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The Thessaloniki International Exhibition Centre will host the first multifaceted digital technology and innovation event in Greece from 14 to 16 October, organised by TIF-Helexpo, Be-Best, and Industry Disruptors Game Changers (IDGC). The national exhibition body, with the legacy of Infosystem, is returning to the forefront of new technologies, and aims to promote Thessaloniki into an innovation and technology hub in Southeastern Europe with this new exhibition.
The Beyond 4.0 innovation and technology fair will provide a platform to companies from all over the world to present innovative products and their services, as well as the opportunity to make important deals with visitors from Greece and abroad.
The event is being held in pavilions 7,12,13,14, and 15 and will feature 120 exhibitors, of whom 30 are presenting Smart City applications and 60 are startups. There will be international participations from Cyprus, Belgium, and Italy, while there will be indirect exhibitors from 10 countries. Also participating will be the ministries of Digital Governance, Development and Investments, the Interior, Finance, and Citizen Protection, while the Regions of Central Macedonia, Attica, and Crete will also have a dynamic presence.
The main theme of the event is ‘The Future of Artificial Intelligence’ and it will be developed via the exhibition with the participation of high tech companies, through the BEYOND AI Forum, on 15 and 16 October in pavilion 12, with important speakers, and through workshops organised by startups and major enterprises, product and service presentations on the two main stages, side events, and networking on the future of Artificial Intelligence.
The planning and development of Beyond 4.0 covers 4 basic sectors: the Congress Sector, the Startup Sector, the Research Centre & University Sector, and the Commercial Company & Technological Digital Application Sector.
In the Congress sector will host, besides the BEYOND AI Forum, all the IT and Industry 4.0 contributors through two important forums, which will be organised on 14 and 15 October: the Technology Forum and the Industry 4.0 Forum respectively.
At the same time, from 14 to 16 October at the ‘I. Vellidis’ Congress Centre, the annual regular congress of the Central Union of Municipalities of Greece (KEDE) will be held, on the theme of:
‘The world is changing. Local government is stepping forward’, which will focus on the necessary digital transformation of municipalities, as well as the prospects of Smart Cities.
Some of the most important IT and high tech companies in Greece and on an international level are providing support through their sponsorship of Beyond 4.0. Specifically, Cisco, Info Quest Technologies, Intracom Telecom, Oktabit, and IBM (Gold Sponsors), as well as Singular Logic, Lancom, Performance, and InTrust (Sponsors).
The Press conference
The aim of Beyond 4.0 to act as an international regional tech fair for Southeastern Europe, in the tradition of MWC Barcelona, which will help highlight Greece as an international technology hub in coming years, was mentioned at today’s Press conference by the President of TIF-Helexpo, Mr Tasos Tzikas.
On his side, the deputy Minister of the Interior (Macedonia-Thrace), Mr Stavros Kalafatis, stressed that the TIF was always on the forefront of tech developments and innovation, and it was only natural for it to remain in step with the future, which can be seen in Beyond 4.0, an innovative institution for the city.
The self-evident presence of local government in this new fair was stressed by the President of KEDE, Mr Dimitris Papastergiou, who underlined the need to transform the ecosystem of the municipalities, while also highlighting the positive coincidence of available funding for Smart Cities from the Recovery Fund, the Antonis Tritsis Programme, and the new NSFR.
The regional advisor on innovation for the Region of Central Macedonia, Mr Nikos Tziollas, characterised Beyond4.0 as a networking field for research agencies, businesses, and local government, while he also referred to the comparative advantages of the region, the most important being its human capital.
The CEO of TIF-Helexpo CEO, Mr Kyriakos Pozrikidis, extended an invitation to sector professionals and young children, stressing that Beyond 4.0 is a completely different fair that aims to realistically become a centre for innovation and technology in Southeastern Europe. He also announced the even greater internationalisation of the event in coming years, while he presented its numerous main and side events.
The ambition of Beyond 4.0 to put Greece and Thessaloniki on the global tech map was outlined by the managing director of Be-Best, Mr Vangelis Charalambous, who also made mention of a gap in the sector of tech fairs, which the new event will cover.
The importance of the event itself during the unique conditions that have come about due to the pandemic was underlined by the founder of Industry Disruptors Game Changers (IDGC), Mr Michalis Stangos, who emphasised the goal of Beyond 4.0 was to
get things done, and he underlined the great number and high quality of the fair’s events.
The very important participations and speakers at the Technology and Industry 4.0 Forums, which have an excellent opportunity to further evolve thanks to Beyond 4.0, were underlined by their moderator, Mr Kosmas Vamvalis.
On his side, General Director of TIF-Helexpo, Mr Alexis Tsaxirlis, stated that there has been a return to exhibition normality, in reference to Beyond 4.0 marking the commencement of trade fairs.
The organising of the WMF (Web Marketing Festival) within Beyond 4.0 was mentioned by the President of the Hellenic-Italian Chamber of Thessaloniki, Mr Christos Sarantopoulos, in the framework of which 15 startup companies will compete for three places in the WMF Global Congress in Rimini Italy in June 2022.
Beyond 4.0 presents an opportunity for fewer trips to exhibitions abroad, as noted by the marketing and communications director of Intracom Telecom Group, Mr Alexandros Tarnaris, who stressed that the Group could not be absent from this fair.
Lastly, the Sales Manager of Northern Greece for Info Quest Technologies, Mr Giannis Sinakos, characterised Beyond 4.0 as the ideal platform for business leaders and anyone involved in consumer tech.
To register as a visitor to the Beyond 4.0 fair, visit the following link: https://www.be4ond-expo.gr/attend/registration/