The restarting of exhibition activity in new health framework was a success

The 85th TIF sent a clear message that of exhibition activity has restarted. Despite the unprecedented health framework and the difficulties of the period, the fair attracted 87,631 visitors and once again made Thessaloniki part of it.

The city centre moved to the beat of the first Covid-free Fair for nine days, and, although traffic was reduced in comparison to the 2019 event, as was expected, it once again fuelled the local economy and was cause for celebration in Thessaloniki. The symbolisms that accompanied the opening of the Fair were especially important, as they show the way for the evolution of exhibition activity until normality has been fully restored.

TIF-Helexpo feels more than ever the need to thank the exhibitors, who trusted it at this difficult juncture, the sponsors, who stood by it, and the visitors, who, despite limitations, toured its pavilions, as well as the media, that promoted it, and its employees, who went above and beyond in the effort to produce a sound exhibition result under unprecedented circumstances.

The 2nd Thessaloniki Helexpo Forum, ‘Planning the day after’, was a great success, with more than 110 speakers and 19 thematic units, providing answers to a series of critical issues that are of concern to society.

We hope that the 86th TIF in 2022 will surpass all expectations and will be organised without the shadow of the pandemic bearing over it. We are renewing our “date” for the Beyond 4.0 technology exhibition to be held from 14 to 16 October at the International Exhibition Centre of Thessaloniki.

The Official Telecommunications Provider of the 85 TIF was Wind, the Official Airline was Aegean, the Official Transport Sponsor was Kosmocar, the Official Energy Provider was the PPC, the Official Bank was the National Bank of Greece, the Beer of the 85th TIF was ‘NYMFI THESSALONIKIS’, and it was all supported with masks provided by the LIAFARM pharmaceutical wholesaler. The concert accommodation sponsor was KAPSIS hotel. As regards the Thessaloniki Helexpo Forum, it was supported by FODSA (Solid Waste Management Agency) of Central Macedonia, while Farcom provided antiseptics.

In the framework of the 85th, TIF-Helexpo partnered with ELINYAE, which trained personnel and exhibitors in how to protect themselves from the coronavirus.

21/09/2021 – 13:16

Συμφωνία συνεργασίας υπέγραψε σήμερα η διοίκηση της ΔΕΘ-Helexpo και η αντίστοιχη της Qatar Business Events Corporation (QBEC) με στόχο την ανάπτυξη κοινών επιχειρηματικών δράσεων προς όφελος της εξωστρέφειας των ελληνικών επιχειρήσεων και της οικονομίας.

Τον φορέα Qatar Business Events Corporation εκπροσώπησαν ο CEO, κ. Ahmed Al Obaidli και ο κ. Μιχαήλ Μιχαήλ, Director of Sales & Operations της QBEC, ενώ τον εθνικό εκθεσιακό φορέα εκπροσώπησαν ο Διευθύνων Σύμβουλος, κ. Κυριάκος Ποζρικίδης και ο Γενικός Διευθυντής, κ. Αλέξης Τσαξιρλής.

Η συμφωνία συνεργασίας των δύο εταιρειών προβλέπει κοινή προώθηση και ανταλλαγή τεχνογνωσίας, πληροφοριών και επιχειρηματικών γνώσεων μέσα από εκθεσιακά γεγονότα.

Σκοπός της συνεργασίας είναι η προβολή των ελληνικών προϊόντων στο Κατάρ και αντίστοιχα των προϊόντων του Κατάρ στην Ελλάδα.

Να σημειωθεί ότι έδρα του QBEC είναι το DOH Exhibition & Convention Center του Κατάρ.

 

14/09/2021 – 13:28

Thessaloniki is evolving into its next phase.

The greenest and most bioclimatically designed Exhibition and Congress Centre in Europe will be constructed in Thessaloniki over the next five years, a project that will transform it into “a new city”, in comparison to its current image.

The overall design proposal, which unanimously won 1st Place at the International Architectural Design Competition for the Regeneration of the Exhibition and Congress Centre of the TIF, was presented at the ‘I. Vellidis’ Congress Centre today, by the representatives of the team of Sauerbruch Hutton (Germany), Gustafson Porter + Bowman (UK), and Elena Stavropoulou (Greece).

