More than 210,000 visitors gave their ‘vote’ of confidence to the 81st anniversary TIF, which ended on Sunday, renewing its ‘appointment’ with the public for next September. Specifically, 210,081 people crossed the gates of TIF, ’embracing’ the event, despite the difficulties in travelling to the Fair over the last weekend, which TIF-Helexpo tried to overcome with its own initiatives.

One especially encouraging statistic from the 81st TIF, which coincides with the 90th birthday of the institution, is that a large number of visitors were young people, which is auspicious for the future of the Fair.

The administration of TIF-Helexpo would like to give its warmest thanks the members of the public who keep showing their steady love for the Fair, which has once again become ‘fashionable’ in Thessaloniki and the broader region.

Entrepreneurship, culture, education, science, technology, culture and recreation were harmoniously combined at the 81st TIF and composed an even result exhibition-wise.

The national exhibition body has already started preparing the next TIF, where the guest of honour will be China, following the successful and significant presence of Russia at this year’s event.

04/10/2016 – 11:35

The 81st serves as a ‘bridge’ for strengthening Greek-Russian relations, enabling the growth of new partnerships between enterprises from the two countries.

In fact, bilateral relations may continue and intensify in view of the other upcoming exhibitions being organised by the national exhibition agency, such as the ‘Philoxenia’ international tourism exhibition, which will be held from 18 to 20 November 2016 in Thessaloniki.

The President of TIF-Helexpo, Mr Tassos Tzikas, stressed the above when interviewed by 7 Russian journalists who were visiting the Fair and Thessaloniki in the context of Russia’s participation in the 81st TIF as the Guest of Honour.

Mr Tzikas noted that the two countries share numerous sectors of common interest, such as tourism, energy, food and culture.

In turn, the Deputy Regional Governor of Thessaloniki, Ms Voula Patoulidou, welcomed the Russian journalists and underlined the importance of growth of tourism relations between the two countries.

The Deputy Regional Governor for Tourism and Culture of the Region of Central Macedonia, Mr Alexandros Thanos, highlighted the Region’s cultural initiatives that focus on twinning with specific Russian regions.

The Russian journalists, who work for widely circulated newspapers and magazines, focused on the issues of further growth of bilateral relations and facilitation of travel of Russian tourists to Greece, while underlining the successful initiative for Russia to be the Guest of Honour at the 81st TIF.

16/09/2016 – 17:17

08/09/2016 – 13:07

TIF-Helexpo is expecting immediate, visible results from the intensification of its contacts and the exploration of partnerships with Chinese exhibition organisers and enterprises interested in exporting to or investing in our country.

This was the culmination of the visit by the President of TIF-Helexpo, Mr Tassos Tzikas, and the CEO, Mr Kyriakos Pozrikidis, to Beijing and Shanghai, within the framework of the official government delegation accompanying the Prime Minister, who recently visited China.

More specifically, the meetings held with ten exhibition organisers from the Chinese state and private sector resulted in specific interest in the participation of Chinese enterprises in the largest trade fairs organised by TIF-Helexpo, such as Philoxenia, Hotelia, Detrop and Freskon.

Chinese interest is focused on tourism and Greek agricultural products, as well as exports of machinery and industrial products to our country.

During the visit to China, the administration of TIF-Helexpo

visited the Beijing Exhibition Centre and met with the deputy general director of the Chinese Investment Promotion Agency.

Furthermore, meetings were held at the Shanghai Chamber in order to explore potential partnerships with representatives of agencies and private enterprises organising participations in international fairs and exhibitions.

The internationalisation of the activities of TIF-Helexpo and the expansion of its partnerships in China is the most fertile opportunity for the initiative by the national exhibition agency to nominate China as the guest of honour at the 2017 General Fair.

13/07/2016 – 12:21

The future is being built at the Infacoma and Aqua-Therm exhibitions, which will be held from 3 to 6 March 2017, focusing on the sectors of construction, energy and water management. The two international exhibitions, which will focus on innovation, sustainability and environmentally conscious construction, will be held for the first time in Athens in 2017, at Helexpo Maroussi exhibition centre.

