Newsletter no. 8
24 October 2015
NOTOS 2015 is just around the corner! Preparations are almost concluded and the exhibition will be one hundred percent ready for its visitors, exactly as scheduled. As a reminder, the International Philatelic Exhibition (12-15 November) will be preceded by a National Collectables Exhibition (4-10 November) at the same venue, the Peristeri Exhibition Centre.
Important collections in NOTOS 2015: The two large halls of the exhibition will be adorned by outstanding samples from the collections of four renowned Greek cultural organizations: (a) The Historical Archive National Bank of Greece, with samples of its collections, primarily focused on the Aspiotis archive; (b) the SOFIA Foundation, with part of one of the largest ever Matchbox collections; (c) the Athens Railway Museum, with memorabilia of the Hellenic railways; and (d) the George Dolianitis Library with two exhibits, one on the 19th c. “Olympia” exhibitions, and the other on the town of Marathon and the Marathon race.
Hellenic Post stand and stamp dealers’ tables: The Hellenic Post will be present with a stand of their own along with full post office facilities, located at the foyer of the Exhibition Centre. Stamp and other collectables dealers’ tables will also be placed at the foyer.
Stamps and cancellations for NOTOS 2015: On 4 November, the Hellenic Post will place in circulation two stamps and a miniature sheet on the occasion of the exhibition. Visitors may cancel their items at the exhibition post office with special commemorative cancellations, also attributed to NOTOS 2015.
The Palmares dinner: The official dinner of the exhibition will take place on Saturday 14 November, 9.00 pm, at the Amalia Hotel Athens. The expected attendance in the large hall of the mezzanine will be over 250. Reservations are no longer available, the tickets were practically sold out in less than 48 hours after they were announced.
Fourteen months and eight Newsletters have passed since last August
and the official announcement of the exhibition.
As of now on, updates will continuously be posted on the website: hps.gr/notos2015
See you all in Peristeri!
Newsletter no. 7
31 August 2015
FEPA Consultant visits Athens: FEPA Consultant visits Athens: Alfred Kunz, member of FEPA Board, its current Treasurer, and appointed FEPA Consultant in NOTOS 2015, concluded his three-day visit to Athens (1-3 July). Accompanied by George Sparis, OC President, and by other OC members, he was updated on all aspects of the preparation of the exhibition and inspected the exhibition grounds. He also had the opportunity to stay at the Amalia Hotel Athens, the official hotel of the exhibition. On 2 July, at 7.30 pm, at the Hellenic Philotelic Society premises, the FEPA patronage agreement was signed between the three parties involved; FEPA, the Hellenic Philatelic Federation (the FEPA member) and the Hellenic Philotelic Society (NOTOS 2015 organizers).
Be part of it! There are many ways to be part of NOTOS 2015, even if you have not signed up as an exhibitor:
Be a volunteer and help on Wednesday 11 November during the mounting and on Sunday 15 November during the dismounting of the exhibits.
Be a sponsor through the Hermes Club and support a major philatelic exhibition, which is solely based on the financial resources of a philatelic society.
Be a visitor and come to Athens to enjoy the magic of a historic city, and naturally to the exhibition hall for a wide range of first class exhibits, among which a panorama of the European South.
Philatelic Literature Supplement: A rather useful Philatelic Literature Supplement with bibliographical details on every single handbook, catalogue or periodical that participates in NOTOS 2015 is already uploaded on the exhibition website: https://hps.gr/notos2015/philatelic-literature-supplement/
Special Prizes: The OC thanks the national philatelic federations that have already announced their intention to offer a Special Prize to NOTOS 2015. These Special Prizes will be awarded by the International Jury to certain exhibits in appreciation of outstanding philatelic merit or exceptional material.
The situation in Greece: During the past few weeks, we received words of comfort and support on the financial turmoil of Greece from many of our friends from abroad. We appreciate your concern and thank you all very much. We assure everybody that all preparations are right on schedule and that NOTOS 2015 will take place exactly as planned.
Newsletter no. 6
3 July 2015
Court of Honour: Three world class exhibits have accepted the invitation by the OC and will participate in NOTOS 2015 Court of Honour in November: (a) Joseph Hackmey’s “Classic France”, Grand Prix d’Exposition in Israel 2008, (b) Norbert Frenes’ “Postal history of Greece from 1861 to 1885”, Grand Prix d’Exposition in WIPA 2000, and (c) Stavros Andreadis’, “Kassandra – Large Hermes heads of Greece”, Grand Prix candidate in Portugal 2010.
The exhibits were announced: The lists of the participating exhibits by country, by class and per exhibitor are already uploaded on the exhibition website. 1172 exhibition frames and 125 Philatelic Literature exhibits in total.
