One of the most successful aspects of TIF’s regional policy is organizing the Pan-Hellenic General Fair on Crete, which is holding its eighth event this year. Increasingly more effort has been made every year, on the part of both the administration and the personnel of TIF, so that the national exhibition product offered to the local business community is of the highest quality and so as to ensure that local entrepreneurs will come closer to productive forces from every part of the country.
In recent years CRETE has acquired a new dynamism, in the context of the enhanced regional role TIF plays. Through this fair, TIF’s target is to provide a credible forum for producers and manufacturers of peripheral regions, to offer incentives for extroversion and to contribute towards improving the competitiveness of local economies. It is not a coincidence that CRETE is a significant asset in TIF’s regional portfolio; it will continue to play a leading role in the company’s regional actions.
At this year’s event every effort has been made so that CRETE is appealing to the business community as well as to the consuming public; furthermore, the foundations have now been laid so that the event may lead to new opportunities and cooperation prospects. CRETE is a top exhibition event for the island and we have every intention of making sure it remains one.
However, TIF’s ties with Crete have become all the closer with time and have gone beyond the context of the fair: TIF has signed a three-year planning agreement with Irakleion Chamber and has launched a cooperation scheme that is developing in a very satisfactory and mutually beneficial manner. Irakleion Chamber has supported our actions on the island and has helped us locate the promotion needs emerging for Cretan enterprises; besides, the Chamber participates in TIF’s venturing outside Greek borders.
This year’s 8th CRETE 2008 Pan-Hellenic General Fair is being held under the organizational responsibility of TIF from the 2nd to the 5th of October at Crete International Exhibition Centre in Gournes, Irakleion. This eighth consecutive event underlines TIF’s will to exploit and further reinforce the exhibition potential of the island. Indeed, in the framework of CRETE 2008, TIF, in cooperation with the Irakleion Prefecture, is organizing a day meeting for the promotion of local products as well as alternative tourism. Two more day meetings are to be hosted by the Fair on topics related to entrepreneurial extroversion and franchising.
In recent years, TIF has placed special emphasis on peripheral regions, because of the great need to promote enterprises and products there. This is why the company proceeds to establish cooperation schemes with local agencies, promotes new initiatives, introduces new themes, so as to make the exhibition product more attractive; TIF is always alert to keep up with new quests and aspirations of local communities.
This is proven by the support TIF offered to the 2nd Regional Exhibition “Corinthia 2008”, from the 17th to the 21st of September, under the organizational responsibility of Corinthia Chamber. This participation inaugurated TIF’s cooperation with Corinthia Chamber, which is to be sealed by the two sides signing a memorandum in the immediate future. Similar cooperation schemes are being sought by TIF’s administration so that the network of regional exhibitions and convention centres the company has established in recent years may be fully exploited.
ADDRESS BY THE PRESIDENT OF TIF, Mr. DIMITRIS BAKATSELOS FOR “IN-ON” MAGAZINE
