The largest TIF of the last five years, in terms of exhibitor numbers and exhibition space covered, will open its gates from 10 to 18 September. The 81st TIF coincides with the event’s 90th anniversary, lending this year’s fair a celebratory atmosphere.

Over 1,000 (in fact, nearly 1,015) exhibitors will be participating in the 81st TIF, reaching their highest levels since 2011, while the area covered (both inside the pavilions and outdoors) will take advantage of every available square metre of Thessaloniki International Exhibition Centre. There will be 18 official state participations (as compared to 14 in 2015), namely from Cyprus, Iran, Slovakia, Poland, Luxembourg, South Africa, Armenia, Indonesia, Uruguay, FYROM, Bulgaria, Romania, India, Italy, Tunisia, Egypt, Russia and Turkey.

Russia is the guest of honour this year, coming to TIF and Pavilion 16 with enterprises representing the sectors of agricultural production and processing, food, energy and industry. In the context of the parallel events of the ‘guest of honour’ institution, a Greek-Russian Business Forum will be held to explore the prospects for cooperation between the two countries. There will also be a football match between veteran football players and politicians from Russia and Greece.

The overview of the 81st TIF is as follows:

• It is the first time that 42 Chambers of Commerce and Industry from all around Greece will be participating, thanks to an initiative by the Union of Hellenic Chambers, with 230 member-enterprises. The Thessaloniki Chamber of Commerce and Industry has set up a special anniversary Pavilion to commemorate the 100th anniversary of its founding.
• An extravagant theme park of European standards has been created as a historical moment of cooperation with children’s writer Eugene Trivizas. ‘The Secret Worlds of Eugene Trivizas’ will reveal only a small portion of their hilarious secrets during the 81st TIF, before their grand debut on October 24.
• The Art, Science & Technology Festival is a new project by TIF-Helexpo, through which the national exhibition agency aims at participating in the European programme ‘Artecitya. Envisioning the City of Tomorrow (2014-2018)’. Alongside eGaming, which is now part of the Artecitya Art, Science and & Technology festival, three projects are being presented this year: Amanda, Enter the Game and AURA-Advanced Urban Responsive Art.
• The ‘ENERGIA-NATURAL GAS’ exhibition will feature over 30 participants, with all the major enterprises and agencies of the sector present.
• AKADEMIA is the new thematic exhibition on education and career opportunities, with the participation of public and private agencies, enterprises and foundations active in the field of education.
• TIF has always been and remains an excellent opportunity for the presentation of new car models. This year’s participants include JEEP, PEUGEOT, HYUNDAI, KIA, FIAT, ALFA ROMEO, CITROEN, SKODA and FORD. This year’s event will feature the national debut of the Peugeot 308 GTi by Peugeot Sport, the SUV Peugeot 2008, the revised DS3 and the Citroen Jumpy professional model.
• Thessaloniki Metro will participate in the Fair with a demo-carriage, highlighting the renaming of the Metro station at Sintrivani as ‘Sintrivani-Ekthesi’ (Sintrivani-Fair).
• Visitors to the Fair will have the opportunity to see ‘Moutzouris’ (‘Smudgy’), the original engine of the Mt Pelion train, which TRAINOSE has brought to the 81st TIF. At the same time, the ‘bus for the homeless’ will be set up inside the International Exhibition Centre during TIF.
• The hot-air balloons of the 81st TIF, which continue travelling to various cities in Northern Greece, will be anchored inside the exhibition centre and above the city seafront for the duration of the Fair, offering exciting rides for all ages.
• Thessaloniki is getting its own MONOPOLY set, which will, in fact, have its world première at the 81st TIF, on September 14.
• The concert schedule of ‘Music Events Live’ is particularly rich this year, with events taking place every night at 21:30 on the main stage under the Thessaloniki YMCA Arch. In fact, during the concert by brothers Konstantinos and Matthaios Tsarouchidis on September 13, an attempt will be made to win a place in the Guinness Book of Records for the longest and most populated ‘Omal’ dance of the Pontians (Greeks of the Black Sea).
• The Thessaloniki YMCA arch will be beautifully lit and will stand out as a unique landmark, unlike anything ever seen before.
• The ‘4th Theatre Festival for Children and Adolescents’ will be a competition this year, with free entry for all Fair visitors, held under the auspices of the National Theatre of Northern Greece in partnership with the Hellenic Theatre/Drama Education Network.
• Cheapart will also be present, bringing TIF visitors original works by dozens of artists, available for purchase at very attractive prices.
• A large 16-metre long pirate ship will drop anchor at TIF. The sword-fighting pirates, acrobats and magicians will create a unique experience.
• With 13 myths and 7 stories about Thessaloniki, the city’s legends will come alive before visitors’ eyes in Pavilion 1.
• The 81st TIF as a Multi-Event

TIF is a multi-event that contributes more than any other to the size of TIF-Helexpo, as the President of the National Exhibition Agency, Mr Tasos Tzikas, noted during today’s press conference, on the occasion of the event’s opening. In fact, he stressed that as such, it must be safeguarded by all, visitors, politicians and protestors. 

The deputy Minister of the Interior and Administrative Reconstruction (Macedonia-Thrace), Mrs Maria Kollia-Tsaroucha, expressed the hope that the 81st TIF marks the beginning of a new course towards growth for the country. She also announced that the Pavilion of the Ministry of Macedonia-Thrace at this year’s fair will have a very real role to play, as it will inform visitors of the new developmental law.

The motivation for TIF to move forward will be the memories of the people that will unfold at the 81st Fair, stated the CEO of the company, Mr Kyriakos Pozrikidis, who noted that the exhibition this year will be more mature than ever.

“90 years may be a long time for a human, but not for TIF, which, thankfully for Thessaloniki and Greece, is alive and kicking”, stressed the Consul General of Russia to Thessaloniki, Alexey Popov, noting that Russia has been participating for 90 years. According to Mr Popov, the opening ceremony of the Fair will be attended by a Russian delegation, headed by the Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian government, Arkady Dvorkovich.

“Our presence here is a strong message that Thessaloniki is concentrating its forces and is turning its back on a negative past and idleness”, noted the President of Attiko Metro, Mr Yiannis Mylopoulos. In fact, Mr Mylopoulos revealed that the Metro carriage that the company has brought to the Fair will remain on the grounds of Thessaloniki International Exhibition Centre, in order to function as a space in which to educate children on multiple transportation issues.

In turn, the Vice President of TIF-Helexpo, Mr Lazaros Lazaridis, stressed that the Fair is not just a celebration, “a small festival”, it is a multi-faceted multi-event. “One visit alone will not be enough this year if you want to see everything we have prepared for the 81st TIF”, he underlined.

At this very moment, over 500 people are working at the Fair, a number that will rise to a few thousand when TIF opens, as noted by the Deputy General Director of the company, Mr Alexis

Tsaxirlis. He also noted that everything will be ready at 10am on September 10.

As far as admission is concerned, popular tickets will be available at a cost of 3 euros on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, with a 10-euro family ticket. On all other days, admission will cost 5 euros, with a family ticket available at 15 euros. Large families and people with disabilities can purchase 3-euro tickets regardless of the day of their visit.

AUTh has provided its parking lot free of charge for all Fair visitors, while Taxi Way will offer people with disabilities and their carers free transportation to and from the 81st TIF if their home is within Thessaloniki.

The Official Bank is the National Bank of Greece and the Official Power Supplier is DEI.