The 87th TIF has concluded with an enhanced trade and business section

A large number of trade and business meetings held between Greek and Bulgarian enterprises

The response to the call sent out by TIF-HELEXPO by the 123,864 visitors to the 87th Thessaloniki International Fair, to support those affected by the catastrophic floods in Thessaly and the fires in Evros, was great and moving.

100,000 Euros will be allocated from the ticket sales of the 87th TIF and TIF-HELEXPO has committed to giving this amount to our fellow people struggling in Evros and Thessaly.

The total number of visitors to the 87th TIF was impacted both by the difficulty people from many parts of the country faced in accessing the Thessaloniki International Exhibition Centre, as well as by the broader events that dominated the days during which the Fair was being held.

However, with 1500 exhibitors, 18 international participations, Bulgaria as the Honoured Country, 382 SMEs represented by 49 Chambers, and 9 thematic events, the 87th TIF held from 9 to 17 September was the focal point of Greece’s political and economic scene.

Greece and Entrepreneurship, Akademia, Regional Greece, Circular Economy, Gastronomy-Nutrition, Digital Greece Startups, Public Bodies-Organisations, Cosmos-International Participations, and Furniture-Household Equipment were the thematic events of the 87th TIF that attracted thousands of visitors and highlighted the latest tech developments and the most modern market options.

The trade and business section of the Exhibition was successfully organised and was characterised by many, interesting meetings between Greek and Bulgarian enterprises.

The participation of Bulgaria as the Honoured Country consisted of 60 enterprises from sectors such as energy, circular economy, industry, innovation-technology, food, transports-logistics, cosmetics, tourism, the primary sector, packaging, and services, all housed at pavilion 13.

The interest of Bulgarian enterprises in the TIF translated into an estimated 1000+ b2b meetings with Greek enterprises, organised by the exhibition body and the Federation of Greek Industries (FING). At the same time, there was the highest possible institutional representation in the Bulgarian participation at the 87th TIF, with the President, the Prime Minister, and many members of the cabinet of the government of Bulgaria attending.

The Bulgarian delegation was framed by a number of side events, spearheaded by culture.

There were 18 international state participations this year, including Bulgaria as the Honoured Country. In fact, South Korea, Moldova, and Thailand participated for the first time, while the remaining countries were Cyprus, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Vietnam, Uruguay, Ukraine, Armenia, Iran, Italy, Poland, Serbia, India, and Nepal.

The Union of Hellenic Chambers was dynamically present with 49 Chambers and 382 SMEs from all over Greece, representative of domestic entrepreneurial growth. Four Chambers participated 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) organised for the first time a special thematic unit on clothing, footwear, and accessories at pavilion 16, titled Thessfashion, with the participation of important names from the world of fashion.

The 87th TIF side event programme was impacted to a certain degree by the events of recent days, however it retained its dynamism. In that framework, one of the stand-out events was the Congress on Natural Disaster Management titled ‘Protecting life-Building resilience’, which was held on Wednesday 13 September at the ‘I. Vellidis’ Congress Centre, organised by the Economist in partnership with TIF-HELEXPO.

The 87th TIF also held for the first time ever the unique exhibition ‘Thessaloniki through collections’, which hosted collections of renowned collectors on the theme of Thessaloniki and its monuments. This exhibition event was organised by TIF-HELEXPO in partnership with MC Salonica, while pavilion 6 was also the venue for the 2nd Collectibles’ EXPO 2023 on exchanging and promoting collections and artefacts by traders and collectors, during the last 4 days of the 87th TIF.

The ‘TIF 5x5 football tournament’ is expected to evolve into an institution that will make itself felt every year at the TIF, with the timeless message of ‘No to violence’. The last match of the tournament saw the team of TIF-HELEXPO face off against the team of Honoured Country Bulgaria. The captain of the Greek team was TIF-HELEXPO President, Mr Tasos Tzikas, and the captain of the Bulgarian team was alternate Minister of the Economy and Industry of Bulgaria, Mr Nikolay Pavlov. The tournament — held under the auspices of the Ministry of Education and Religious Affairs and organised in cooperation with AC Panorama — included matches between Thessaloniki football academies with children aged 8-21, matches between Thessaloniki journalists and artists, directors, and camera operators, matches between veterans of Thessaloniki teams (PAOK-Aris-Iraklis-Apollon Kalamarias), and more.

The major cultural tribute for the 100 years since the birth of Maria Callas was held successfully under the Auspices of the National Council of Greek Women (NCGW) and the support of TIF-HELEXPO. The tribute to Maria Callas ‘A LIFE LIKE A FAIRY TALE’ was curated and presented by artist Marina Petri.

The point of reference of the 87th TIF’s side events was Music Events Live, where major hits and leading names from the Greek music scene were the stars every day.

The 87th TIF included dozens more interesting business, science, entertainment, and educational events. In fact, the HELEXPO App was also launched, a useful tool that helps visitors stay up to date with everything happening at the Fair. The application is an initiative of the Ministry of Digital Governance.

A number of events under the slogan ‘We choose European rice for a sustainable environment’ were organised for yet another year by the Agricultural Cooperative of Thessaloniki (EASTH) and Consejo Regulador de la DOP Arroz de Valencia (Valencia PDO Rice Regulatory Authority), in the framework of the EURICE

European programme, ‘Information and Promotion Actions aimed at highlighting the sustainable aspect of rice production in Greece and Spain’.

The 87th TIF, like all other TIF-HELEXPO exhibitions, stayed green and, pursuant to last year’s partnership with ‘CIGARET CYCLE Non Profit Organisation’, cigarette butts were recycled by placing 30 recycling bins in the exhibition centre. It total, 40,000 cigarette butts were collected and recycled, while the product of this recycling is equal to 8.8 kilos of compost fertiliser, 30.8 kilos of industrial plastic, and 280 cubic metres of fresh or salt water saved from pollution.

At the same time, the 87th TIF was 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.

The 87th TIF was held under the auspices of the Ministry of the Interior (Macedonia-Thrace) and the Region of Central Macedonia.

The National Bank of Greece was the Official Bank, Aegean was the Official Airline, PPC was the Official Energy Provider, NOVA was the Telecommunications Sponsor, PAPASTRATOS was the Sponsor of the 87th TIF, Nymfi was the Official Beer of the 87th TIF, Autohellas Hertz was the Official Transport Sponsor, Loux was the Official Soft Drink of the 87th TIF, Pigi OLYMPOU was the natural mineral water Sponsor of the 87th TIF, and Epsilon SingularLogic was the Official IT Partner.

Capsis Hotels was the Hospitality Sponsor for Music Events Live, Limousines Greece VIP Services was the VIP Transportation Sponsor, Taxi Way was the Transportation Sponsor, and Samiotakis was the Catering Sponsor.