The natural stone trade opened from İzmir to the world

Natural Stone Trade Opened from İzmir to the World

Every Form of Stone at Marble İzmir

The highly anticipated meeting of the industry, Marble İzmir Fair, embraced every form of natural stone. The fair, which meets all needs with its variety of colors and patterns, brought together many product groups, from blocks to processed stones and designs, with buyers.

While all block stones, ranging in price from $80 to $3,000 per ton, were sold, national and international participants completed their 2022 orders with the products they exhibited.

For the past three days, the heart of the global natural stone industry has been beating in İzmir. The Marble İzmir Fair, held between March 30 and April 2, continues to create new trade opportunities for the industry. Stones extracted from quarries all over Türkiye, offering 650 different colors and textures, are being introduced to the world in every form, from raw blocks to processed products, as part of the fair.

All Block Stones Were Sold, Orders Were Placed for Exhibited Products

The fair exhibited the world’s most well-known marble types, including Supreme, Burdur Beige, Elazığ Cherry, Akşehir Black, Manyas White, Bilecik Beige, Tiger Skin, Denizli Travertine, Marmara White, Aegean Bordeaux, Milas Lilac, Gemlik Diabase, Afyon Sugar, Afyon White, as well as granite and travertine stones in an outdoor space.

Block stones, weighing between 20,000 and 30,000 tons, were sold at prices ranging from $80 to $3,000 per ton. The block stones, which attracted great interest even before the fair opened, were completely sold out by the third day.

In addition to block stones, participants exhibited special products in halls A, B, and C. Participating companies took orders for all the products they showcased for 2022 while also attracting visitors with eye-catching design products.

A 18-Ton Sculpture Made from Raw Block

A gigantic sculpture of the beloved Marvel comic character “Hulk” is being showcased at the fair. The statue, created to highlight the added value of natural stone, was crafted from rustic green marble extracted in Karabük. Produced in 40 days for the fair, the sculpture was carved from a total of 18 tons of block stone.

Apart from the sculpture, foosball tables, angel wings, mummy statues, pianos, various sculptures, 3D paintings, decorative and kitchen items, accessories, and mosaics received great interest. A zurna (a traditional wind instrument) made entirely of marble also drew attention. Known for being crafted from hardwood, which gives the instrument its sound, the marble zurna produces the same sound despite being made of stone, making it a significant attraction.

Türkiye to Lead Global Stone Fashion

Company representative Reyhan Sezgin, who attended the fair with about 50 different stone types, stated:

“Italy dictates fashion in everything from furniture to textiles, but we are gradually breaking this trend. Many prestigious projects now specify and use Turkish stone. As Turkish stone gains recognition in high-end projects, we will lead the fashion in the stone industry. Currently, light grays and whites are in fashion this year. Unique, rare stones are also trending. Marble is now used in furniture and design products. The more value you add to stone, the higher its worth. This year, we brought 36 different stone types and have branded 170 stones for our customers. We truly missed being here. It’s great to be together with all our industry partners.”

Türkiye-Iran Cooperation in the Global Market

Mohammad Halajian, participating in the fair under the Iran Pavilion, stated:

“This is our first time participating as an Iran Pavilion, with 20 companies. The fair has provided us with great business relationships, and we continue to grow every year. Our companies are very happy. We always do business with Turkish firms, and Marble İzmir Fair is among the leading natural stone fairs worldwide. We will always support this fair.

We have a wide range of onyx stones in different colors. Türkiye and Iran support each other in their projects, and we need each other in global trade. Together, Türkiye and Iran hold 70% of the world’s natural stone reserves and meet a large portion of the global demand. Right now, this is a perfect timing for our region, and I firmly believe that we will succeed together through this fair.”

Introducing Products via Metaverse

Bringing visitors and technology together, company owner Burak Alimoğlu shared:

“We have brought Afyon Gray varieties, Afyon Sugar, Afyon Violet, Denizli Travertine, and 4 block stones. The stones we exhibited were extracted from our quarries in the last two months.

At the fair, we displayed stones from our partner quarries while creating unique spatial perceptions for our exhibit.

Additionally, we showcased a part of the Metaverse, which knows no boundaries in space, in our booth. This allowed our customers to experience high-quality visuals through technology. The hybrid fair concept has become even more engaging with Metaverse.

The fair is going extremely well—we have hosted visitors from nearly 25 countries so far. It has been a truly satisfying experience. We hope to see the same high level of participation every year. We are very happy with both the visitors and the participants.”

Supported by Leading Industry Institutions

The 27th Marble İzmir International Natural Stone and Technologies Fair is organized under the auspices of the Republic of Türkiye Ministry of Trade and hosted by İzmir Metropolitan Municipality in collaboration with İZFAŞ. The fair is supported by:

The Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Türkiye (TOBB)
Small and Medium Enterprises Development Organization (KOSGEB)
Turkish Marble, Natural Stone, and Machinery Manufacturers Association (TÜMMER)
İstanbul Mineral Exporters' Association (İMİB)
Aegean Mineral Exporters' Association (EMİB)
Western Mediterranean Exporters' Association (BAİB)
Denizli Exporters' Association (DENİB)
Aegean Region Chamber of Industry (EBSO)
İzmir Chamber of Commerce (İZTO)