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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'.