ΔΕΛΤΙΟ ΤΥΠΟΥ ΣΥΜΦΩΝΙΑ ΜΕ REED EXHIBITIONS MESSE WIEN

A vote of confidence has been given to TIF-HELEXPO, Thessaloniki and Greece by Reed Exhibitions, the largest exhibition group in the world, launching a significant partnership in our country.  

The Austrian subsidiary of the Group, namely Reed Exhibitions Messe Wien, brings to Thessaloniki its most important and highly recognised worldwide exhibition brand, Aqua-Therm. As of 2016, the Aqua-Therm event is to be exclusively organised by TIF-HELEXPO for Greece, Romania, Bulgaria, FYROM, Albania and Cyprus. It is an event held in 11 countries and includes the sectors of heating for home and industry use, air-conditioning-ventilation, water supply and sewerage as well as equipment for spas, saunas and swimming pools.   

From left to right, the  Press Officer of Reed Exhibitions, Mr.  Messe Wien κ. John-Oliver Perry, the Managing Director  of Reed Exhibitions Messe Wien, Mr. Matthias Limbeck, the  President of TIF-HELEXPO, Mr.  Tasos Τzikas  and the Managing Director  of TIF - HELEXPO, Mr. Kiriakos Pozrikidis.

"Thessaloniki is an excellent location and this period is ideal, now that the Greek economy is showing signs of recovery", noted Matthias Limbeck, the CEO of Reed Exhibitions Messe Wien, at today’s Press Conference, explaining the reasons for cooperating with TIF-HELEXPO. Mr Limbeck stated that TIF-HELEXPO is a significant player in South East Europe’s exhibition sector, with an exhibition centre that fulfils international standards. "Our strategy is to enter markets with growth prospects", Mr Limbeck added.   

The first step towards implementing this significant challenge of internationalisation for the national exhibition agency was completed with the agreement between the two organisations, in the words of Mr Tassos Tzikas, the President of TIF-HELEXPO. "Internationalisation was one of our priorities and it is now coming true", he stressed. 

On his part, the CEO of TIF-HELEXPO, Mr Kyriakos Pozrikidis, noted that beyond Aqua-Therm, further discussion is in progress with Reed Exhibitions Messe Wien concerning other projects in the broader region, while he underlined the significance of the company’s inclusion into a global network that paves the way to attract international trade visitors and exhibitors.  "We are bringing an international exhibition product to our city, an event that is exceptionally recognisable in its sector and enjoys high prestige". Mr Pozrikidis also noted that the first messages concerning participation in the Aqua-Therm event to be held in Thessaloniki are very encouraging.   
The parent company, Reed Exhibitions, is the largest exhibition organisation in the world: it is active in 43 countries, with 41 offices, 3,700 employees and more than 500 exhibition events in which about 7 million people participate. 

In Austria, Reed Exhibitions (Vienna and Salzburg) organises 30 exhibitions in 40 industrial sectors; in 2014, exhibitors numbered 6,964 and participants 594,167. 
Aqua-Therm, which is an exclusively b2b exhibition event, has been held (including Thessaloniki) in 13 cities and 11 countries since 2004 and is a meeting point of top manufacturers and suppliers in the sector of heating, ventilation and air-conditioning. In Thessaloniki it is going to be held annually, starting in 2016; The first event is scheduled for 11-14 February 2016, in parallel with the Infacoma Energytech events.