180 exhibitors from 12 countries, 250 international trade visitors from 35 countries and 2000 scheduled business meetings

FRESKON, the only Fresh Fruit and Vegetable International Trade Event in Greece, is returning after a two-year absence, with 180 exhibitors from 12 countries and 250 international trade visitors from 35 countries (hosted buyers, group visits, entrepreneurial delegations, and individuals).

From 12 to 14 May in pavilions 13, 14, and 15 of the Thessaloniki International Exhibition Centre, fresh fruits and vegetables will be in the spotlight, recording market developments, bringing exhibitors in contact with representatives of major international supermarket chains, commercial enterprises, and logistics enterprises-networks, while the latest in fresh fruits, vegetables, logistics, machinery, and packaging materials will be presented. Exhibitors will come from Greece, France, Hungary, the Netherlands, Italy, Bulgaria, Albania, Poland, Cyprus, Egypt, Spain, and Denmark.

In the framework of the 6th FRESKON, which will gather producers, international retail groups, and domestic and international fresh fruit and vegetable transporters, more than 2000 business meetings have been scheduled between Greek enterprise representatives and producers, and international trade visitors.

FRESKON will also receive an entrepreneurial delegation from Iraqi Kurdistan, which will be composed by entrepreneurs in the agri-food and construction material sectors, as well as members from the Chamber of Commerce of the region of Sulaymaniyah. Furthermore, great emphasis has been placed on attracting Hosted Buyers from Arab states.

On an institutional level, participants in FRESKON include the Ministry of Rural Development & Food, the Regions of Central Macedonia, Western Greece, and Crete, the Central Market of Athens, and the Central Thessaloniki Market.

FRESKON’s opening will be held tomorrow, 12 May, at 19:00, at pavilion 13, by the Minister of Rural Development and Food, Mr Giorgos Georgantas.

The International Apple Congress and side events

The International Apple Congress, on 12 May, stands out at this year’s exhibition, with the participation of established speakers from Greece and abroad. Furthermore, FreshCon Market will focus on the connection of production with retail sales, mainly aiming at bringing large supermarket chains into direct contact with professionals of the agricultural sector, creating ideal conditions for direct agreements. Buyers from 17 supermarkets in Greece, Cyprus, Albania, Bulgaria, Serbia, N. Macedonia, Poland, and Ukraine will be participating in FreshCon Market.

During FRESKON a number of other side events will be held, presenting and analysing specialised issues regarding the primary sector, the connection of agricultural production with commerce, standardisation-packaging, openness, etc.

The Press conference

The emphasis TIF-Helexpo places on the primary sector was underlined by the company’s CEO, Mr Kyriakos Pozrikidis, during the Press Conference held today in view of FRESKON, as he drew on the current event to mention all relevant trade fairs, such as AGROTICA, AGROTHESSALY, DETROP, ARTOZYMA, and ZOOTECHNIA. He also stressed that — besides the exhibition aspect — through FRESKON the Fair aims to highlight innovation, distribution networks, and their role in the transportation of fresh fruit and vegetables.

The publisher-director of FROUTONEA magazine — International Apple Congress and FreshCon Market partner — Mr Panagiotis Orfanos noted that FRESKON has left its mark during the events held in previous years, and that it is trying to promote the qualitative characteristics of Greek fruits and vegetables. In fact, Mr Orfanos raised two critical issues the sector is facing, which this year’s event will deal with as part of its side events: the increased cost of cultivation, which, as he said, must be dealt with or it will lead to a shrinking of production in coming years, and the lack of land workers, which is threatening harvest. In fact, he noted that many summer fruits will remain unharvested and something has to be done immediately, so that the summer season is not lost.

The event’s project manager, Ms Tonia Nikolaidou, referred to the great effort made to maintain this year’s FRESKON at the levels of 2019. She also stressed that FRESKON’s aims are exports and their growth prospects, while the event helps Greek enterprises find new markets. She also referred to the International Apple Congress, noting that the number and mix of participants indicates the great interest surrounding it.

Lastly, the General Director of TIF-Helexpo, Mr Alexis Tsaxirlis, stressed that FRESKON is the only exhibition in Greece on fresh fruits and vegetables, and it is a model of event organising — beyond the exhibition part — as it is based on three pillars: B2B meetings, the congress, and the FreshCon Market. He also referred to all the other exhibition activities that are hosted during this period at the Thessaloniki International Exhibition Centre, stressing that “we are getting back on track”.