According to the design proposal, five major building structures will be constructed, which will include exhibition and conference facilities, a hotel, and a business centre. In fact, corridors and bridges will connect the exhibition spaces on the first storey level, including an outdoor exhibition space on the top floor of the second exhibition facility. This bridge will attract visitors to take a stroll with a panoramic view of Thessaloniki.

At the same time, a large park will be created, fully respectful of sustainability principles, while this space will be open on both sides and continuously accessible to pedestrians and cyclists, even when exhibition events are under way. The park will be an exceptional advantage for the city, as it will connect the mountain to the sea, acting as a green corridor that will cross the heart of Thessaloniki.

The architectural design proposal, according to TIF-Helexpo management, will shape a solution that will help the city evolve into its next phase, providing a win-win-win situation for the local economy, exhibition activities, and citizen quality of life. The cost of the investment for the implementation of the new International Exhibition and Congress Centre is almost 200 million euros. All relevant designs are expected to be completed and the funding scheme will have been secured by late 2023, in order for construction work to then start, with the inauguration scheduled for 2026, to celebrate the centenary of the first TIF.

The International Architecture Design Competition, a model competition, was implemented in close partnership with the International Union of Architects and in accordance with UNESCO specifications for public competitions, while the International Judging Panel was presided by Joan Busquets, Spanish architect, Urban Planner, and Head Professor of Urban Design at Harvard Graduate School of Design.

The new Exhibition Centre is a model of sustainability and viability

The great importance of the Regeneration of the International Exhibition and Congress Centre for Thessaloniki was highlighted by TIF-Helexpo President, Mr Tassos Tzikas. The implementation of the project will create a city that most of us have only dreamed of”, noted Mr Tzikas, and he underlined that the initiative of the Regeneration had started in 2012, with many approval and decision landmarks along the way that led to the recent announcement of the proposal that received 1st Place at the International Architectural Design Competition.

The environmental and construction advantages of the architectural proposal were presented by Mr Matthias Sauerbruch of Sauerbruch Hutton Architects, who stressed that the exhibition spaces and the congress centre will stand out due to their cloud-like floating roofs. When the halls are not being used for exhibitions, these spaces can remain open for public use as cultural and social spaces for lectures, exhibitions, and gatherings, with an unimpeded view and access to the park.

The park, according to Mr Niel Porter of Gustafson Porter + Bowman Landscape, will concentrate all the endemic plants of the Thessaloniki area, while also providing exercise and recreation areas for citizens.

The multinational character of the architectural team that won 1st place in the competition was underlined by Ms Elena Stavropoulou (Elena Stavropoulou Architects), as the complex nature of the project required the collaboration of many different experts.

The project’s characteristics were highlighted by TIF-Helexpo CEO Mr Kyriakos Pozrikidis, who noted that more than 2100 underground parking spaces will become available.

The project’s identity

The new International Exhibition and Congress Centre will embody the modern and future ambition of becoming the main business and tourist destination in the area. The area will include important routes and some of them, that are closed at the moment, will also be made available to pedestrians and cyclists: The “Culture Route” will unfold diagonally across the space, connecting the new Metro station on Egnatia Street to the exhibition halls, the Macedonian Museum of Contemporary Art, the Congress Centre, the Archaeological Museum, and the Museum of Byzantine Culture, and will allow pedestrians to avoid busy streets by using it. The “Mountain Route” aims to reopen the North-South axis and emphasises the relationship between the mountain, the sea, the University, the Exhibition Centre, and the city at large.

These lines naturally separate the landscape into three parts: The western area between Aggelaki Street and the central axis, which will become a space for activities and temporary facilities; the central area that will emerge at YMCA square and reach the Macedonian Museum of Contemporary Art, acting as a space for the creation of small scale cultural gardens and cafés around the current curved awning. In the southern area by Stratou Avenue, where the new Congress Centre will be established, a large amphitheatre for performances and events will be constructed. In reference to the memory of this historic site, the park will also include some of the most important buildings of Helexpo as it stands today: The YMCA Arch, OTE Tower along with the Esso Pappas pavilion, and the Macedonian Museum of Contemporary Art will be familiar landmarks in this new hybrid landscape.

