Lights on at the 88th TIF
1300 exhibitors,
a 32.000 sq. m. exhibition area,
Germany as the Honoured Country,
25 state international participations,
9 thematic events,
Music Events,
a dynamic presence by Chambers and Regions
More than 1300 exhibitors, 32,000 square meters of exhibition space, Germany as the Honoured Country with 135 exhibitors, 25 state international participations, nine thematic events from covering the entire spectrum of the economy and society, a dynamic presence by Chambers with 350 enterprises from all over Greece, and an impressive drone show that will illuminate the city sky compose the mosaic of the 88th TIF, which is being held from 7 to 15 September at the Thessaloniki International Exhibition Centre.
More specifically, more than 1300 exhibitors (indirect and direct) will participate in the 88th TIF, while its thematic events — AKADEMIA, Energy-Circular Economy, Greece and Entrepreneurship, Cosmos-International Participations, Regions-Tastes from Greece, Gastronomy-International and Greek Retail Sales, Furniture-Home Furnishing, Public Bodies-Organisations, and Hobby Festival — will present the most innovative and modern aspects of the market and the economy.
There are 25 state international participations, including Germany as the Honoured Country, compared to 18 last year, with countries attending the TIF for the very first time: The United Kingdom, Qatar, Japan, Sub-Saharan African Countries, Ecuador, and Kosovo.
Germany’s participation at the 88th TIF will use Pavilion 13, covering an area of 6000 sq.m. and consisting of 135 companies, organisations, institutions, research centres, and partnership networks, while the German mission comprises 400 people, mainly senior executives of institutions and businesses. The following sectors are represented: Construction, consulting services, Renewable Energy Sources and environmental technology, digital economy, the health industry and medical technology, education and research, logistics-transport and services, while there is a wealth of side events. Germany’s participation is presented by the Ministry of Economy and Climate Change, organised by the Leipzig Exhibition Organisation (Leipziger Messe International), while the German Embassy, the German Consulate in Thessaloniki, and the Hellenic-German Chamber of Commerce and Industry are contributing to the cultural and business programme.
In the context of the German participation, TIF-HELEXPO in partnership with the Federation of Industries of Greece (FING) and the Leipzig Exhibition Organisation (Leipziger Messe International) are organising a Business Meeting Event (B2B) with companies from Germany. About 400 companies have already registered for the programme from the following sectors: Energy - circular economy - agrotechnology - gastronomy/tourism - nutrition - local tastes - pharmaceuticals and cosmetics - supply chain - electric vehicles, and more than 800 meetings will be held.
The Pavilion of Germany will be inaugurated by the Greek Prime Minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, and the Vice Chancellor of the government of Germany, Dr Robert Habeck, and it will be attended by the Minister of Food and Agriculture, Cem Özdemir, while a number of bilateral meetings are being scheduled between members of the Greek and German governments.
In the sector of entrepreneurship and openness, the Union of Hellenic Chambers is participating for the 7th time, with 47 Chambers attending with 350 enterprises from all over Greece, while there will be separate participations by the Professional
Chamber of Thessaloniki, the Thessaloniki Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Athens Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Thessaloniki Chamber of Small & Medium-Sized Industries (VETH), and the Chamber of Imathia. The Thessaloniki Chamber of Commerce of Small & Medium-Sized Businesses will also use Pavilion 16 for the THESSBULDING thematic event, with enterprises active in the broader sector of construction, hotel equipment, home furnishing, heating, and metal product repairs attending.
Other stand-out thematic events include:
-Akademia, which this year will become a meeting point of the educational community, as well as a pole of research, technology, and innovation. There will be a total of 74 exhibitors at Pavilion 17, covering 2240 sq.m., including 18 higher education institutions from Greece and Cyprus, 7 student motor sport teams, the Ministries of Education of Greece and Cyprus and the entities they supervise, technology companies, startups, the Athens Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ACCI), the GSEE Educational Institute, ENTERPRISE GREECE, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Export Credit Greece S.A., as well as the GROWTHFUND with the participation of 12 companies.
Also participating in 88th TIF, in the context of Akademia, is CERN, the European Organisation for Nuclear Research, which is celebrating its 70th anniversary with a unique thematic exhibition that will give the public the opportunity to explore its innovative scientific achievements, as well as their impact on everyday life, through a journey covering the organisation’s seven decades of scientific discoveries and innovations. The organisers include CERN, the Region of Central Macedonia, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Technopolis Thessaloniki, and, of course, TIF-HELEXPO.
The Growthfund and its subsidiaries, including TIF-HELEXPO, will also have a dynamic presence at Pavilion 17 with events and the Growthfund Agora discussions, which will analyse the development opportunities of Greece in a number of key sectors.
