The Press Conference of the 21st Thessaloniki International Book Fair at TIBF-HELEXPO was attended by a huge number of media representatives. The President of TIBF HELEXPO, Mr. Tasos Tzikas welcomed the attendees, stressing that this is a truly international exhibition that aims to be a very important event for the city. Mr. Tzikas thanked ELIVIP for the very good cooperation and the new direction of the exhibition, in which, as he said, the company will stand by.

The president of the Hellenic Book and Culture Foundation – ELIVIP, Nikos Bakounakis, stressed that the 21st TIBF is the first to be organised by the new body, which was created a year ago and started operating in September 2024. “The exhibition is one of the Foundation’s activities and is part of its programme to promote the Greek book, literature, publishing and authors, the translation of Greek creation abroad, philanthropy and the production of tools for the publishing sector,” he said. The programme, he said, is rich and spans 3 categories: General, Children and Teenagers – which this year is even being held in an upgraded central area of the fair at stand 13 – and Professional. It is particularly enhanced with Italy as the country of honour and with Italian book professionals, authors, illustrators and academics. He made special mention of Italy’s 700 classical high schools for the teaching of ancient Greek, which are a “yeast that can create a lively interest among young, contemporary Italians in new Greek literature“, and of the three Italian professors from the universities of Venice, Padua and Palermo who promote the Greek language and translations of modern Greek literature.

Mr.Bakounakis referred to this year’s title of the exhibition, which plays with the words Human Creativity and Artificial Intelligence-AI, a “major issue that will increasingly concern us“. A series of related events will approach the issue from a variety of perspectives, from the helpful role that technology can play in people and their daily lives to the fact that it can also be seen as a threat to professional book spaces.

He also stressed that this year’s exhibition is transitional and next year a new model will be presented with the developments in the book and publishing ecosystem. “The 16,000sqm is not enough to house the exhibition, we may need more space next year,” he said, noting that ELIVIP is concerned about the diffusion of the exhibition in the city, which will spread even further next year. “This year we have made an effort and you will see stands, banners, banners, posters and panels in the city and in key locations such as the airport, the town hall, the library, etc. Also as part of the Italian project, restaurants in the city will offer special menus inspired by Inspector Montalbano,” he said. Finally, he referred to the funding from the Region of Central Macedonia through NSRF that has been secured for 2026 and 2027 and the actions to secure funding after ’27. He noted that more and more cities around the world are organizing book fairs, as they recognize their impact on their economies and the great intangible capital called cultural diplomacy.

The Director of the Italian Cultural Institute of Athens, Mr Francesco Neri, presented the programme of the Italian Guest of Honour and stressed that the aim is to develop an interesting and rich programme for the public and book professionals, including a wide range of literature, comics, essays and well-known authors. The programme is developed through 4 thematic sections: Common Perspective, on the relationship between Italy and Greece. Beyond the Horizon, a ‘free flight’ over the many paths of contemporary Italian literature. Adventures of Land and Sea, with tributes to Camillieri and Hugo Pratt, meetings, analyses, exhibitions, etc. And finally, the Professional Programme for the publishing world. He also mentioned the cooperation of the Italian institutions that strengthened Italy’s presence at the TIF, such as the Embassy of Italy, the Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Culture, the Book Centre, Italian publishers, the Chamber of Commerce, etc.

The Deputy Mayor of Culture, Tourism Development and Intermunicipal Cooperation of the Municipality of Thessaloniki, Mr. Vassilis Gakis congratulated the organizer for the very good organizational level and stressed that the TIBF is one of the most important institutions of the city. “We are trying to support the extroversion of the event in the city, to bring the young people to us, we have a dynamic participation in the children’s programme and in the tribute to the 100th anniversary of the birth of Manolis Anagnostakis and we emphasise the Readers’ Clubs,” he said.

As one of the biggest events that promote the culture of Thessaloniki described the TIBF the deputy regional director of Culture and Sports of the Region of Central Macedonia, Mr. Christos Mittaş, while stressing the importance of the participation of Italy as the Honored Country.

Finally, the General Director of TIBF-HELEXPO, Mr. Alexis Tsaxirlis, gave a historical review of the TIF, noting that the exhibition started in 2004 with 120 exhibitors and 4,000 visitors.

The 21st TIBF takes place from Thursday 8 to Sunday 11 May, admission is free and the opening hours for the public are Thursday 15.00-21.00, Friday and Saturday 10.00-22.00 and Sunday 10.00-21.00. For more information and the programme please visit the event’s website: https://www.thessalonikibookfair.gr/.