The overall venture will use both natural and artificial means to provide a healthy environment with a mild climate:

• In the summer the trees, the shade from the roofs, and the water elements will help mitigate the effects of the high temperatures.
• In winter, the roofs will protect from the rain, the trees will reduce wind movement, and the high number of glazing units on the façades will benefit from the low position of the winter sun on the horizon.
• The roofs will be equipped for collecting solar power, via solar panels, and rainwater, to be used for the park’s needs.
• The buildings will use geothermal energy and sea water for heating and cooling.
• Cross flow ventilation and heat recovery from the exhibition spaces will reduce energy consumption via mechanical ventilation.

The Exhibition and Congress Centre can become a beacon of technological and social sustainability, as this central city location is being regenerated into a lush green link for locals and visitors.

The increase in biodiversity will create a natural ecosystem within Thessaloniki, helping the city support a healthy environment for its citizens.

14/09/2021 – 13:24

Back with a bang, with more than 900 exhibitors, a wealth of thematic events, concerts, all revolving around the theme of ‘Greece: Past-Present-Future’

The 85th TIF (11-19 September), is once again ready to welcome the public, in a healthy and safe environment, as the first major Covid-Free European exhibition, sending the message that both exhibition activity and the Greek economy are Restarting.

With more than 900 direct and indirect exhibitors from 15 countries (Cyprus, Vietnam, Armenia, Luxembourg, Poland, Portugal, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Romania, Italy, Russia, Serbia, Malta, Bulgaria, and Germany), the 85th TIF is dedicated to Greece, with the main thematic axis of the Past, Present, and Future of the country, on the occasion of the 200th anniversary since the Greek Revolution. It will emphasise entrepreneurship, innovation, education, energy-electromobility, circular economy-recycling, while it will retain the element of entertainment-recreation, with concerts, events, and anniversary thematic events.

In the framework of its main thematic axis, Greece’s 13 Regions will be presented in pavilion 13, highlighting their historical evolution through time and their current productive capacity.

In fact, the Peloponnese will act as a thematic Region, due to its close links to the Greek Revolution.

The thematic event ‘Greece & Entrepreneurship’ will play a central role at the TIF, with the participation of the Union of Hellenic Chambers, with 42 Chambers from all over Greece and their 215 businesses-members. The TCCI and the PCT have individual exhibition participations.

Innovation, startups, the ‘Elevate Greece’ National Startup Awards, and many other side events will provide energy to the ‘Digital Greece’ thematic event.

At the same time, the ‘Energia’ thematic event will emphasise Circular Economy and Recycling, and ‘Auto-Motion’ will focus on electromobility, with visitors having the opportunity to see some of the most modern electric models.

Another thing that’s back at the 85th TIF is gaming, with E-Gaming powered by Germanos, which will be hosted in Pavilion 17 and which will be one of the most pioneering gaming events. Furthermore, on the first floor of pavilion 2, one more game will be presented, HADO, which introduces the cutting edge technology of augmented reality into sports, providing players with the ability to create energy balls and shields with their hands in a real 6×10 pitch.

Also present at the TIF for another year will be Cheapart, which this year will focus on the thematic axis of the 85th TIF, ‘Greece: Past, Present, Future’.

The Music Events at Alexandreio Melathron will once again be a pole of attraction from 13-17 September, with many popular artists making an appearance, while all necessary health restrictions will be applied. More specifically, performers include MONIE MONIE CONNIENTE-Diogenis Daskalou, Giannis Zouganelis and Akliviadis Konstantopoulos, Vassilis Lekkas and Dimitris Basis in a special homage to Mikis Theodorakis, Paschalis, and The Swingin’ Cats.