After 33 years of successful events, the Infacoma exhibition, which has defined trends in the building and construction sector like no other exhibition, is being held in Athens, raising the bar for the building and construction sector. It will be held concurrently with the internationally renowned Aqua-Therm exhibition, the result of a partnership between TIF-Helexpo and Reed Messe Wien, the Austrian subsidiary of Reed Exhibitions, the largest exhibition group in the world. This is one of the most specialised exhibitions in the sectors of domestic and industrial heating, air-conditioning and ventilation, water supply and sewerage, as well as water management.

The two exhibitions are being jointly organised by TIF-Helexpo and the Be Best company.

The two exhibitions will be visited by hosted buyers, who will solely and exclusively meet with exhibitors, in order to achieve new partnerships and conclude commercial agreements.

Finally, Infacoma and Aqua-Therm 2017 will be supported by a rich schedule of parallel events.

13/07/2016 – 13:40

21/06/2016 – 10:58

06/06/2016 – 10:57

The 13th TIBF will open its doors to the public on Thursday, 12 May, while at 19:00 in the evening of the same day, the official inauguration will take place for this year’s Fair, which is begin organised by: Hellenic Foundation for Culture, TIF-HELEXPO, Greek publishers and the Municipality of Thessaloniki, under the supervision and with the support of the Ministry of Culture and Sports.

For four days, Thessaloniki will be the centre of interest for publishers, authors, professionals of the sector and the large book-loving public expected to visit Pavilions 13 and 15 of TIF-Helexpo until Sunday, 15 May, at the annual book meeting. Above all, the Fair is once more an important interactive meeting place for people, creators and readers, concerning books, art and culture.

With Russia as the guest of honour and a thematic exhibition titled ‘Refugees, then and now’, the Foreign Literature and Translation Festival, the 3rd Young Writers’ Festival, the beloved Children’s and

Teen’s Corner, TIBF features a wealth of events.

The Fair in numbers

The total number of publishers participating in this year’s TIBF is almost 300, of whom 214 are Greek and 80 are foreign, coming from 20 countries.

A total of 284 events will be held, of which 135 are events included in the general programme, 27 will be held within the framework of the Refugee exhibition, 46 within the framework of the Translation Festival and 76 in the field of the children’s and teens’ corner.

Over 500 speakers will be participating in all the above events, including: authors, illustrators, translators, academics, critics, visual artists, musicians, journalists, librarians, teachers, publishers and specialised professionals from the field of publishing.

The Press Conference

As noted by the President of TIF-Helexpo, Mr Tassos Tzikas, during today’s Press Conference regarding this year’s event, the 13th Thessaloniki International Book Fair will bring a creative ‘disruption’ to the city. The President also spoke about the role of Russia as the guest of honour, which is a foretaste of Russia’s participation in the 81st TIF as guest of honour.

On his side, the Mayor of Thessaloniki, Mr Yiannis Boutaris, noted that the goal of the Municipality, in cooperation with the national exhibition agency, is to render Thessaloniki International Book Fair a true ‘child’ of Thessaloniki and not permanently dependent on the capital. “We want TIBF to be the first example of Thessaloniki becoming autonomous”, he noted.

The Deputy Mayor for Culture, Ms Elli Chryssidou, spoke about the capability of Thessaloniki to support major events and noted that this year, the Municipality’s central stand will focus on refugees and all its actions will deal with the refugee issue.

Mr Giorgos Papanastassiou, a member of the Board of the Hellenic Foundation for Culture and associate professor of Philology at Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, characterised the effort made to keep the TIBF institution alive as gargantuan, but stressed that this year’s event will justify the characterisation of the Fair as the top cultural event in the country. “Apart from a vehicle for culture, books also serves as a ‘pretext’ for culture”, he stated, adding that the programme to be presented by Russia will be first class.

According to Ms Elena Sartori, the representative of the Russian delegation, the Russian participation in the 13th Thessaloniki International Book Fair as the guest of honour will provide a significant boost to the long relationship between Greece and Russia.

Finally, the deputy general director of TIF-Helexpo, Mr Alexis Tsaxirlis, spoke about a major endeavour and multi-faceted event for Thessaloniki and all of Greece, underlining the efforts of all the stakeholders and the staff of the national exhibition agency.

