The Marble İzmir Advisory Board convened

The Marble İzmir Advisory Board Convened

One of the global gatherings of the natural stone industry, the expanded advisory board meeting of the Marble İzmir Fair took place on March 2 at the Historical Gasworks Factory with the participation of industry representatives.

A decision was made to conduct a survey among all participating companies for the Marble İzmir Fair, which serves as Türkiye’s gateway to the global natural stone industry. During the expanded advisory board meeting, attended by the Mayor of İzmir Metropolitan Municipality, it was stated that the decision to hold the Marble İzmir Fair from April 1-4 would be made after consultations with the Turkish Ministry of Health and the evaluation of the survey responses from the industry.

Hosted by İzmir Metropolitan Municipality and organized by İZFAŞ, the 26th Marble İzmir Fair, scheduled to take place at Fuar İzmir from April 1-4, 2020, was preceded by an expanded advisory board meeting at the Historical Gasworks Factory. During the meeting, the current situation concerning the rapidly spreading Coronavirus was assessed. The expanded advisory board meeting was attended by the Mayor of İzmir Metropolitan Municipality, Aydın Dinçer, President of the Istanbul Mineral Exporters’ Association, Mevlüt Kaya, President of the Aegean Mineral Exporters’ Association, İbrahim Alimoğlu, President of the Turkish Marble, Natural Stone, and Machinery Manufacturers' Association, as well as the General Manager of İZFAŞ and numerous industry representatives.

Situation to Be Re-evaluated on March 15

During the meeting, where a common ground was established with industry representatives, it was decided that all participants' opinions would be gathered regarding the organization of the Marble İzmir Fair on April 1-4 through a survey conducted by İZFAŞ. Additionally, the situation would be reassessed in consultation with the Turkish Ministry of Health by March 15.

In a statement regarding the process, the Mayor of İzmir Metropolitan Municipality said, “We are going through a critical period. We want to discuss together what impact this situation may have on the natural stone industry, İzmir, the Turkish economy, and the Marble İzmir Fair. I thank everyone for their participation in this important meeting. I believe that a step will be taken regarding this virus in a short period. At the moment, we are in the process of evaluation. I think this flexibility is a strength we have until March 15.”

"You Can Be Sure That We Will Make the Right Decision Together"

The General Manager of İZFAŞ stated, “As İzmir Metropolitan Municipality and İZFAŞ, we will act with the responsibility of being a public institution. The most important factor is human and public health. We must make the final decision through consultation with our industry. We will proceed based on the demands of the sector. We maintain our determination to hold the fair and continue our visitor engagement efforts worldwide at full speed. We will conduct a comprehensive survey with all our fair participants. You can be sure that we will make the right decision together with you.”