26% increase of hosted buyers at Detrop & Oenos

With a 26% increase in trade visitors, Detrop and Oenos, TIF-HELEXPO’s first ‘Just Go Zero’ exhibitions, recorded the needs and the innovations of the food and beverages market, from 18-20 February at the Thessaloniki International Exhibition Centre.

It should be noted that there was an 165% overall increase in international trade visitors, highlighting the intensifying internationalisation of the two exhibitions, which are focusing on Greek small and medium food and beverage enterprises, and the delicatessen products they export internationally.

Through a wealth of side events, the two exhibitions presented the entire spectrum of developments in some of the most important Greek foods that act as ambassadors for Greece abroad.

The innovation of Detrop and Oenos also became evident by the fact that they were the first ‘Just Go Zero Events’ of the national exhibition body, in partnership with Polygreen. The exhibition pavilions were equipped with infrastructure to soundly sort waste for the best possible recovery of materials, while exhibitors and visitors participated in the recycling effort.

At the same time, the two exhibitions also attracted 81 representatives of many major Greek industries and food-beverage enterprises, as well as retail chains, which received awards at the 2023 Food Experts’ Awards organised by Cibum, the Greek food expert website.

There was an enthusiastic response by the more than 135 international trade visitors from 19 countries, who met with the exhibitor-enterprises at Detrop-Oenos.

In a 15,000 sq.m. exhibition space the two events attracted more than 420 exhibitors from all over Greece, as well as from Hungary, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Armenia, Italy, Poland, Romania, Bulgaria, and Cyprus.

The Region of Eastern Macedonia and Thrace was this year’s Honoured Region, while there were dynamic participations by the Regions of Central Macedonia, Western Macedonia, Thessaly, North Aegean, and South Aegean, as well as the Chambers of Commerce of Larissa, Halkidiki, Chania, Imathia, Pella, and the Chamber of Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Thessaloniki. In addition, startup companies participated in a specially designed space in pavilion 8, highlighting the pioneering entrepreneurial initiatives of the food and beverage sector.

Two of the stars of the side events of Detrop & Oenos were olives and olive oil, with the 1st Golden Olive Expo acting as a pole of attraction for visitors. Golden Olive Expo’s menu consisted of exhibition participations with olive and olive oil products and olive derived products, equipment and packaging, the B2B Lounge Area for targeted meetings between exhibitors and hosted buyers, the Open Stage Area for side events and colloquiums, and the Olive Bar, a space for olive oil tasting, food pairing, and networking. The ‘Olive Oil Trophy’ International Quality Competition for exceptional olive oils and the ‘Table Olives Trophy’ International Quality Table Olive Competition were also organised in the framework of Detrop & Oenos, with the participation of both Detrop exhibitors and sector enterprises from Greece and abroad. The competitions were organised by the prestigious ‘FILAIOS’ Friends of Olive Oil & Olives Association.

Attendance was high at the Detrop Bites & The Pairing Bar side events, a product of the partnership between TIF-HELEXPO and Chef Stories, with more than 1000 visitors to 20 different events and the participation of more than 80 producers. In the specially designed gastronomy space of pavilion 13 and the ‘Detrop Bites’ training and tasting dining area, visitors, including many international trade visitors, had the opportunity to try 14 different delicacies and watch product presentations by the Chef Stories team and the producers themselves.

There was also an international flare to the 12th International Culinary Competition of Southern Europe, organised by Culinary Professionals Greece in partnership with TIF-Helexpo and it is supported by Worldchefs, with 400 participants from 12 countries.

Lastly, the Hellenic Association of Food Technologists highlighted the Food Trends — innovative products and their producers — in a specially designed space at the exhibition, while it also organising a colloquium on security and food innovation.