-The energy thematic event will include construction and recycling, with the participation of representative companies presenting pioneering heating and cooling systems, specialised applications and products, as well as interesting options in modern construction. The thematic event will cover an area of 3000 sq.m. with more than 60 participations.
-The Hobby Festival will enrich the thematic events at this year’s TIF by offering a unique opportunity for visitors to become acquainted with hobbies, presented by professionals and organisations. This event is being co-organised by TIF-HELEXPO and skywalker.gr - Jobs in Greece.
The programme of side events at the 88th TIF will be multifaceted, drawing inspiration from culture, the economy, society, technology, and sports, besides its purely exhibition aspect. More specifically:
-Drone Light Shows. This year’s TIF will illuminate the sky of Thessaloniki with the largest drone light show that has ever been held in Greece! In memory of the firework show traditionally organised at the TIF, during this year’s event residents and visitors will have the opportunity to enjoy, for the first time in the Thessaloniki sky, three drone light shows, which have been designed by one of the leading drone show designers in the world, Grizzly Entertainment. The three drone shows will take place on Saturday 7/9, Sunday 8/9, and Sunday 15/9 at 21:00, about 500 drones will be used, and they will have a duration of 15 minutes.
-The Regions of Greece will host a daily tasting festival at Pavilion 6. The Regions will set the table for visitors throughout the duration of the TIF, with a wealth of presentations and events. Participants include Central Macedonia, Attica, Western Greece, Central Greece, Epirus, Western Macedonia, Peloponnese, Eastern Macedonia-Thrace, and the Decentralised Administration of Thessaly-Central Greece.
-Pavilion 1 and Outdoor Area 14 will host sports activities, organised by the Ministry of Education, Religious Affairs & Sports. These activities include meetings with Olympic champions, 5x5 Football, Basketball, and Archery.
-More than 1000 small and large gifts are waiting to be discovered during the Treasure Hunt to be organised by the 88th TIF for its visitors. Every day more than 100 magnets with the TIF-HELEXPO logo and symbol, the OTE tower, will be hidden throughout the areas of TIF (indoor and outdoor). Anyone who finds a hidden treasure magnet can scan the QR code and immediately discover what they’ve won. All magnets win a small or large gift.
-Pavilion 12 will host the Digital Legacy HELEXPO, which gives visitors the opportunity to travel to Thessaloniki of the 1920s and 1950s through virtual tours, electronic games, and an exhibition of rare documents.
-Also, a musical celebration will take place every night at the 88th TIF, aiming to get the Thessaloniki public partying, with major names and hits from the international and domestic music scene, with Music Events Live.
-As regards conferences, the Economist Congress will take place on Friday at the “I. Vellidis” Conference Centre, while the European Commission will also hold events during the TIF.
-The TIF RALLY, a unique and historic race, will be held for another year on the 2nd weekend of the TIF.
Today's Press conference
The Pavilion of Germany will be the great attraction of the 88th TIF, as mentioned in the context of today’s Press Conference ahead of the opening of the Fair by the President of TIF-HELEXPO, Mr Tassos Tzikas, who stressed that the importance of this year is, to a very large extent, due to Germany. In fact, he described the visit of the German Vice Chancellor and German officials to Thessaloniki as a great honour for the city and the TIF. He also highlighted CERN’s participation in this year’s event, as well as the dynamic presence of the Regions and Chambers, stressing that the aim of the exhibition body is to make the TIF a platform of communication for Greece’s entire business world with the rest of Europe and the world.
Beyond what the Fair means for the citizens of Thessaloniki and Northern Greece, it is also a great opportunity that is synonymous with commercial partnerships, entrepreneurship, and innovation, as mentioned by the Deputy Minister of Interior (Macedonia Thrace), Mr Konstantinos Gioulekas. He also underlined the participation of Germany as Honoured Country at the 88th TIF, while addressing the people of TIF-HELEXPO he noted that they are the ones that maintain the very high level of the exhibition.
The Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany to Greece, Mr Andreas Kindl, characterised Thessaloniki as the second capital of Greece, while he spoke of an excellent opportunity through the German participation to highlight Greek-German cooperation, political, economic, and beyond. He noted that there is great investment interest from Germany regarding Greece, while he stressed that the German participation in the Fair is the largest German participation in an exhibition abroad in 25 years. Lastly, he invited the public to the 150 events that will be organised at the German Pavilion.
The city is looking forward to the 88th TIF with anticipation, according to the Deputy Governor of Public Health and Social Solidarity of the Region of Central Macedonia, Ms Melina Dermentzopoulou, who stressed that the content of this year’s Fair is richer than ever before. In fact, she noted that the Region of Central Macedonia will always support the TIF, which is a source of vitality for the broader region.
