It was a dynamic and productive three-day expo weekend for Thessaloniki from 18 to 20 November, with the hosting of Philoxenia, Hotelia, and the new kid on the block, Real Estate Expo North. In total, of 24,153 people visited the Thessaloniki International Exhibition Centre to learn about the most recent developments in tourism, hotel equipment, catering and coffee-catering, as well as real estate.

Thessaloniki’s classic expo duo attracted the interest of the tourism sector, while it sent out a message of optimism regarding Greek tourism, with a number of institutional agencies, tourism enterprises, enchanting destinations, and local authority representatives in attendance. Present at the two expos were 350 exhibitors from 18 countries, 115 hosted buyers from 35 countries, and a 158-member business delegation from Iraqi Kurdistan, coordinated by the Chamber of Commerce of Erbil.

Exhibitors and visitors were in agreement with regard to the high-quality upgrade of the exhibition result and in the opportunities for making trade contacts. In fact, more than 3500 meeting between exhibitors and hosted buyers from 32 countries were held during the expos. The wealth of side events organised by important tourism agencies and exhibitors filled all the halls of the exhibition centre, imbuing the two events with a particularly lively atmosphere, while also highlighting their educational character.

Exhibitor response to Philoxenia was very positive, and they were very satisfied from their contacts with the hosted buyers and other trade visitors of the major exhibition event. There was also increased traffic in all visitor categories, Greek and foreign, while this year’s Philoxenia lived up to its name as an “International” event, with direct exhibitors from 17 countries and several state participations.

Philoxenia’s Honoured Country was Armenia and the Honoured Region was the municipality of Heraklion, Crete, while other participants included the Deputy Ministry of Tourism of Cyprus, the Tourism Organisation of Armenia, the Ministry of Tourism of Bulgaria, and the Tourism Organisation of Serbia. There was also a dynamic presence by the Ministry of Tourism, EOT (which has both trade fairs under its auspices), and the most important institutional bodies of the sector — XEE (Hellenic Chamber of Hotels), SETE (Greek Tourism Confederation), HATTA (Hellenic Association of Travel & Tourist Agencies), POX (Hellenic Hoteliers Federation), and SETKE (Greek Confederation of Tourist Accommodation Enterprises) — which have placed the expo under their auspices. Philoxenia was sponsored by EPSILON HOSPITALITY.

Philoxenia’s well-established conference was also a glowing success. This year it focused on sports tourism and its growth prospects, opportunities for Greece from organising major sports events, and the creation of the right infrastructure. The proceedings were attended by large numbers of people, while distinguished speakers shared their knowledge with the public. Fraport Greece was the Hospitality Sponsor of the conference.

The Hotelia hotel equipment exhibition attracted many visitors and garnered significant interest. In fact, the All About Gastronomy and All About Café thematic units were sold out.

More specifically, All About Gastronomy’s gastronomy events, organised by Chef Stories, were dedicated to the dynamism of Greek products, which incorporate the values of tradition, authenticity, quality, and flavour, and provide added value to Greek hospitality. This year’s theme, ‘My Local Greek Choice’, was presented at 8 events, with 400 visitors, and through 16 dishes prepared by Chef Giorgos Psyllos and his team, using exceptional products from 11 award-winning producers, all served in a unique dining area. Furthermore, global gastronomy trends that were reinforced during the pandemic were also presented, such as the interest in foods with a high nutritional value and a local identity. At one of the presentations there was a special tribute to Cretan gastronomy, given that the municipality of Heraklion was Philoxenia’s Honoured Region. In fact, students from the Culinary and Hotel Departments of Thessaloniki’s IEK DELTA 360⁰ schools gave the events a youthful character.

All About Café was organised by Valenio and attracted high numbers, mainly of professionals, who came specifically for information, highly interested in forming new partnerships. Furthermore, there were many visitors who wanted to try the products and learn about new coffee-catering trends. Regular consumers attending the expo were excited with the options and new coffee varieties. The seminars that were open to the public were also very popular, as the audience was given the opportunity to learn about coffee developments from established professionals. But it was the Latte Art Throw Down 2022 competition that stole the show, providing Baristi with the opportunity to be tested and have their skills evaluated in a friendly environment.

