises participating in VETH’s original venture, covering an area of 1600 m2.
Other thematic events that should be noted include:
-The companies participating in the thematic exhibition event on Circular Economy will present pioneering heating and cooling systems, specialised applications and products, as well as interesting options in modern construction. The thematic exhibition will cover an area of 3000 m2, indoors and outdoors, with more than 55 participations.
-The AKADEMIA thematic event on education-research-innovation (Pavilion 14) is the meeting point for the education community. Thirteen private and public higher education institutions will present new curricula, innovative graduate (Bachelor), post graduate (Master), and doctoral (PhD) programmes, as well as Study programmes that follow the philosophy of Open and Distance Education.
The 87th TIF will present a rich and multifaceted programme of events, starting even before the formal opening of the Fair. Thus, the Fair will welcome the 3rd Economist Congress on 7 and 8 September at the ‘I.Vellidis’ Congress Centre, titled ‘Greece’s new roadmap after the election - Building dependable partnerships in the region’. The opening session will be addressed by Minister of Foreign Affairs Giorgos Gerapetritis and former Prime Minister of France D. de Villepin, while Prime Minister of Bulgaria Nikolai Denkov will speak at the closing session.
Stand-out events on the schedule of the 87th TIF also include the Congress on Natural Disaster Management titled ‘Protecting life-Building resilience’, which will be held on Wednesday 13 September at the ‘I. Vellidis’ Congress Centre, organised by the Economist in partnership with TIF-HELEXPO.
Another singular event this year, is the ‘Thessaloniki through collections’ exhibition, which will host collections of renowned collectors on the theme of Thessaloniki and its monuments, organised by TIF-Helexpo and MC Salonica, which will be open to the public throughout the duration of the 87th TIF at the Pavilion of the Nations (6). On the last four days of the 87th TIF (14-17 September), the 2nd Collectibles’ EXPO 2023 will be held at the same pavilion by TIF-HELEXPO in partnership with MC Salonica, on exchanging and promoting collections and artefacts by traders and collectors.
Sports will also be in attendance at the 87th TIF. From 11 to 15 September, the ‘TIF 5X5 Football Tournament’ will be held, with
the message ‘No to violence’. Daily 5X5 football matches will be held on a pitch to be set up inside the TIF. The tournament will be held under the auspices of the Ministry of Education and Religious Affairs, and it is being organised in partnership with AC Panorama, and it will include matches between Thessaloniki Academies for children aged 8 to 12,
matches between journalists and artists, directors, camera operators from Thessaloniki, matches between veteran footballers from Thessaloniki teams (PAOK-Aris-Iraklis-Apollon Kalamarias), matches between girls’ teams aged 12-15 from Thessaloniki Academies, and matches between teams of executives from major companies and organisations participating in the TIF.
At the same time, the 100th anniversary of the birth of Maria Callas is being presented as part of a major cultural tribute under the Auspices of the NCGW (National Council of Greek Women) and with the support of TIF-HELEXPO. The tribute to Maria Callas ‘A LIFE LIKE A FAIRYTALE’ is being curated and presented by artist Marina Petri.
In addition, a musical celebration will take place every night at the 87th TIF, aiming to get the Thessaloniki public partying, with major names and hits from the domestic music scene, with Music Events Live. The first ever premier in Greece of the Tina Turner Tribute Show, coming to Thessaloniki from London’s West End, will also take place as part of the daily concerts.
On the TIF’s second weekend, 16 and 17 September, the 55th TIF Rally will be held by the Racing Club of Thessaloniki.
The 87th TIF includes dozens more interesting, entertaining, and educational events, and it invites the audience to discover them. In fact, HELEXPO App will also be launched. This useful tool will help visitors stay up to date with everything happening at the Fair. The application is an initiative of the Ministry of Digital Governance.
The 87th TIF is also part of TIF-HELEXPO’s Zero Waste Expo initiative, with 20 recycling spots inside the exhibition centre for organic, recyclable, and non-recyclable waste.