The International Jury: Honorary President: José Ramón Moreno (Spain); President: Anthony Virvilis RDP (Greece); Vice President: Mario Mentaschi (Italy); Secretary: Jean Pierre Magne (France); Jurors: Boncho Bonev (Bulgaria), Nicos Rangos (Cyprus), Sherif Samra (Egypt), Eliahu Weber (Israel), Manuel Portocarrero (Portugal), Emanoil Savoiu (Romania), Zoran Stepanovic (Serbia), Peter Suhadolc (Slovenia), Ziya Ağaoğullari (Turkey), Alexandre Galinos (Greece), George Thomareis (Greece); Apprentices: Akis Christou (Cyprus), Alexios Papadopoulos (Greece); Expert Team: Jean François Brun RDP (France), Eduardo Escalada-Goicoechea (Spain), Neoklis Zafeirakopoulos (Greece).
The AIJP Representative: The AIJP, which has granted its patronage to NOTOS 2015, will be represented at the exhibition by one of its Vice-Presidents, Giancarlo Morolli RDP (Italy).
NOTOS 2015 in London: NOTOS 2015 visited London 2015 Europhilex and distributed a promotional leaflet to the exhibition visitors and standholders, at the FEPA stand, courtesy of the European Federation. This year, next to the London exhibition, NOTOS 2015 will be the second biggest philatelic event in Europe.
FEPA News journal: The front cover of FEPA News no. 27, which was just released, is full of Greece and NOTOS 2015, dedicated to the November exhibition and the annual FEPA Congress.
Newsletter no. 5
30 April 2015
The exhibition is growing: The initial target of 800 frames was easily surpassed, since our friends-exhibitors mainly from the countries of the European South applied for considerably more frames in their entry forms. The Organizing Committee decided to increase the total exhibition space to 3500 m2, so that, a total of 1200 frames will be finally accommodated, including the invited exhibits.
Philatelic Literature: Besides the exhibits mounted on the exhibition frames, more than 100 exhibits of Philatelic Literature will also be present in a specially provided area, in order to display the richness of philatelic research and the development of philatelic knowledge. The deadline for the entry forms was extended to 30 June, so that more Philatelic Literature exhibits will be given the opportunity to participate.
Participating countries: 20 out the 21 invited countries of the European South will take part, along with exhibitors from Austria, Canada, Chile, Czech Republic, Denmark, Germany, Netherlands, Pakistan, People’s Republic of China, Poland, Republic of Korea, Russia, Switzerland, Ukraine, United Kingdom and United States. The expected participation is 36 countries.
Classe des Champions: Visitors will have the opportunity to enjoy nine outstanding exhibits which take part in the Classe des Champions, i.e. exhibits which in previous world or continental exhibitions have been honoured with the highest award, the Large Gold Medal. These exhibits come from France, Germany, Bulgaria, Portugal, United Kingdom and Greece.
Newsletter no. 4
30 January 2015
NOTOS 2015 logo: The exhibition logo was unveiled and officially presented on 29 January at the Hellenic Philotelic Society premises. The red needle of a compass, strangely pointing South, allows for the Greek word NOTOS to be interpreted with ease in any of the world’s languages. The natural spectral colours around its pivot point, i.e. the colours of the rainbow, represent the pure radiant light of the sun and the sea of the South. It was created by Ms. Myrsini Vardopoulou, artist-engraver, designer of Greek stamps for more than twenty years, honorary member of the European Academy of Philately (AEP).
The AIJP g
rants its patronage to NOTOS 2015: The International Association of Philatelic Journalists (Association Internationale des Journalistes Philatéliques, AIJP) granted its patronage to NOTOS 2015. Key criteria for granting the patronage were no doubt the determination of the OC to gather numerous important Philatelic Literature exhibits from all over the world, the fact that only one copy of each exhibit is required and the reasonable exhibitors’ fees.
The AIEP General Meeting 2015 in Athens: The International Association of 
Philatelic Experts (Association Internationale des Experts en Philatélie, AIEP) have accepted the NOTOS 2015 OC invitation and agreed to hold their 2015 General Meeting in Athens during the exhibition. First FEPA, then the AIEP; two leading philatelic institutions have decided to convene for their annual meetings next November in Athens.
The official exhibition hotel: Amalia Hotel Athens was selected as the official hotel of the exhibition, where Jury members, National Commissioners and other officials will be staying. The same hotel will also accommodate both the FEPA Congress 2015 and the AIEP General Meeting 2015 which will take place during NOTOS 2015. Reservations at the reduced exhibition rates can be made at https://amaliahotelathens.reserve-online.net/ (booking code: NOTOS).
Applications for participation: Two months away from the 31 March deadline, there is increased interest for participation which is not limited to the invited countries. So far, prospective exhibitors from countries outside NOTOS represent Austria, Canada, Germany and the Netherlands. The entry form is located at https://hps.gr/notos2015/entry-form/.
