Three young talents win the first prize in TIF-HELEXPO’s logo design competition to mark its centennial anniversary.

The year 2025 begins on a high note for TIF-HELEXPO as the organization celebrates its 100th anniversary, riding the momentum of 2024, a year that marked record-breaking profitability. During today’s New Year’s celebration, beyond reviewing last year’s successes and unveiling plans for 2025, the centennial celebration was highlighted with the announcement of the winners of the logo design competition.

The top prize was awarded to three young talents: Sozon Kalfas, a third-year student in the Department of Architecture at Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (AUTH) from Thessaloniki; Agapi-Angeliki Stavrochristou, also a third-year architecture student at AUTH from Athens; and Stavroula Pakataridou, a graphic design student at IEK DELTA from Kavala.

Their winning design encapsulates TIF-HELEXPO’s historical journey and its significant contributions to Thessaloniki’s economic, cultural, and social fabric. “We aimed to connect TIF with time itself,” said Sozon Kalfas, explaining that the design incorporates five simple lines representing both the institution’s timeline and its legacy, with a dynamic diagonal symbolizing its progression.

The competition drew submissions from across Greece, involving professionals, students, and enthusiasts. The first prize included a €2,000 cash award, while the second and third prizes came with €1,000 each.

2025: A Dynamic Start

During the New Year’s celebration, TIF-HELEXPO President Mr. Tasos Tzikas highlighted a 2024 EBITDA of €3.5 million—the highest since the 1970s—and shared updates on the exhibition center’s redevelopment project. “The goal is to finalize the project by the end of 2026,” he stated, outlining a series of centennial activities, including a documentary about TIF’s history, an anniversary publication, and a social initiative spanning Greece’s 13 regions.

The CEO of TIF-HELEXPO, Dr. Kyriakos Pozrikidis, provided a brief but positive review of the past year, highlighting a 33% increase in visitors to exhibition events in 2024 compared to 2023, reaching a total of 648,646. He also noted a 13.5% rise in conference events, with the total reaching 269. Special mention was made of the UFI European Conference to be hosted in early June at the Thessaloniki International Exhibition & Congress Center, the Central European Fair Alliance (CEFA) General Assembly marking its 30th anniversary, and the Greek Exhibition Industry Association (SOKEE) General Assembly, both taking place during the exhibition. “The global exhibition industry converges in Thessaloniki,” he emphasized.

European Commissioner for Sustainable Transport and Tourism, Mr. Apostolos Tzitzikostas, described TIF’s redevelopment as a transformative project for Thessaloniki, akin to the city’s metro and airport expansions. “The redevelopment of TIF-HELEXPO will be one of the most significant projects ever undertaken in Greece in the field of exhibitions. For Thessaloniki, it will be a project comparable to the metro. I am confident that once completed, we will be talking about a new Thessaloniki, a new Northern Greece. A Thessaloniki that, having upgraded its airport, port, delivered the metro, and in the coming years the FlyOver, will have an exhibition center that places the city at the ‘heart’ of global exhibitions,”.

Also, expressing his gratitude to the TIF-HELEXPO administration for their collaboration during his tenure as Regional Governor of Central Macedonia, he added that he would continue to support TIF in his new role. “The best for Thessaloniki, Macedonia, and our country lies ahead,” he concluded.

Deputy Minister of the Interior, sector of Macedonia and Thrace, Mr. Kostas Gioulekas, hailed the exhibition as a trailblazer, stating, “Thessaloniki and Greece stand firmly behind the redevelopment project.”

Deputy Regional Governor for Health & Social Solidarity, Ms. Maria (Melina) Dermentzopoulou, affirmed ongoing support from the Central Macedonia Region, while Mr. Panagiotis Chatziioannou, President of TIF-HELEXPO’s Employees Association, emphasized the team’s commitment to success, calling the achievements a testament to teamwork and dedication.

Representatives from political parties also extended their greetings, including Mr. Stavros Kalafatis (ND), Mr. Christos Giannoulis (SYRIZA), Mr. Dimitris Sarigiannis (PASOK), Mr. Giannis Dellis (KKE), and Mr. Nikos Papadopoulos (NIKI).