The axes of the 13th TIBF

This year’s Fair includes numerous events:

Α. The cultural programme to be presented by Russia, the guest of honour, within the framework of the Year of Greek-Russian Friendship, 2016, will be a journey to the History, Art and Culture of Russia. This major tribute to Russia will feature discussions with authors, round tables, book presentations, lectures, poetry evenings, film showings, exhibitions, collaborative actions with major Russian museums, educational, linguistic and translation programmes, as well as actions for children and teens. This programme consists of numerous action axes in order to present the cultural profile of Russia and its ties to the fields of Books, Art and Education, thus showcasing the contemporary cultural reality of the country. At the same time, existing or potential relations to the cultural life of Greece will be presented, whether these concern the presentation of the programme for the subsidisation of the translation and publication of Russian books in the Greek language or the modern

publishing activity of Russian monasteries on Mount Athos. More specific details can be found in the Press Release concerning the guest of honour.

Β. The thematic exhibition of this year’s Thessaloniki International Book Fair, titled Refugees, then and now, aims at highlighting the modern reality of the problem as well as its historical dimensions, and includes: Scientific and sociopolitical Discussions and Colloquiums, Literary approaches and Testimonies, Documentary showings, Artistic exhibitions with works from various forms of art – painting, engraving, sculpture, video art, constructions – book presentations and readings with audiovisual background imagery concerning classic publications as well as publications in the form of comic books, thematic book exhibitions and photography exhibitions.

These numerous events will be held at the premises of the Fair as well as the Macedonian Museum of Contemporary Art, with the participation of distinguished academics, University professors, authors, illustrators, journalists, visual artists, directors, actors, musicians and professionals from the field of book publishing.

The thematic exhibition is being organised in cooperation with the Municipality of Thessaloniki, the Historical Archive of Greek Refugees of the Municipality of Kalamaria, the Central Municipal Library of Thessaloniki, the Macedonian Museum of Contemporary Art, Publishers, ERT3, the Association of Greek Librarians & Information Scientists (EEVEP), the School of Fine Arts of Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, the Rosa Luxemburg Foundation (Greek Office), the ‘ex-ils’ artist group and other creators.

C. The spirit of multiculturalism that permeates the international character of TIBF is being supported at this year’s event by the participation of 24 foreign authors and a Translation festival that focuses on and discusses issues of language and communication of ideas through translations and translators.

More specifically, the foreign authors who will participate in the 13th TIBF and will meet their fans at the Fair include: 3 from England (Rob Davis, Daniel Hahn, Philip Kerr), 2 from France (Marc Boutavant, Laurent

Binet), 1 from Germany (Carmen-Francesca Banciu), 5 from Israel (Yishai Sharid, Orly Castel-Bloom, Avirama Golan, Alon Hilu, Yael Dayan), 2 from Italy (Diego Marani, Luigi Ballerini), 4 from Canada (Rawi Hage, Madeleine Thien, Joseph Kertes [invited from the Toronto Literary Festival] and Denis Thériault), 1 from Croatia (Ivan Srsen), 2 from Romania (Rostas Zoltan, Monica Savulescu Voudouri), 3 from the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (Vladimir Martinovski, Stojcevska Antik Vera, Vlada Urosevic) and 1 from the Basque Country (Katixa Agirre Miguélez).

A total of 20 countries are participating in this year’s Fair with their own stands: Albania, Bangladesh, Belgium, Bosnia-Herzegovina, China, Croatia, Cyprus, Egypt, Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, France, Germany, Israel, Italy, Romania, Russia (guest of honour), Serbia, Slovakia, South Korea, Turkey and Ukraine.

The Foreign Literature and Translation Festival will be held in the hall named ‘BABEL – in the world of translation’ found in building 15, focusing on the important role played by our ‘global language’, translation, and highlighting its contribution to multiculturalism through a comprehensive four-day schedule of events, actions, workshops and discussions.

D. Following the 1st Young Writers’ Festival, which was organised in December 2011 by the National Book Centre of Greece, as well as the 2nd Festival that was organised by the Hellenic Foundation for Culture (during the 12th TIBF) and its warm reception by young writers and the public, this year the 3rd Young Writers’ Festival is being held to provide a platform for young literary voices to be heard.

The criteria for the selection of participants were the following: being up to 40 years old, having published up to two books and not having participated in the two previous Festivals.

