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More than 2600 business meetings
Also held at the same time, LOGISTICS & TRANSPORTATION THESSALONIKI EXPO with 100 exhibitors
Two exhibitions focused on the primary sector and logistics, two very closely linked fields, FRESKON, with 267 direct and indirect exhibitors, and LOGISTICS & TRANSPORTS THESSALONIKI EXPO, with 100 exhibitors, will be held from 11 to 13 April at the Thessaloniki International Exhibition Centre.
More specifically, at the FRESKON International Trade Show for Fruit & Vegetables, which is being organised by TIF-HELEXPO, 201 direct exhibitors are participating from 15 countries (Italy, Spain, France, the Netherlands, Turkey, Bulgaria, N. Zealand, China, Burundi, Albania, Croatia, Cyprus, Moldova, Poland, and Greece), while there are a total of 267 direct and indirect exhibitors from 28 countries.
Poland is the honoured country at this year’s FRESKON, and it is coming to Thessaloniki with a participation of 15 fresh fruit and vegetable companies that will set up in Pavilion 13. Furthermore, a programme is also in place, in the context of the event, with 121 individual full hosted buyers from 34 countries, while including trade visitor delegations from Bulgaria and North Macedonia, the total number of international trade visitors comes to 250.
More than 2600 business meetings have been scheduled between exhibitors and trade visitors.
Participants at this year’s FRESKON include cooperatives, producers, fruit and vegetable wholesalers, importers/exporters, retailers, Greek and international supermarket chains, and logistics, consulting, and certification companies. In addition, six Regions and their local products will be represented.
Meanwhile, TIF-HELEXPO in partnership with Froutonea magazine is organising FRESKON FreshConMarket 2024 for the eighth year on 11 and 12 April, bringing together fresh fruit and vegetable industry professionals with buyers from 14 supermarket chains from Greece, Bulgaria, Belarus, Ukraine, Cyprus, Poland, Romania, Serbia, and North Macedonia.
The well-established FRESKON International Congress will be held on April 11 in the context of the side events. This year’s Congress is dedicated to the production and trade of apricots and will attract expert speakers from Greece and abroad. The side events also include the kiwifruit forum on April 13, with the participation of experts from the most important European kiwifruit-producing countries, such as Italy and Greece. The exhibition’s other side events will present stone fruit forecasts for this season, potato cultivation techniques, supply chain system management, and so on. FRESKON will take over pavilions 13,14, and 15.
Hundreds have pre-registered for LOGISTICS & TRANSPORTS THESSALONIKI EXPO, which is being organised by O.MIND CREATIVES, consisting of businesses from the Balkans and the broader region of south-eastern Europe. The EXPO is being held under the auspices of three ministries, with the active participation of FING, SEVE, and Thessaloniki Chambers of Commerce, and it is being sponsored by TPA SA and will cover pavilions 8,9,10 and outdoor spaces. It is also being supported by the LOGI.C Conferences.
Today's Press conference
FRESKON has also been an international exhibition since day one, as noted at today’s press conference by TIF-HELEXPO president, Mr Tasos Tzikas, who underlined that it is the great platform of the fruit and vegetable sector in Greece and the Balkans.
TIF-HELEXPO CEO Dr Kyriakos Pozrikidis highlighted the importance placed on the primary sector by TIF-HELEXPO through its exhibitions, while he also made special reference to the
Honoured Country, Poland. Furthermore, referring to the LOGISTICS & TRANSPORTS THESSALONIKI EXPO, he stressed that the exhibition agency is also in close cooperation with the private sector.
The President of the Hellenic-Polish Chamber of Commerce and Investment, Mr Kyros Lazaridis, spoke about Poland’s importance as a producer of agricultural products in the European Union, its excellent relations with Greece, as well as the significant flow of Polish tourists to our country. He also expressed the hope that Poland would be present in other TIF-HELEXPO exhibitions.
For years the market had been calling for a separate event to be held on transport and logistics focused on Northern Greece and the prospects of the Balkans, according to the CEO of O.MIND CREATIVES, organiser of LOGISTICS & TRANSPORTS THESSALONIKI EXPO, Mr Theodoros Dimitriadis. He underlined the excellent strategic partnership with TIF-HELEXPO and FRESKON.
LOGISTICS & TRANSPORTS THESSALONIKI EXPO wants to contribute to the development of the trade routes of Northern Greece with the Balkans and south-eastern Europe, according to the statements made by the commercial director of O.MIND CREATIVES, Mr Antonis Moschonidis, who also announced that the exhibition has attracted more than 100 exhibitors.
LOGI.C Conferences Organising Director Ms Mary Efthymiatou referred to the conference and its seven themes, while she stressed that although it has been held in Thessaloniki in the past, this time it is taking place in the context of an inter-Balkan exhibition event.
The role of FRESKON in strengthening sector exports was highlighted by publisher and director of FROUTONEA magazine, Mr Panagiotis Orfanos, who presented the problems faced by the Greek and European fruit and vegetable markets.
The event's Project Manager, Ms Tonia Nikolaidou, stressed that after 8 years of events, FRESKON is its own brand, and it has value and all the features necessary to attract visitors and exhibitors, now and in the future, while she also mentioned that visitors from 50 countries have registered so far.
Lastly, the general director of TIF-HELEXPO, Mr Alexis Tsaxirlis, noted that FRESKON will provide answers to the issues facing the sector.
FRESKON’s will be open: Thursday-Friday from 10:00 to 19:00 and Saturday 10:00 to 17:00.
LOGISTICS & TRANSPORTS THESSALONIKI EXPO will be open: Thursday-Friday from 10:00 to 19:00 and Saturday 10:00 to 18:00.