13/05/2022 – 12:47

The freshest event in the fruit and vegetable sector, the 6th FRESKON, is being held from 12 to 14 May 2022 at the Thessaloniki International Exhibition Centre by TIF-Helexpo.

One of the most important fruit and vegetable fairs in the Balkans and Southeastern Europe, FRESKON, is making the difference by hosting the largest enterprises of the fresh produce sector from Greece and abroad (as exhibitors and guests), which will promote their latest innovations, products, and services.

This year’s event will have its finger on the pulse of primary production at Pavilions 13, 14, and 15, with more than 250 commercial visitors (hosted buyers, group visits, and entrepreneurial delegations) from 33 countries.

FRESKON will receive an entrepreneurial delegation from Iraqi Kurdistan, which will be composed by entrepreneurs in the agri-food and construction material sectors, as well as members from the Chamber of Commerce of the region of Sulaymaniyah, which, among other things, aims to attract investment to their country.

One of the many side events of the Exhibition that stands out is the International Apple Congress with internationally distinguished speakers. The focal point of FRESKON is the FreshCon Market, where production connects to retail, as FRESKON exhibitors have the exclusive opportunity to meet representatives from some of the largest domestic and international supermarket chains in Greece and Europe.

10/05/2022 – 14:34

One of the largest agricultural sector exhibition events in S.E. Europe, the ‘Agrotica’ International Fair for Agricultural Machinery, Equipment & Supplies, will be held from 20-23 October 2022 October at the Thessaloniki International Exhibition Centre.

Agrotica has recorded increased interest from exhibitors and hosted buyers, while almost all available exhibition facilities have already been booked.

It is a crucial juncture for the development and modernisation of agricultural holdings, as the new Improvement Plan calls are expected to commence in September.

The most important enterprises and entities of the sector from the entire scope of agricultural entrepreneurship will participate in the Exhibition.

Agrotica hosts tens of thousands of farmers from all over Greece and the broader geographic region, acting as a hub for agricultural technology and innovation.

Agrotica is being held with the support of the Machinery Importers’ – Representatives’ Association (SEAM), the Association of Manufacturers of Agricultural Machinery (EKAGEM), and the Associatiation of Fertiliser Producers and Traders (SPEL).

The Fair will be completely safe and held in harmonisation with the epidemiological and health data in effect when it is being held.

08/04/2022 – 11:17

Internationally renowned and high-quality foods of the Mediterranean diet, gastronomy, and the dynamism of the bakery and confectionery sectors will be highlighted at the 10th International ARTOZYMA Exhibition and the 30th International DETROP BOUTIQUE Exhibition, which will be held from 2-4 April at the International Exhibition & Conference Centre of Thessaloniki.

ARTOZYMA is hosting the largest enterprises in confectionery and bakery raw ingredients, packaging, and equipment, which will review the latest developments in the sector through thematic features.

DETROP BOUTIQUE is presenting all the latest dietary trends and the best delicatessen foods-beverages from a quality and production method perspective.

With the Municipality of Pyrgos, Elis as the Honoured Municipality, DETROP BOUTIQUE this year has the ‘Greek Bites Area’ and ‘Cheese & Wine’ side events in gastronomy and tasting.

The leading quality of Greek olives and olive oil will be the focus of the ‘OLIVE OIL TROPHY’ International Quality Contest for exceptional olive oils and the ‘TABLE OLIVES TROPHY’ International Quality Contest for Table Olives.

These two new institutions are the result of the partnership between TIF-Helexpo and the ‘FILAIOS’, the Friends of Olive Oil & Olives association.

The 5th Pan-Hellenic Bread Championship stands out from the side events, which aims at promoting the sector’s new generation.

The Bakery Labs by the National Baking Team and the Pastry Labs of the Hellas Pastry Chef Club with master classes by distinguished pastry chefs, will highlight all the modern trends in confectionery and baking.

The subject of the colloquium held by the Thessaloniki Guild of Shop Owners and Confectioners is ‘Patisseries in the Digital Age’. It will present the contribution of new technologies and modern means to the enhancement of the image and the commercial popularity of patisseries.

A scientific colloquium on ‘Small industry baking-confectionery, approaching modern challenges’ is also being held in the context of ARTOZYMA. It is being organised by the Hellenic Association of Food Technologists, and aims to present recent developments to baking goods producers, so that they can enrich their knowledge.

At the same time, the Greek Coeliac Association is also holding a colloquium on gluten-free product certification.

The two Exhibition, DETROP BOUTIQUE and ARTOZYMA, are framed by many more side events of other enterprises and entities.