This year’s TIF, given the 200th anniversary celebration of the Greek Revolution, is adding to its events with a historic and cultural thematic exhibition on the first 100 years of modern Hellenism. The thematic exhibition is titled ‘FIGHT WELL… FOR THE HOMELAND’ and it presents the Revolution of 1821 in Macedonia and the rest of Greece, as well as the Macedonian Struggle and the Balkan Wars of 1912-1913, which led to the liberation of Northern Greece.

Alongside the TIF, from 13 to 17 September, the 2nd Thessaloniki Helexpo Forum is also being held, with more than 110 speakers and 19 thematic units on current critical and timely issues, as well as future developments.

It should be noted that during the operation of the 85th TIF, the vaccination centre will remain open, however, citizens who wish to be vaccinated will enter it from a separate entrance on Tritis Septemvriou Street.

The Press conference

The first major Covid-Free exhibition in Europe is being organised by TIF-Helexpo, sending the message that things are restarting, as was mentioned in today’s press conference on the 85th TIF by the President of the national exhibition body, Mr Tasos Tzikas, who stressed that despite the enormous technological leap that was made during the pandemic, being physically present, the need to shake hands and make deals up close, cannot be replaced by any online meeting.

On his side, the Deputy Minister of the Interior (Macedonia-Thrace), Mr Stavros Kalafatis, noted that the TIF is back, it is opening its doors, and that this year, in comparison to last year, when it had been cancelled, we have the vaccine in our arsenal. He also stressed that it is a common goal to make Thessaloniki an exhibition and congress hub for the broader region, which is why the regeneration project is moving forward at such a fast pace.

The close ties of the Peloponnese and Macedonia were referred to by the Governor of the Peloponnese, Mr Panagiotis Nikas, who noted that “we are linked by the struggles of our ancestors, our grandfathers”, providing a taste of the programme of events for the 200 years since the Greek Revolution of 1821. He also thanked

TIF-Helexpo for the unique, as he called it, opportunity to promote his Region through the institution of the TIF. In fact, he announced the partnership of his Region with the exhibition body for the creation of an exhibition “antenna” of the TIF in Megalopolis. “We support the TIF in all its events”, he stressed.

The support of the Region of Central Macedonia to the TIF was expressed by the Deputy Governor of Thessaloniki, Ms Voula Patoulidou, who expressed her hopes that the regenerated Fair become a central reference point for the whole of Europe.

The special importance of the TIF for the city was underlined in turn by the Mayor of Thessaloniki, Mr Konstantinos Zervas, who stressed that it is an organisation that is intertwined with the city’s social life, a multifaceted event that is about more than just entrepreneurship. In fact, he noted that this year’s TIF is a more optimistic exhibition.

On his side the CEO of TIF-Helexpo, Mr Kyriakos Pozrikidis, noted that although the 85th TIF will be held following special specifications, it will be of exceptionally high quality and the fact alone that it is being organised, after a year of absence, is an important event in itself.

A great “thank you” to exhibitors, sponsors, and employees was expressed by the project manager of the 85th TIF, Mr Panagiotis Chatziioannou, who wished every success to the Fair.

The support of the National Bank of Greece to the TIF was expressed in turn by the Director of the NBG network, Mr Christos Pantazis. The Manager of Corporate Affairs of Aegean, Ms Marina Spyridaki, also stressed that it means a lot to the company to be a sponsor of the TIF. It is a landmark, she noted, while she expressed the will of Aegean to stand shoulder to shoulder with the city of Thessaloniki.

The Official Telecommunications Provider of the Fair is Wind, the Official Airline is Aegean, the Official Transport Sponsor is Kosmocar, the Official Energy Provider is the PPC, the Official Bank is the National Bank of Greece, while the Beer of the 85th TIF is ‘NYMFI THESSALONIKIS’. The concert accommodation sponsor is KAPSIS hotel. As regards the forum, it is being supported by FODSA (Solid Waste Management Agency) of

Central Macedonia, Farcom will be providing antiseptics, while LIAFARM Pharmaceuticals Warehouse will be showing its support by providing masks.

The TIF is being organised under the auspices of the Ministry of the Interior (Macedonia – Thrace).

10/09/2021 – 20:12