Marble İzmir the gateway of natural stone to the world, attracted great interest.

Marble İzmir: The Gateway of Natural Stone to the World Attracted Great Interest

Intense Interest in the 28th Marble İzmir Fair

Marble İzmir Fair, the lifeblood of Türkiye’s natural stone exports, hosted the industry at Fuar İzmir from April 26-29, 2023. Breaking records this year with an exhibition area exceeding 150,000 square meters, the fair brought together 1,015 exhibitors and attracted professional visitors from all over the world, leading to million-dollar agreements. Participants described Marble İzmir as their gateway to the world and the starting point of exports.

Hosted by İzmir Metropolitan Municipality and organized by İZFAŞ for the 28th time, the Marble İzmir International Natural Stone and Technologies Fair showcased every aspect of natural stone and related machinery. The fair, which met all industry needs with its vast variety of colors and patterns, featured product groups ranging from blocks and processed stones to designs and machinery. Once again, Marble İzmir proved to be Türkiye’s gateway to the world, with Türkiye possessing 33% (5.1 billion cubic meters) of the world's 15 billion cubic meters of natural stone reserves. The fair continued to create new trade opportunities for the industry. Participants noted that Marble İzmir helped erase the traces of the pandemic in the sector and expressed satisfaction with the intense interest shown.

Industry Leaders' Opinions on the Fair

Erdoğan Akbulak - Silkar Mining

"We have been in this industry for 30 years. Especially after COVID, there seems to be a hunger for such events, as the interest is very high. It is not easy to close deals here immediately; what matters is following up and converting these opportunities into sales. There are notably more visitors from some countries. One thing that caught my attention is that IZFAS invited 25 architects from the USA this year—an excellent move. These architects are experienced and from well-established firms that use stone effectively. They showed interest in our innovative products. This must continue. As a company involved in the International Natural Stone Design Competition since the beginning, we proudly observe its progress."

Mehmet Hikmet Çelikkol - Çelikkol Marble

"We export to most parts of the world, and Marble İzmir Fair is our mirror. It is one of the biggest fairs in the world, attracting visitors from every country. We always want to be here. Being here means reaching the world. When we started this business, Marble İzmir helped us open up internationally. This fair is a key starting point for exports. Post-pandemic, interest is very high this year—far beyond our expectations."

Hüseyin Şehitoğlu - Delta Marble

"We have been in the industry for about 30 years, exporting to 51 countries. We have participated in this fair for many years. As someone familiar with it since 1997, I can confidently say that this is one of the world’s largest fairs in the sector. We sincerely thank the entire IZFAS team for their efforts. The interest is overwhelming, making the fair a driving force for the industry in terms of exhibitors and visitors. The Mayor of İzmir consults with us industry representatives in advisory boards, ensuring collaborative decision-making for the fair. We are very satisfied with the fair and its organization. You can completely erase the void left by the pandemic with this event. The enthusiasm shown here proves that the industry will continue from where it left off."

Çetin Apa - Kömürcüoğlu Marble

"We are a 43-year-old company, exporting 80% of our production, particularly to the USA, Europe, and Australia. We have participated in all fairs so far. Compared to the last two years, the fair is much more crowded. The lingering effects of the pandemic have disappeared, sparking demand and interest. We see people engaged in conversations about stone and pricing, which is very promising. Buyer delegations and designer competitions also add value to the fair."

Fatih Öztürk – FMK

"Compared to other international fairs, we feel much more comfortable at this one in terms of organization. When this fair began, the industry was worth around $70 million; today, it has grown to $2.5 billion. Fairs like this contribute significantly to this growth. We are very pleased with the strong visitor interest. This year has seen record-breaking international participation, with visitors from unexpected countries like Libya and Taiwan."

Melike Alpay Özmen - Alpay Marble

"This is our 27th year, and as always, we are at the fair again. The participation and interest are overwhelming. We hope these interactions turn into long-term business partnerships, benefiting all in the long run."

Özerhan Tokman - Nature Stone

"We have been participating for many years, and this fair is very important for us. Marble İzmir holds a significant place on the global stage. Every year, we introduce new and innovative projects that showcase what can be done with marble. This year, we brought the Lord of the Rings concept, displaying marble statues of various characters. There was great interest in both the sculptures and our products. Compared to last year, this edition has been much livelier."

Artistic Forms of Natural Stones Were Also Displayed

The fair also featured artistic forms of natural stone, attracting great interest from visitors. Highlights included:

These exhibits demonstrated the artistic and functional versatility of natural stone, leaving a lasting impression on attendees.