An effort was also to keep a ‘multilateralism’ between Athens and Thessaloniki (and the ‘peripheral’ regions of the country), poets and prose writers, short story writers and novelists, men and women, and between all ages, as well as to cover most trends in the literary

production of younger authors and to represent, through them, older-established publishing firms, as well as more recent independent publishing firms and magazines. At the same time, recent works are being represented through young creators who have already won or been nominated for state or other important awards. Moreover, the participation of the winners of the 1st Young Writers’ Festival was requested, so that they could share their five years of experience since their awards.

The venue of this year’s Festival also reflects its identity, as it is being held for the first time in ‘Exostis’ Hall of Pavilion 15 of TIF, creating an open and, at the same time, protected ‘nest’ (a ‘nestival’ of sorts), away from – and in constant communication with – the hustle and bustle of an International Book Fair. The Festival will begin on the afternoon of Friday, 13 May and will continue throughout Saturday, 14 May.

The Festival will include three discussions, numerous readings and various actions, in order to create a trace of interaction between young writers and the public, with the assistance of other arts, the participation of musicians, acting students and actors, coordinated by director Sophia Karakantza.

E. One of the most dynamic attractions for visitors of the Fair is the well-established Children’s-Teens’-Teachers’ Corner, which will feature numerous events that include narrative, interactive and novel presentations of current book production, as well as presentation of subjects that concern the social and school life of all contributors to Education, as well as parents.

The organisers were also inspired in creating an important action titled Traces with words and images. In the framework of the thematic exhibition of this year’s Fair, over 100 authors and illustrators answered the organiser’s call to write phrases and paint pictures on the theme of refugees. Their words and images will become the traces that young and old visitors to the Fair will follow on their way towards the Children’s Corner.

The main part of the programme was prepared on the basis of proposals by 27 publishers of children’s and teens’ books: Angyra, Anatypo, Kyriakidis Bros, Varfi, Captainbook.gr, Diaplassi, Diaplous, En Plo, Epomenos Stathmos, Fagottobooks, Ikaros, IWrite, Kastanioti, Kedros, KeyBooks, Kokkini Klosti Demeni, Kokkino, Kyriakidi, Livani, Mati, Methexis, Metaechmio, Nephele, Children’s Law Library, Pataki, Porfyra, Syghroni Orizontes.

The participation of Foundations, Institutes and Agencies is important, as they will present their work and contribute to the Fair with their experience and actions. More specifically, the following institutions will be participating:

Onassis Cultural Centre (Cavafy Archive), the French Institute of Thessaloniki, the Greek IBBY National Section – Circle of Greek Children’s Books, the Association of Greek Librarians & Information Scientists, the Municipal Library-Gallery of Thermi and the Artistic Bindery of N. P. Livadiotis.

F. During the 13th TIBF, various Special Events will take place, including:

* Events in honour of Aristotle on the occasion of the official year of Aristotle 2016. In view of the ‘Aristotle, 2400 Years’ World Congress being organised by Aristotle University of Thessaloniki from May 23 to 28, a pre-congress discussion will take place on the same topic, with the participation of: Pericles Mitkas, Professor at the School of Electrical & Computer Engineering; Rector of AUTh, Dimitra Sfendoni-Mentzou, Professor Emeritus of Philosophy of Science at AUTh; Ioannis Siradakis, Professor Emeritus of Astrophysics at AUTh; Zacharias Skouras, Professor of Genetics at AUTh; Aris Stylianou, Associate Professor at the School of Political Sciences of AUTh; Konstantinos Katsambalos, Professor at the School of Rural & Surveying Engineering of AUTh; Stavros Avgoloupis, Professor of Astronomy at AUTh; Spyros Pavlidis, Professor at the School of Geology of AUTh.

Presentation of the Complete Works of ARISTOTLE and, more specifically, the new annotated scientific bilingual publication (Nissos Publications), with Vassilis Kalfas, Professor of Philosophy at the Faculty of Philosophy of AUTh, and Pantelis Bassakos,

Professor of Philosophy at the Panteion University of Social and Political Sciences, as speakers.