Barista’s Gold by Nounou was the Grand Sponsor at All About Café and Eurogat was the Equipment Sponsor.

Lastly, Real Estate Expo North, organised by RM International in partnership with TIF-Helexpo, attracted enterprises from the realty and construction sector, setting the bar high as regards visitor numbers from its very first event in Thessaloniki. In fact, it was visited by, among others, 30 international investors from Dubai, Hong Kong, Germany, the Netherlands, Iraq, Lebanon, and Israel, as part of a business delegation formed by the organising company. Also, an event was held in the framework of Real Estate Expo North to celebrate the centenary of operation of the Realtors Association of Thessaloniki.

24/11/2022 – 12:34

Μία από τις μεγαλύτερες εκθέσεις του πρωτογενούς τομέα στη Νοτιοανατολική Ευρώπη, η 12η Διεθνής Έκθεση για την Κτηνοτροφία και Πτηνοτροφία, «Zootechnia», θα πραγματοποιηθεί από τις 2-5 Φεβρουαρίου 2023 στο Διεθνές Εκθεσιακό Κέντρο Θεσσαλονίκης.

Η Zootechnia θα αποτελέσει σημείο αναφοράς για όλες τις νέες εξελίξεις στην κτηνοτροφία και στην πτηνοτροφία, προσφέροντας το απαραίτητο πεδίο για τη διενέργεια B2C και B2B συναντήσεων.

Η έκθεση είναι η μοναδική εξειδικευμένη διοργάνωση στον τομέα των παραγωγικών ζώων στην Ελλάδα και στα Βαλκάνια. Παρούσες θα είναι όλες οι μεγάλες επιχειρήσεις της κτηνοτροφίας-πτηνοτροφίας, οι οποίες και θα ενημερώσουν τους επισκέπτες για τις δυνατότητες εκσυγχρονισμού και αναβάθμισης της παραγωγής τους.

Η Zootechnia πλαισιώνεται και από ένα πλούσιο πρόγραμμα παράλληλων εκδηλώσεων, μεταξύ των οποίων ξεχωρίζουν το Pet Festival -έκθεση ζώων συντροφιάς και ζωοφιλίας- και το Σαλόνι Αλόγου, που αποτελεί ένα αφιέρωμα σε φυλές αλόγων.

Ακόμη θα πραγματοποιηθεί το 7ο Πανελλήνιο Συνέδριο για το κρέας και τα προϊόντα του, ενώ το Εργαστήριο Ζωοτεχνίας και το Εργαστήριο Διατροφής του Τµήµατος Κτηνιατρικής της Σχολής Επιστηµών Υγείας του ΑΠΘ, με την υποστήριξη της ΔΕΘ-Helexpo, θα αναδείξουν το ελληνικό αυγό µέσα από την µακρόχρονη ερευνητική τους εµπειρία στην ανάπτυξη καινοτόµων προϊόντων αυγού και στην υιοθέτηση ορθών πρακτικών εκτροφής.

24/11/2022 – 11:22

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The Philoxenia and Hotelia trade fairs will open on 18 November and last until 20 November, with 335 exhibitors from 18 countries, 115 hosted buyers from 35 countries, a 158-member business delegation from Iraqi Kurdistan coordinated by the Chamber of Commerce of Erbil, 3500 planned business meetings, and a number of side events. During the same period, TIF-Helexpo will welcome Real Estate Expo North to the Thessaloniki International Exhibition Centre. The Expo is here to cover all the real estate investment needs of northern Greece and it is being co-organised by RM International.

