Thessaloniki International Fair

The Thessaloniki International Fair (Greek: Διεθνής Έκθεση Θεσσαλονίκης, Diethnis Ekthesi Thessalonikis), abbreviated TIF (ΔΕΘ), is an annual international exhibition event held in Thessaloniki, Greece's second-largest city. It has been held in the first week of September since 1926, and its opening is traditionally marked by a series of programmatical statements by the Prime Minister of Greece. The 2020 fair was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the first cancellation since WW2.

Thessaloniki International Fair
Διεθνής Έκθεση Θεσσαλονίκης
TIF—HELEXPO logo
StatusActive
GenreFair, exhibition
Date(s)First Week of September
FrequencyAnnual
VenueHELEXPO Fair Grounds
Location(s)Thessaloniki, Macedonia
Coordinates40.6278°N 22.9554°E / 40.6278; 22.9554
CountryGreece
Years active97
Inaugurated1926
Previous event7–15 September 2019
Next event11–19 September 2021
Participants1,500 (2017)[1]
Attendance263,000 (2017)[2]
Area180,000 m2 (1,900,000 sq ft)
Organised byHELEXPO
Websitetif.helexpo.gr/tif/

Description
Snapshot from the 1964 event

The International Exhibition & Congress Centre of TIF HELEXPO is located in the YMCA Square in downtown Thessaloniki, with easy access from any location in the city and using any means of transportation.

With trade fairs and consumer exhibitions held throughout the year at exhibition premises of European specifications, it is the most important exhibition organisation agency in Greece. At the heart of the city's history, adjacent to the Byzantine Museum and the Archaeological Museum, the International Exhibition Centres of TIF HELEXPO attract a wealth of conference events.

The TIF HELEXPO Exhibition Centre covers a total area of 180,000 sq.m., of which 62,000 sq.m. are indoor exhibition areas, distributed into a complex of 17 pavilions that are functionally designed and interconnected to serve the needs of each event. The exhibition facilities are complemented by conference centres, parking areas, sports and recreational facilities, catering areas, citizen service centres, museums, banks and developmental agency offices. This way, Thessaloniki International Exhibition Centre functions as a hub providing services that successfully meet the requirements of exhibitions, conferences and cultural events.[3][4][5]

Similar trade fairs of the city have occurred regularly since the Byzantine era, attracting traders from all over the Balkans.[6]

Events

It has been customary for the country's prime minister to set out his government's policies for each coming year in a speech at the annual Thessaloniki International Trade Fair, and for this reason the event has political significance in addition to its commercial importance.[7][8]

  • 1964 photo
    1964 photo
  • Antonis Samaras speech in 2012
    Antonis Samaras speech in 2012
  • Syriza political press conference
    Syriza political press conference
  • International Fair area
    International Fair area
  • Front entrance
    Front entrance

References
  1. ΚΟΤΡΩΝΑΚΗΣ, ΣΤΕΦΑΝΟΣ (9 September 2017). "Αλέξης Τσίπρας: Προβολή στο μέλλον η 82η ΔΕΘ (video)". Retrieved 7 September 2018.
  2. parallaxi (18 September 2017). "263.724 επισκέπτες 82η στην καλύτερη ΔΕΘ της δεκαετίας". Retrieved 7 September 2018.
  3. "TIF 2019 begins with India as honored country". Retrieved 7 September 2018.
  4. "Η ιστορία της ΔΕΘ, ιστορία της Θεσσαλονίκης". Retrieved 7 September 2018.
  5. "Διεθνής Έκθεση Θεσσαλονίκης". Retrieved 7 September 2018.
  6. Paul Magdalino, The Empire of Manuel I Komnenos, 143–144
  7. "ΓΙΑΤI ΝΑ ΣΥΜΜΕΤΕΧΩ – Καλώς ήρθατε στην 83η ΔΕΘ". tif.helexpo.gr. Retrieved 7 September 2018.
  8. "82η ΔΕΘ: Η μεγαλύτερη της δεκαετίας 1.500 εκθέτες, 18 διεθνείς συμμετοχές, Κίνα Τιμώμενη Χώρα". Retrieved 7 September 2018.
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