* Events in view of the Year of Kazantzakis 2017. THE ECUMeNICAL AND TIMELESS WRITINGS OF KAZANTZAKIS. An early celebration of the ‘vigilant’ Greek writer, on the occasion of the proclamation of 2017 as the year of ‘NIKOS KAZANTZAKIS’. A representative of the Hellenic Foundation for Culture will address the audience. Speakers will include: Zoe Samara, Professor Emeritus at AUTh – poet – translator – President of the Thessaloniki Society of Authors; Dimitris Kokoris, associate professor, Faculty of Philosophy of AUTh; Kostas Arkoudeas, author. Excerpts from the works of Nikos Kazantzakis will be read by the actor Dimitris Vayas. Supervisor – presenter: Stelios Loukas, journalist, poet. Organiser: Thessaloniki Society of Authors / ‘Each book a journey’ broadcast on the TV100 network / Hellenic Foundation for Culture.

* Presentation titled NIKOS KAZANTZAKIS, THE REFUGEE OF GREEK LITERATURE. Speakers: G. Stassinakis, President of the International Society of Friends of Nikos Kazantzakis; D. Ch. Gounelas, Professor of Modern Greek Literature at AUTh. Coordinator: Yuli Ierapetritaki, historian – archaeologist – representative of the ISFNK in Thessaloniki. Organiser: INTERNATIONAL SOCIETY OF FRIENDS OF NIKOS KAZANTZAKIS.

* Events on the occasion of the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare’s death. Presentation of the bilingual edition of the book ‘The Sonnets’ by William Shakespeare, Introduced and translated by Lenia Zafiropoulou. Speakers: Lenia Zafiropoulou, poet – translator; Orpheus Apergis, poet – translator; Kostas Dardanos, publisher.

Event titled ‘William Shakespeare – 400 years later / The tomorrow we saw yesterday’. Five poets converse, through their own original texts, with excerpts, fragments and sonnets by the great British playwright. Participants: Thomas Ioannou, Elsa Korneti, Dimitris Leontzakos, Dora Kaskali, Georgia Trouli.

Coordinator – reader of biographical information: Yiorgos Alissanoglou (1st part). Dimitris Dimitriadis as a translator of Shakespeare’s work. Coordinator: Yiorgos Alissanoglou (2nd part).

At the same time, professional meetings, thematic colloquiums, translation workshops, round tables, film showings, artistic and dramatic events will be held throughout the Fair.

The 13th Thessaloniki International Book Fair remains faithful to the goal of expanding the horizons of reading, supporting Greek publishers, showcasing young and recognising older domestic and international creators, as well as linking all the above to national and international socio-political circumstances. Above all else, this year’s Fair is an important interactive meeting place for people (creators and readers) around the focal point of books, art and culture, while the participation of Authorities, scientific and cultural Foundations and Agencies, as well as the city’s University and school community is active at both the actual and the symbolic level, bestowing upon the Fair the character of a major social event.

A detailed schedule of events and thematic Press Releases can be found at the TIBF website: www.thessalonikibookfair.gr

THESSALONIKI INTERNATIONAL BOOK FAIR

12 to 15 May 2016

TIF– HELEXPO, PAVILIONS 13, 14 & 15

Free admission www.thessalonikifookfair.gr facebook.com/thessalonikibookfair Tel.: 210-6776540 / Fax: 201-6725826 / e-mail: info@-tbf@hfc.gr

23/05/2016 – 15:02

The 2nd ‘Freskon’ International Trade Show for Fruit and Vegetables, organised by TIF-Helexpo at Thessaloniki International Exhibition Centre from 21 to 23 April, was intensely international and welcomed an increased number of participants. In fact, the international appeal of Freskon was reflected in the 35% increase in the number of hosted buyers who visited the trade show.

For three days, the ‘heart’ of the fresh fruit and vegetable sector was beating in Thessaloniki, with over 2,500 B2B meetings between exhibitors and hosted buyers taking place, laying the groundwork for partnerships and commercial agreements and establishing Freskon in the minds of producers and retail chains. The international character of this year’s trade show was underlined by the presence of representatives of international media from Germany, Great Britain, Russia, the Netherlands and Poland, which promoted Freskon in their respective countries.