The Honoured Country at this year’s Philoxenia is Armenia and the Honoured Region is the Municipality of Heraklion, Crete. There will be 235 exhibitors participating, while 97% of the hosted buyers have never attended the expo before. In fact, following the conclusion of this year’s event there will be three fam trips for the hosted buyers, organised in collaboration with the Region of Eastern Macedonia-Thrace, the Municipality of Epidaurus, and the Chamber of Commerce of Kilkis. Also participating in the tourism expo are the Deputy Ministry of Tourism of Cyprus, the Tourism Organisation of Armenia, the Ministry of Tourism of Bulgaria, and the Tourism Organisation of Serbia. EPSILON HOSPITALITY is sponsoring Philoxenia.

Philoxenia will be framed by a wealth of side events with thematic presentations and colloquiums. The Philoxenia Congress stands out among these side events, as this year it will be focusing on sports tourism, and its good practices and development opportunities on an economic and tourism level. The Congress is sponsored by Fraport and will be held on 19 November at Pavilion 14. The opening speech will be made by Minister of

Tourism Vassilis Kikilias, while established speakers will also be participating.

The Ministry of Tourism, EOT (which has both trade fairs under its auspices) and the most important institutional bodies of the sector — XEE (Hellenic Chamber of Hotels), SETE (Greek Tourism Confederation), HATTA (Hellenic Association of Travel & Tourist Agencies), POX (Hellenic Hoteliers Federation), and SETKE (Greek Confederation of Tourist Accommodation Enterprises), which have placed the Expo under their auspices — will also be participating in Philoxenia.

Meanwhile, TIF-Helexpo in partnership with the Greek Instagrammers Events team invited photographers of all levels (professionals and amateurs) to submit their photographs to participate in the open competition on the subject of ‘Philoxenia & Travel’. The goal of the competition was to create a group photo exhibition that would highlight Greece as a beautiful and hospitable travel destination, and a total of 87 photographers participated. Alongside the exhibitions, the largest job fair in Greece will be held at the I. Vellidis Congress Centre, where meetings and job interviews will be held for tourism positions throughout the country.

Hotelia is also being held at the same time as Philoxenia. Hotelia is the trade fair that presents the very latest in the sectors of hotel, restaurant, and café equipment, and this year it has attracted 100 exhibitors.

Hotelia’s side events include the following: a. All About Gastronomy (curated by Chef Stories) will present events with special tastes and ideas, unique product combinations, and award-winning producers, who will add to the knowledge of all interested professionals. During the 3 days of the Expo, the special dining area table in pavilion 9 will host master-classes, presenting tasty, high-quality, low-energy footprint local products from various parts of Greece in unique combinations, as part of the ‘My Local Greek Choice’ theme, and b. All About Café, an event dedicated to the art of creating coffee, with workshops and the unique Latte Art ThrowDown Competition. Distinguished baristas and roasters will impress with their techniques and skills, and, through a series of seminars and presentations, they will reveal their aromatic coffee “recipes” to sector professionals and coffee lovers at Pavilion 12, with Barista’s Gold by Nounou as the Grand Sponsor and Eurogat as the Equipment Sponsor.

The Press conference

The heart of tourism will be beating in Thessaloniki from 18 to 20 November, according to the statements of President of TIF-Helexpo, Mr Tasos Tzikas, at today’s Press conference on the upcoming events of the national exhibition agency, while he characterised the Philoxenia-Hotelia trade fair duo as the most important tourism event in Greece, while he welcomed Real Estate Expo North to Thessaloniki.

On his side, the exhibition agency’s CEO, Mr Kyriakos Pozrikidis, underlined the internationalisation of the two trade fairs and the significant interest of the more than 115 hosted buyers from 35 countries.

Philoxenia, with its many years of experience, is now facing a much better prepared tourism environment in Thessaloniki, noted the mayor of Thessaloniki, Mr Konstantinos Zervas, who pointed out that after two difficult years, Thessaloniki is now sold out and every month is its best month.