Today's Press conference
“Bulgaria has been at our side since 1926, when it participated in the 1st TIF”, as pointed out in the context of the Press Conference held in view of the opening of the 87th TIF by the President of TIF-HELEXPO, Mr Tasos Tzikas, who underlined what a great honour it is for the exhibition body to welcome its neighbour as an Honoured Country. He also characterised it a strategic partner of Greece and predicted that its participation will make a positive impression on the investment and entrepreneurial relationships of the two countries.
The deputy Minister of the Interior (sector of Macedonia – Thrace), Mr Stathis Konstantinidis, highlighted the TIF’s character as an indicator, a mirror of the political and economical developments in Greece, while he stressed that a brimming and flourishing TIF walks hand in hand and reflects the excellent economic climate in Greece. In reference to the institution of the Honoured Country, he stressed that it too is a means to promote and further strengthen our transnational relations, while in highlighting Bulgaria’s participation, he mentioned that together with Greece, both countries are building strategic relationships of collaboration and trust, and that they are a pole of safety and stability in Southeastern Europe.
“It is an honour to be here 100 years after the first participation”, noted alternate Minister of the Economy and Industry of Bulgaria Nikolay Pavlov, who stressed that it is a recognition of his country’s role in the region, as well as an enormous opportunity for Bulgaria to present itself and all the projects it is planning for the future. He made the commitment that the Bulgarian side will do whatever possible to reinforce Greek-Bulgarian relations and to create new entrepreneurial and investment opportunities, and he invited people to visit the Bulgarian pavilion.
The Governor of Central Macedonia, Mr Apostolos Tzitzikostas, characterised the TIF as a celebration for the city, stressing that in recent years the Fair found its footing again, and regained its commercial and entrepreneurial character. He also noted that the Region is continuing to invest in its close partnership with the TIF, which is bearing results.
The Mayor of Thessaloniki, Mr Konstantinos Zervas, mentioned the ambitions of the city and the steps that have been taken with regards to its development and attractiveness, which are reflected
in the number of exhibitors and visitors to the TIF, while he stressed that over the next 10 days the city is sold out, which is what should be happening all year round.
While presenting the wealth of content of the 87th TIF, TIF-HELEXPO CEO Dr Kyriakos Pozrikidis noted that the Honoured Country is attending this year’s event with a political and entrepreneurial all-star roster, stressing that the country that helped us at the 1st TIF is here again today. He also made special reference to the first ever participations by South Korea, Thailand, and Moldova, to the 382 SMEs participating via chambers, and to the return of textiles, which will be promoted at the VETH event.
In turn, the Vice Chairman of PAPASTRATOS, Mr Iakovos Kargarotos, stressed that for the 6th consecutive year the company is supporting the Thessaloniki International Fair, a landmark institution in Greece’s economic and entrepreneurial activity. “This year’s TIF once again finds us all facing challenges on a national and international level”, he mentioned, adding that, “at PAPASTRATOS we recognise the need for sustainable entrepreneurship and that caring for the environment is more important than ever, so we are consciously choosing to be on the front lines, implementing actions because they are right, and which, since 2017, have led to a total investment of 700 million Euros”.
The great satisfaction of ATHENIAN BREWERY with ‘Nymfi’ being the official TIF beer since May 2019, was expressed by the company’s sponsorship/events area marketing manager, Mr Lazaros Vogiatzoglou, who stressed that it is a beer that is produced in the Sindos factory using 100% Macedonian barley. In fact, he announced that stout ale will also be available at the Nymfi pavilion, exclusively for the duration of the Fair
The 87th TIF is being held under the auspices of the Ministry of the Interior (Macedonia-Thrace) and the Region of Central Macedonia.
The National Bank of Greece is the Official Bank, Aegean is the Official Airline, PPC is the Official Energy Provider, NOVA is the Telecommunications Sponsor, PAPASTRATOS is the Sponsor of the 87th TIF, Nymfi is the Official Beer of the 87th TIF, Autohellas Hertz is the Official Transport Sponsor, Loux is the Official Soft Drink of the 87th TIF, Pigi OLYMPOU is the natural mineral water
Sponsor of the 87th TIF, and Epsilon SingularLogic is the Official IT Partner.
Capsis Hotels is the Hospitality Sponsor for Music Events Live, Limousines Greece VIP Services is the VIP Transportation Sponsor, Taxi Way is the Transportation Sponsor, and Samiotakis is the Catering Sponsor.