The exhibition scale of this year’s Freskon was 30% greater than the first trade show held last year. In total, 246 exhibitors from 25 countries participated in Freskon, which welcomed 137 hosted buyers from 31 countries and 310 specialised trade visitors in group delegations from neighbouring countries. One noteworthy participant was the Iranian business delegation, consisting of representatives of retail chains and distributors of fresh fruit and vegetables who sought trade partnerships and exchange of technical knowledge. This year’s trade show covered three pavilions, one more than last year.

Additionally, major Greek and international supermarket chains that control a significant distribution network came into direct contact with fresh fruit and vegetable distribution companies at FreshCon Market, a special section held within Freskon.

The 1st Congress on Green Vegetables & Asparagus welcomed a significant number of participants and featured prominently in the programme of parallel events at Freskon. The interest of the public in developments in these two sectors was intense, with 300 participants attending the works of the Congress.

Furthermore, specially formulated areas within Pavilions 13 and 15 housed numerous other parallel events, speeches and presentations focusing on the sector, which attracted the interest of visitors. In preparing the parallel events, TIF-Helexpo cooperated with ‘Froutonea’ magazine.

At the end of the trade show, the exhibitors’ fruit and vegetables were donated to the charity organisation ‘The Smile of the Child’.

10/05/2016 – 13:12

Culture drives developments and growth, teaching cooperation and humanism. With these priorities in mind, with Russia as the honoured country and with a thematic event titled ‘Refugees, in the past and present’, this year’s 13th Thessaloniki International Book Fair (TIBF) is being held from 12 to 15 May 2016 at the city’s International Exhibition Centre.

The 13th TIBF is being jointly organised by TIF-Helexpo, the Hellenic Foundation for Culture and the Municipality of Thessaloniki, under the supervision and with the support of the Ministry of Culture and Sports.

The exhibition has always aimed at expanding the horizons of reading, supporting Greek publishers, showcasing young and recognising older domestic and international creators, as well as linking all the above to national and international socio-political circumstances.

At the same time, the Fair is a major social event, as it interactively connects creators and readers, while providing substantial motivation to cultural, scientific and educational agencies during an event of international and supra-local interest.

The 13th TIBF, which will have free admission, will cover three pavilions and will focus on numerous timely subjects and fields, the most important of which are:

• The cultural programme presented by Russia, the honoured country of the Fair, within the framework of 2016 as the Year of Greek-Russian Friendship, with the participation of Russian publishers and authors. The participation of Russia will cover numerous fields and include presentations of authors and poets, modern aesthetic and literary movements, showings of films and animations, as well as translation programmes (from Russian into Greek). Furthermore, the treasures of Russian museums will be presented and the public will have the opportunity to attend numerous events that will highlight the relationship between Russia and Greece.
• The thematic event of this year’s Fair, titled ‘Refugees, in the past and present’ and being organised in cooperation with the Municipality of Thessaloniki, aims at highlighting the modern reality of the problem, as well as its historical dimensions. The event will include a thematic book exhibition, discussions-round tables, book presentations, an extensive exhibition of photographs by photographers and photojournalists who have captured snapshots from the journey of refugees, showings of related films in cooperation with the Thessaloniki Film Festival, etc.
• The Young Authors’ Festival is being expanded during its 3rd incarnation with international participants from the Toronto Literary Festival and other countries, once again providing a platform for young literary voices to be heard.
• The Translation Festival will be hosted at a separate pavilion and will feature numerous informative and interactive events, with the participation of European agencies, institutes and the corresponding departments of Greek universities. Events will include translation seminars, presentations of new programmes for the support of literary translation, as well as ‘The Language Project–Translation Slam’, with the participation of emblematic figures from the field of translation.
• The participation of publishers and authors from numerous countries, such as China, Canada, Germany, France, Italy, Ukraine, Israel, Egypt, Turkey, Croatia, Slovakia, Serbia, Romania, etc. The institutes of these countries that operate in Greece will participate actively in the event.

Other events will include numerous literary and professional meetings, thematic colloquiums, translation workshops, speeches, round tables, a children’s & adolescents’ corner, as well as the literary café, film showings, and artistic and theatre happenings.

Thessaloniki will also be celebrating during the 13th TIBF and numerous cultural events will be held at various locations throughout the city.

For further information regarding the Fair, please visit: www.thessalonikifookfair.com & facebook.com/thessalonikibookfair

10/05/2016 – 13:14