Philoxenia already has a strong brand name and it keeps getting stronger every year, according to the President of the Tourism Organisation of Thessaloniki, Ms Voula Patoulidou, who noted that the popularity of TIF-Helexpo trade fairs has improved drastically.

It is the first time that Armenia has been named Honoured Country at an expo in Greece, as mentioned by the honorary consul of the Republic of Armenia, Mr Takis T. Dagazian, who characterised the event as a landmark in the relationship between the two countries, while he noted that there is still room for their further improvement.

The municipality of Heraklion chose Philoxenia as the first expo in which to present its renewed tourism product, as explained by the deputy mayor of developmental programming-digital transformation, integrated rural development, and tourism, Mr Giorgos Sisamakis. In fact, he stressed that besides this promotion, the municipality will put forward the experience of Heraklion and Crete in general through its presence at the expo. He also made it known that a major municipality delegation should be expected at Philoxenia.

The desire of hoteliers for Thessaloniki to level up in the future was expressed by the president of the Thessaloniki Hotels Association, Mr Andreas Mandrinos.

More than 50 international investors will attend Real Estate Expo North, according to the CEO of RM International, the co-organiser of the real estate expo, Mr Kostis Moschonas. He noted that Thessaloniki’s geographic location and its relationship with the Balkans are significant factors in developing the region’s real estate marker.

Philoxenia selected the Thessaloniki Convention Bureau (TCB) to present the Greek Meetings Alliance, a strategic alliance it has made with This is Athens Convention & Visitors Bureau and HAPCO, as stated by TCB president, Mr Giannis Aslanis, who noted that MICE development is an important opportunity for tourism and local economies.

The general director of TIF-Helexpo, Mr Alexis Tsaxirlis, highlighted the dynamism with which the national body will continue its exhibition activities.

Lastly, Mr Valantis Lambrianidis of the Valenio company referred to All About Café to be hosted by Hotelia, which will present the evolution of coffee through events, seminars, and competitions. Ms Sylvia Koumentaki from Chef Stories spoke of seven different master classes, and one additional master class dedicated to the municipality of Heraklion, which will be held in the context of All About Gastronomy, Hotelia’s thematic section.

Thessaloniki was characterised as a top real estate investment destination by President of the Realtors Association of Thessaloniki, Mr Konstantinos Tzaros, who expressed his satisfaction with the organising of Real Estate North in Thessaloniki.

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16/11/2022 – 16:58

KOSMIMA and Art Thessaloniki bring culture to the heart of the city

The Thessaloniki International Exhibition Centre is hosting six events in just four days, proving its multidimensional character, which will combine everything from culture and jewellery, to recreation and education. KOSMIMA, Art Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki Boat & Fishing Show 2022, Pharma Point, ‘Crete. The great meeting’, and the thematic exhibition titled ‘Is there a solution for everything? A Journey into the World of Ancient Greek Mathematics’ will all be running concurrently.

More specifically, from 3 to 6 November TIF-Helexpo is co-organising with Mr Pantelis Tsatsis the 6th Art Thessaloniki International Contemporary Fair, the established Greek and international art gallery exhibition. The Honoured Artist at this year’s Art Thessaloniki will be George Zongolopoulos, while in the context of the side events it will also be hosting the exhibition, Multimedia project of the OSTEN Museum of Drawing, ‘Dreams & Reality – four stories of Escapism’, by internationally renowned artists Ilya & Emilia Kabakov, who are sending their own loud message against the war in Ukraine through their work. Furthermore, for the third consecutive year the Cultural Association of Entrepreneurs of Northern Greece, in partnership with Art Thessaloniki, is organising the MATAROA awards, selecting 10 young artists up to the age of 33, who will have the opportunity to exhibit their work in individual pavilions. This year’s event will also be attended by the ‘Konstantinos Xenakis Art Gallery’ Museum of Contemporary Art.

