There is a ‘fresh breeze’ blowing thorugh the fruit and vegetable sector at Thessaloniki International Exhibition Centre, where Freskon began and will remain open until 29 April.

The 3rd International Trade Show for Fruit & Vegetables is gradually maturing, having established its international appeal as a meeting place for producers, traders and international retailer groups.

Freskon will be inaugurated this afternoon at 17:30 by the Minister of Rural Development and Food, Mr Evangelos Apostolou.

This year, Freskon features 191 direct and indirect exhibitors from Argentina, Bulgaria, Greece, Spain, Italy, Poland, Cyprus, Iraq, Albania, Belgium, Germany, Denmark, the United Kingdom, the USA, Japan and Canada.

The event is deployed over 12,500 sq.m. and a Hosted Buyers Programme is being implemented with the participation of 120 enterprises from 28 countries. In fact, over 2,500 B2B meetings between representatives of Greek enterprises and producers and international hosted buyers have been scheduled.

Apart from the exhibition aspect of Freskon, important side events are also being held, such as the International Kiwi Congress, which began this morning at Pavilion 13.

Projections concerning global production and consumption in the coming years, new technologies in kiwi cultivation, new cultivars and consumption trends, plant protection and nutrition topics, ways to combat diseases, as well as marketing and new markets will be just a few of the topics to be discussed at the International Kiwi Congress, which will feature acclaimed speakers.

Freskon will also host the FreshCon Market, held in cooperation with ‘Froutonea’ magazine, mainly aiming at bringing large supermarket chains into direct contact with professionals of the agricultural sector, creating ideal conditions for direct agreements. Participants in this year’s FreshCon Market include the British group ‘Tesco’ and the German group ‘Metro’, both global players in the retail market, the ‘Fantastico’ and ‘T-Market’ chains from Buglaria, ‘ATB Market’ from Ukraine, ‘Velyka Kyshenya’ and ‘Tavria V’ from Romania, the French group ‘Carrefour’ and ‘Mega Image’, ‘Maxi’, ‘Univerexport’, ‘Mercator’ and ‘Super Vero’ from Serbia, as well as the ‘AB Vasilopoulos’, ‘Masoutis’, ‘Kritikos’, ‘Halkiadakis’, ‘My Market-Metro Cash & Carry’ and ‘Discount Markt’ from Greece.

The working hours of Freskon are from 11:00 to 19:00 today, from 10:00 to 19:00 tomorrow and from 10:00 to 18:00 on Saturday, 29 April. Parking is free for all exhibitors and visitors.

28/04/2017 – 11:31

Freskon, the International Trade Show for Fruit & Vegetables to be held from 27 to 29 April at Thessaloniki International Exhibition Centre, will serve as a meeting point for international retail groups, as well as domestic and international transporters of fresh fruit and vegetables.

The 191 direct and indirect exhibitors participating in this year’s 3rd Freskon will come from Argentina, Bulgaria, Greece, Spain, Italy, Poland, Cyprus, Iraq, Albania, Australia, Belgium, Germany, Denmark, the United Kingdom, the USA, Japan and Canada, and will have the opportunity to come into contact with representatives of major international supermarket chains, commercial enterprises and distribution companies-networks.

As announced during today’s Press Conference, during Freskon, which is deployed over 12,500 sq.m. this year, a Hosted Buyers Programme will be implemented, with the participation of 120 enterprises from 28 countries. In fact, over 2,500 B2B meetings between representatives of Greek enterprises and producers and international hosted buyers have been scheduled.

International hosted buyers are active throughout the entire sector of sale and distribution of fresh fruit and vegetable around the world. The trade show will also be welcoming group delegations of hosted buyers from FYROM (100 individuals) and Bulgaria (15 individuals).

Once again, Freskon will host FreshCon Market, which will focus on linking production to retail sales. FreshCon Market, held in cooperation with ‘Froutonea’ magazine, mainly aims at bringing large supermarket chains into direct contact with professionals of the agricultural sector, creating ideal conditions for direct agreements. In this context, participants in this year’s FreshCon Market include the British group ‘Tesco’ and the German group ‘Metro’, both global players in the retail market, the ‘Fantastico’ and ‘T-Market’ chains from Bulgaria, ‘ATB Market’ from Ukraine, ‘Velyka Kyshenya’ and ‘Tavria V’ from Romania, the French group ‘Carrefour’ and ‘Mega Image’, ‘Maxi’, ‘Univerexport’, ‘Mercator’ and ‘Super Vero’ from Serbia, as well as the ‘AB Vasilopoulos’, ‘Masoutis’, ‘Kritikos’, ‘Halkiadakis’, ‘My Market-Metro Cash & Carry’ and ‘Discount Markt’ from Greece.

This year’s trade show will also feature the International Kiwi Congress, to be held on 27 April, while the overall schedule of Freskon side events is particularly broad and rich.

Freskon: An international exhibition

The President of TIF-Helexpo, Mr Tassos Tzikas, referred to the international prospects of Freskon, which were clear from the first moment, stressing that this trade show covers a gap identified in the market by the national exhibition agency.

In turn, the CEO of the company, Mr Kyriakos Pozrikidis, characterised Freskon as the fifth piece of the exhibition ‘puzzle’ created by TIF-Helexpo for the primary sector, noting that this trade show is one of the company’s most international events.

In turn, Mr Christos Katsanos, an associate of the ‘Froutonea’ magazine, stressed that Freskon is a unique exhibition, placing emphasis on small crops of high added value that had no exposure until recently. Mr Katsanos also spoke about the International Kiwi Congress and the acclaimed speakers from the most important kiwi producing countries participating in the event.

Thessaloniki can play a crucial role in the logistics chain of fresh fruit and vegetables, from producers to international markets, as noted by the deputy general director of TIF-Helexpo, Mr Alexis Tsaxirlis, who characterised Freskon as a very important brand for the Fair.

Finally, the Director of Freskon, Ms Tonia Nikolaidou, stated that the goal of this international event is the growth of exports, the extroversion of enterprises and the showcasing of Greek fruit.

Freskon will begin on Thursday, 27 April, and its opening hours will be 11:00 to 19:00. The event will be inaugurated at 17:30 on the same day by the Minister of Rural Development and Food, Mr Evangelos Apostolou. The working hours on Friday, 28 April will be 10:00 to 19:00 and on Saturday, 29 April from 10:00 to 18:00. Parking is free for all exhibitors and visitors.

27/04/2017 – 13:46