The 88th TIF is a historic event, a landmark of the city, the Municipality of Thessaloniki, and all of Northern Greece, said the mayor of Thessaloniki, Mr Stelios Angeloudis, noting that we must protect, strengthen, and explore the prospects and future of this historic achievement in view of its new qualitative data. In reference to the significant participation of Germany as the Honoured Country, he also underlined the large tourist flows to Greece from the German market.
The financial footprint of the 88th TIF, which is already visible in Thessaloniki in the form of sold-out hotels, was reported by TIF-HELEXPO CEO Dr Kyriakos Pozrikidis, who presented the content of this year’s TIF in full detail. He made special mention of the drone light show, which will have us looking at the sky and introduce the era of digital fireworks.
“For the 7th consecutive year, Papastratos is actively participating in the Thessaloniki International Fair, supporting an institution that is a reference point for entrepreneurship and economic development in Greece. At this year’s TIF, Papastratos is HERE IN PRACTICE, with its message “For every step we take forward, society takes a step with us”, confirming its commitment to business action that creates a positive impact on the economy, society, the environment, and the country. With the implementation of a modern, innovative, and open strategic plan, Papastratos is playing a leading role internationally in the transition to the industry of the future,” noted the company’s vice chairman, Mr Iakovos Kargarotos.
The participation of Germany as the Honoured Country at the 88th TIF is a lovely coincidence for the Consul General of the Federal Republic of Germany, Ms Monika Frank, given her recent appointment to Thessaloniki.
The connection of the TIF’s long-standing love for black beer with Nymfi Dark, a premium lager produced by the Athenian Brewery specifically for the event, was underlined by the Area Activation and Events Manager of Athenian Brewery, Mr Lazaros Vogiatzoglou, who stressed that all visitors will leave this year’s Fair having had a unique experience.
“The purpose and spirit of Johnnie Walker are identical to the spirit and purpose of the TIF, as the philosophy of the well-known Scotch whisky is evolution and progress,” said Ms Efie Boura, Corporate Relations Manager at Diageo Southern Europe, in reference to the Grand Sponsor of the 88th TIF’s Music Events.
Lastly, the General Director of the TIF, Mr Alexis Taxirlis, presented the impressive figures of the 88th TIF, who stressed that more than 3000 people are currently working in the exhibition centre, while he noted that during the operation of the 88th TIF more than 5000 people will be working there on a daily basis. He also stressed that on-site at the Fair there are an organised police station, a major fire station, and an EKAV first aid and ambulance station.
Sponsors and supporters
The Sponsors and Supporters of the 88th TIF are the following:
NATIONAL BANK OF GREECE, Official Bank
PPC, Official Power Provider
AEGEAN AIRLINES, Official Airline
NOVA, Official Telecommunications Provider
LANCOM, OFFICIAL DATA CENTER / INTERNET PROVIDER
AUTO HERTZ, Official Transport Provider
PAPASTRATOS, Official Supporter of the 88th TIF
ATHENIAN BREWERY, OUR BEER ‘NYMFI’
MINISTRY OF HEALTH, Supporter of Social Programmes & Actions of the 88th TIF
DYPA, supporter of 88th TIF’s Training Actions
DIAGEO, with the ‘Johnnie Walker’ Brand, GRAND SPONSOR of the Music Events
LIDL HELLAS, Official Partner of the 88th TIF,
VOLKSWAGEN, Official Car of the 88th TIF
INTERBALKAN MEDICAL CENTRE, Official Health Provider
TAXIWAY, Official Transport Partner
CAPSIS HOTEL, Official Hospitality Partner
NOTOS DEPARTMENT STORES, Official Partner of the 88th TIF
Limousines-Greece, Official VIP Transport Partner
SAMIOTAKIS, Official CATERING partner
ICAP CRIF, Official Partner
PIGI OLYMPOU, Official Natural Mineral Water Partner
EPSILON NET, OFFICIAL IT PARTNER
Hellenic Dairies S.A. (AGNO), Sponsor
MAMALOUKA RESTAURANT, Sponsor
FedEx Greece, Sponsor
VENMAN ENERGY SAVING PRODUCTS, Sponsor
INNOVATION GROUP, Sponsor
GERMAN SCHOOL OF THESSALONIKI, Sponsor
EMBASSY OF THE REPUBLIC OF POLAND, Sponsor
The TIF is being organised under the auspices of the Ministry of the Interior (Macedonia-Thrace).
The business hours of the 88th TIF are Monday to Friday, 16:00 to 22:00, and weekends, 10:00 to 22:00.
To see all the content and events of the 88th TIF, go to: https://thessalonikifair.gr/el