The 36th KOSMIMA International Exhibition for Jewellery, Clocks and Watches, Precious Stones, Machinery and Equipment will commence two days after the opening of Art Thessaloniki. KOSMIMA will operate from 5 to 7 November, highlighting Greek jewellery. This year’s event has attracted an increased number of participations, while, besides the significant domestic interest from the sector’s largest enterprises, there are also international participations from Turkey, the USA, Bulgaria, Estonia, and Italy.

The pieces of the 33rd Panhellenic Jewellery Design Competition will also be presented in the framework of KOSMIMA. The subject of the Competition is ‘1922-2022: Asia Minor and Greek Jewellery 100 years later’ and it is being organised by the Panhellenic Federation of Silver- and Goldsmiths, Jewellers and Watchmakers (POVAKO) in partnership with TIF-Helexpo.

At the same time, two third-party organiser exhibitions will also be hosted at the Thessaloniki International Exhibition Centre: Thessaloniki Boat & Fishing Show 2022, to be held from 4 to 6 November with 120 exhibitors, as well as Pharma Point on 5 and 6 November.

Meanwhile, for the first time in three years TIF-Helexpo is welcoming a unique theme park to the Exhibition Centre: ‘Is there a solution for everything? A Journey into the World of Ancient Greek Mathematics’ will open on 5 November and will continue until 30 March 2023. Placebo Events is presenting for the first time in Thessaloniki the emblematic exhibition of the Foundation of the Hellenic World, which will review the history of mathematics and — in an educational, interactive, and entertaining way — highlight how mathematics can be interesting, pleasant, and comprehensible.

Also underway at the YMCA Gate will be the exhibition of Cretan products and Greek tastes titled ‘Crete. The great meeting’, which will end on November 6.

The Press conference

The existence of the Fair is a blessing for a city like Thessaloniki, stressed the President of TIF-Helexpo, Mr Tasos Tzikas, at the press conference today, underlining its benefits for the local economy and its contribution to organising and hosting side events on a variety of subjects, and of various forms and sizes.

In turn, president of POVAKO, Mr Petros Kalpakidis, noted that KOSMIMA is back, stronger than ever, while he had very encouraging messages about its traffic. In fact, he called upon people to purchase Greek jewellery this holiday season, while he also announced that the tourist season went very well for the sector, as there was a lot of interest in making purchases, as well as actual purchases made.

The Thessaloniki International Exhibition Centre will be a park of culture and recreation over the weekend, according to the CEO of TIF-Helexpo CEO, Mr Kyriakos Pozrikidis, who noted that KOSMIMA will be held in pavilion 6, Art Thessaloniki in pavilions 10 and 9, the thematic exhibition on mathematics in pavilion 1, Fish and Boat in pavilion 13, Pharma Point in the ‘I. Vellidis’ Congress Centre, and the Cretan product expo at the YMCA Gate, all at the same time. He also stressed that the exhibition agency will continue dynamically until the end of the year.

The 6th Art Thessaloniki event is back with a very strong programme, as noted by the event’s artistic director, Mr Pantelis Tsatsis, who underlined how balance was achieved between Greek and international participations at this year’s event.

The press conference was also attended by Ms Kornelija Koneska, director of Osten museum in Skopje, through which the museum multimedia exhibition of Ilya and Emilia Kabakov will come to Art Thessaloniki. In fact, a video message from Emilia Kabakov was played during the press conference.

With respect to the thematic exhibition ‘Is there a solution to everything? A Journey into the World of Ancient Greek Mathematics’, Mr Vasilis Zarkadoulias of Placebo Events thanked TIF-Helexpo for the hospitality and the opportunity of reviving a project that was operating and packed for 8 years in Athens. He also announced that the exhibition has been adapted to 2022 and enriched with digital projections and 3D depictions, while it also includes 8 stops, at each of which four to five experiments will be held.

The General Director of TIF-Helexpo, Mr Alexis Tsaxirlis, referred to the important role of the Exhibition Centre to the heart of the city, while he stressed that it can also host smaller, but equally important exhibition events, which could not be held outside the city centre.

03/11/2022 – 20:01