Newsletter no. 3
11 December 2014
Application for participation: The entry form is now on-line. Prospective exhibitors are requested to visit hps.gr/notos2015/entry-form/ and submit their application directly to the Organizing Committee. Once submitted, a copy of the completed entry form is e-mailed back to the exhibitor and the National Commissioner (where applicable).
Eligibility for participation:
♦ Exhibitors of the 21 invited NOTOS countries with any kind of exhibit.
♦ Exhibitors outside NOTOS with exhibits related to the European South.
♦ Philatelic Literature exhibitors worldwide with no restriction on the subject.
Expected participation: Eighteen of the twenty-one invited countries have accepted the invitation to participate in NOTOS 2015 and have already appointed a National Commissioner. Hopefully the remaining three will soon follow. Meanwhile, from the messages received, it seems that the exhibition is quite appealing to many collectors outside NOTOS as well.
Prelude to the international exhibition: From 4 to 10 November, in the same exhibition hall, a non-competitive exhibition will take place, namely “NOTOS 2015 Collectables”, which will include a variety of other collectables alongside the philatelic exhibits. Details are uploaded in Greek only on hps.gr/notos2015/el/, where prospective exhibitors can find the relative Guidelines and the Entry Form for participation.
Schedule of events: The principle features of the day-to-day exhibition program have been uploaded on hps.gr/notos2015/events-schedule/. The schedule will be further updated with details as they become available. Readers will observe that the rather unfriendly “Critique” was renamed to “Happy hour at the frames”, a small contribution for a pleasant starting point to this very important exhibition feature.
They said for NOTOS 2015:
“…This is a new style, no frills exhibition…” (ABPS Exhibitions News)
“…The fees per frame are very modest…” (AIJP News)
“…Literature exhibitors will be pleased. They need to submit one copy only of their publications…” (APHV, The Association of German stamp dealers)
Newsletter no. 2
7 October 2014
FEPA patronage: On 13 September 2014, during the Congress of the Federation of European Philatelic Associations (FEPA), convened in Lugano, Switzerland, the delegates unanimously granted FEPA patronage to NOTOS 2015. Patronage is the highest level of support offered to an exhibition by the European Federation.
Appointment of Consultant: Alfred Kunz from Austria, a FEPA Board member, was appointed FEPA Consultant to NOTOS 2015.
FEPA Congress 2015: In Lugano, the request of the Greek side for the next FEPA Congress to be held in Greece during NOTOS 2015 was also unanimously approved. The FEPA Congress convenes annually, it is a meeting of its 43 member-federations and it usually takes place during an important philatelic event. It therefore seems that the big celebration NOTOS 2015 is getting even bigger!
Individual Regulations (IREX): As soon as FEPA granted patronage to the Exhibition, NOTOS 2015 IREX were finalized by the OC. The Individual Regulations were then approved by the Consultant, uploaded on the Exhibition website, and were forwarded to the Philatelic Federations of the European South along with the invitations for the appointment of National Commissioners.
IREX highlights:
♦ All competitive Classes
♦ Entry forms deadline: 31 March 2015
♦ 20 euro per frame or per Philatelic Literature entry
♦ FIP and FEPA accredited Jury
♦ Certificates but no medals for the exhibitors
♦ Literature exhibits submit one copy only
The Jury: The OC appointed Anthony Virvilis RDP, President of the Jury. The Jury list is expected to be announced in late May 2015, immediately after the exhibitor participations are confirmed.
Newsletter no. 1
25 August 2014
It is with great pleasure that we announce the NOTOS 2015 International Philatelic Exhibition, scheduled to be held in Greece from 12 to 15 November 2015. “Notos” is Greek for “South” and this exhibition is meant to bring together philatelists from the European South along with their fine philatelic exhibits.
Twenty one countries will be invited, namely Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Egypt, France, FYROM, Israel, Italy, Malta, Moldova, Monaco, Montenegro, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Slovenia, Spain, Turkey and of course Greece. Exhibits from other countries related to the European South are also welcome.
NOTOS 2015 will be hosted at the Peristeri Exhibition Centre, a mere 15-minute underground ride from Syntagma Square at the very heart of Athens. The spacious exhibition hall will accommodate 800 16-page exhibition frames plus a rich collection of Philatelic Literature. All competitive classes will be present as well as a “Classe des Champions” for distinguished exhibits. FIP and FEPA accredited judges will make up the jury.
The philosophy behind NOTOS 2015 is very simple: As long as there are philatelists willing to exhibit, a team of qualified volunteers ready to prepare and run the show, as well as a suitable exhibition hall, the accomplishment of a fine philatelic exhibition is absolutely feasible.
Details to follow shortly!