Mayor Tugay Holds Talks in Italy for Marble İzmir

İzmir Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Dr. Cemil Tugay met with representatives of local government and the natural stone industry in Verona as part of the Marmomac Fair. The meetings focused on strengthening ties between İzmir and Verona and developing cooperation between Marble İzmir and Marmomac.

İzmir Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Dr. Cemil Tugay met with representatives of local government and the natural stone industry during the Marmomac Fair held in Verona, Italy. The discussions focused on enhancing relations between İzmir and Verona, exploring new opportunities for cooperation in the natural stone industry, and strengthening ties between Marble İzmir and Marmomac.

The meeting was attended by Verona Mayor Damiano Tommasi; Flavio Marabelli, Honorary President of the Italian Confederation of Marble Machinery Manufacturers; İZFAŞ General Manager Tuğçe Cumalıoğlu; Hanifi Şimşek, Chairman of the Board of the Turkish Marble, Natural Stone and Machinery Manufacturers Association (TÜMMER); İbrahim Alimoğlu, Chairman of the Aegean Mine Exporters’ Association; Gianluca Pellegrino, President of the Italian Confederation of Marble Machinery Manufacturers; Federico Bricolo, President of Veronafiere; and Giovanni Sacripante, General Manager of Veronafiere.

Meetings with Industry Representatives

İzmir Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Dr. Cemil Tugay and İZFAŞ General Manager Tuğçe Cumalıoğlu also met with representatives of natural stone companies from different regions of Türkiye as part of their fair programme.

During the meetings, the heads of TÜMMER, the Istanbul Mineral Exporters’ Association, the Aegean Mine Exporters’ Association and the Denizli Exporters’ Association, together with representatives of public institutions, discussed the industry’s current agenda and developments in international markets.

At Marmomac, the joint stand of TÜMMER and Marble İzmir also hosted promotional activities and exhibitor and visitor outreach for the 32nd Marble İzmir Fair, which will be held in 2027.

“We Are Here to Pave the Way for New Collaborations”

Mayor Tugay stated that the meetings in Italy were valuable in terms of evaluating experiences and potential collaborations that could contribute to the further development of Marble İzmir.

Tugay said: “Natural stone is one of Türkiye’s most valuable and strongest industries. Marble İzmir is also one of the major international gatherings in this field. We attended the Marmomac Fair in Verona, Italy, an important platform where international developments, new technologies and commercial relations in the natural stone industry are closely followed. We met with many officials and industry representatives, including Verona Mayor Damiano Tommasi and Flavio Marabelli, Honorary President of the Italian Confederation of Marble Machinery Manufacturers. We also visited Turkish companies exhibiting at the fair.

“We exchanged views on strengthening ties between İzmir and Verona, developing cooperation between Marble İzmir and Marmomac, supporting the industry’s growth in international markets and creating new business connections. We agreed on the importance of further developing the existing relations between İzmir and Verona and diversifying the opportunities and areas of cooperation between the two cities.”

Thanks to Mayor Tugay

Hanifi Şimşek, Chairman of the Board of TÜMMER, thanked İzmir Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Dr. Cemil Tugay and the İZFAŞ management for their support during the meetings at Marmomac.

Şimşek stated that they met with ministry officials, representatives of public institutions, associations from different regions of Türkiye and industry representatives during the fair, adding that they aim to bring the industry together on an even stronger scale at Marble İzmir in 2027.

Şimşek invited industry representatives to attend the 32nd Marble İzmir Fair, which will be held in İzmir from 13 to 16 April 2027.