01/04/2022 – 15:54

Promoting and highlighting Greek jewellery is at the core of the 34th Athens International Jewellery Show, which is being held from 25-28 February 2022 at Metropolitan Expo exhibition centre.

With innovations such as the new Design Section and with 200 direct exhibitors from Greece, Italy, Turkey, Cyprus, Germany, and Belgium, as well as 112 indirect exhibitors (international houses), Athens International Jewellery Show, organised by TIF-Helexpo, is the largest international exhibition of the sector in Greece, highlighting the new trends in gold, silver, and timepieces.

The Design Section was created to promote and highlight Greek jewellery design, which has repeatedly received distinctions abroad for its originality and excellent quality.

Participants at Athens International Jewellery Show include manufacturers, workshops, designers, importers, and representatives of jewellery and timepieces.

The safety of visitors and exhibitors to the exhibition is paramount, and all the necessary health protocols provided for will be observed upon visitor entry and for the duration of their visit. More specifically, entry to the exhibition is only permitted to those who have a vaccination or recovery certificate, and mask use is mandatory throughout the duration of their stay within the exhibition centre.

25/02/2022 – 11:59

First place in the top ten most influential people in the TOP HOTELIERS (Hotels and Venues) category of New Europe for 2021 was taken by TIF-Helexpo CEO, Mr Kyriakos Pozrikidis, in the framework of the vote carried out by Kongres Magazine on meeting, event, and congress industry influencers. In fact, Mr Kyriakos Pozrikidis scored 4.81 out of 5, standing out among professionals in both the hotel, and the exhibition and congress sectors. The list of influencers was seen by 6832 people, while 1711 voted on the final ranking.

The selection of the most influential people of New Europe by Kongres Magazine has garnered exceptional recognition in the international meeting, event, and congress industry, with the list including people who have left their mark on the sector.

Each candidate was scored in four categories: Credibility, creativity, results, and legacy. The final score was calculated as the average in these categories, on a grading scale of 1 to 5.

The awards for the most influential people of the industry in New Europe will be presented to the winners in person at an award ceremony to be held on 22 February 2022, in the framework of the Conventa trade fair in Ljubljana. The public can watch the ceremony online.

09/02/2022 – 12:15

The 34th Athens International Jewellery Show is a reference point in the silver- and gold-smithing sector, attracting visitors from Greece and abroad, and it will be held from 25 to 28 February 2022 at Metropolitan Expo exhibition centre (Hall 1) in Attica.

The Athens International Jewellery Show, organised by TIF-Helexpo, is the largest international exhibition of the sector in Greece, promoting new trends in gold, silver, and timepieces, informing on modern materials and styles, and providing the ideal framework for the development of partnerships between companies from Greece and abroad.

More than two hundred direct exhibitors and 100 international jewellery houses are waiting for the hosted buyers of the Athens International Jewellery Show. Also present will be manufacturers, workshops, designers, importers, and representatives of the jewellery and timepiece sector, while all the new designs surrounding jewellery packaging and display decoration, as well as the latest advances in technology with regards to silver- and gold-smithing, will also be presented in the framework of the exhibition.

The safety of visitors and exhibitors to the exhibition is paramount, and all the necessary health protocols provided for will be observed upon visitor entry and for the duration of their visit. More specifically, entry to the exhibition is only permitted to those who have a vaccination or recovery certificate, and mask use is mandatory throughout the duration of their stay within the exhibition centre.

31/01/2022 – 15:10

The postponement of the 29th ‘Agrotica’ International Fair for Agricultural Machinery, Equipment & Supplies — which was scheduled to be held from 27 to 30 January 2022 — was decided by TIF-Helexpo, after taking into account the concerns of agricultural sector representatives regarding developments in the Covid-19 pandemic. The new dates for the 29th Agrotica will be 20-23 October 2022.

TIF-Helexpo places public health and the safety of its exhibitors, guests, and partners — without whom there can be no successful exhibition — above Agrotica, even though it is the largest trade fair of the event.

Following close collaboration with sector bodies who are the basic pillars of Agrotica, the national exhibition agency deemed that it would better serve the interests of its exhibitors and guests to move the dates of the trade fair.

TIF-Helexpo would like to thank SEAM (Machinery Importers’ – Representatives’ Association) and EKAGEM (Association of Manufacturers of Agricultural Machinery) for their contribution to the continued success of Agrotica all these years. Agrotica is an event that is identified with the agricultural sector and classed as one of the five largest in Europe.

Agrotica will return stronger and greater than ever this coming autumn.

15/12/2021 – 12:26