More than 50,000 people visited Marble İzmir.

The global meeting point of the natural stone industry, Marble İzmir – International Natural Stone and Technologies Fair, hosted a total of 50,983 professional visitors, including 4,010 international and 46,973 domestic attendees. In addition to the trade volume it generated, Marble İzmir stood out with its structure that brings together design, art, and knowledge sharing. Preparations have already begun for the 32nd Marble İzmir, which will be held on April 13–16 next year.

Organized for the 31st time this year by İZFAŞ under the hosting of İzmir Metropolitan Municipality, Marble İzmir brought together industry professionals from around the world in İzmir between April 14–17. As in previous years, the fair made significant contributions to both the sector and the economy. Held on an area exceeding 150,000 square meters with participants from 41 provinces of Türkiye and 28 different countries, the event also featured buyer delegation programs coordinated by the Aegean Mineral Exporters’ Association and İZFAŞ. Through B2B meetings, buyers from various countries were brought together with participating companies, resulting in thousands of qualified business meetings. The fair stood out as a platform where existing commercial relations were strengthened and opportunities to enter new markets were explored. The business meetings held are expected to contribute millions of dollars to the sector.

Design, art, and trade met at the D-esign Arena

Hall D was reorganized this year under the “D-esign Arena” concept, becoming one of the most dynamic areas of the fair. In this space, where design, art, and trade came together, Marble Talks sessions, business meetings, and events were held with the participation of architects, academics, and industry representatives. The special opening performance for the 31st edition and the panels attracted great interest. More than 50 experts shared their experiences. Works produced in the Sculpture Workshop were exhibited throughout the fair and later placed in various locations across İzmir. A total of 724 projects from 67 universities applied to the 8th International Natural Stone Design Competition, with 19 designs reaching the finals and receiving awards.

“We have already started preparations for next year”

İZFAŞ General Manager Tuğçe Cumalıoğlu emphasized the strong structure of Marble İzmir, which grows together with the sector:
“We are proud to have successfully completed Marble İzmir. For 31 years, while Marble İzmir has been growing the sector, the sector has also continued to grow the fair. Türkiye’s rich natural stone reserves make the fair strong on a global scale. It is a great source of satisfaction for us that our international participants and visitors state that they have the opportunity to see not only Türkiye’s but also the world’s diverse stone varieties here. Despite global challenges, this year’s organization once again showed how important it is to come together and create cooperation. With nearly a thousand participants and more than 50,000 visitors, Marble İzmir has proven once again that it is not just a trade platform, but a strong meeting point where ideas come together, collaborations develop, and the future of the sector is shaped. Marble İzmir is truly a very strong fair, and this strength directly reflects on the sector. We aim to carry this strength even further next year. We have already started preparations.”

Emphasis on qualified buyers

TÜMMER Chairman Hanifi Şimşek stated that Marble İzmir was productive in sectoral terms and noted that the organization was carried out with strong cooperation both nationally and internationally:
“Everyone who wants to do business with Türkiye was here. There was high attendance, but more importantly, it was qualified participation. The feedback we received also shows that the fair performed better than last year. I believe 2027 will be even better. I would especially like to thank İzmir Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Dr. Cemil Tugay for his strong support. We also have a very harmonious collaboration with İZFAŞ General Manager Tuğçe Cumalıoğlu. Thanks to this strong cooperation, the fair continues to develop every year.”

Marble İzmir remains a regional hub for natural stone

Flavio Marabelli, Honorary President of the Italian Confederation of Marble Machinery Producers, who attended the fair as part of a collaboration, emphasized its global position:
“I have been attending this fair since the very beginning, even when it was held in the city center. I witnessed the establishment of this special and wonderful fairground. It is important for me to be here again after five years. Although the global situation is quite complex, I saw a large number of visitors at this fair, and the participation of Turkish companies was very successful and satisfying. This shows that the fair continues to be a regional hub for natural stone. Marble İzmir is an important platform not only for Türkiye but also for different geographies.”

“Türkiye is a central point for everyone trading natural stone”

Akhil Toshniwal, representative of Toshniwal Stones from India, highlighted the fair’s strong position and international impact:
“This year is really very good. I see many people from different countries. There is especially strong participation from the Middle East and Russia. We were so busy that we didn’t even have time for lunch. We are very happy to be here. Türkiye is a central point for everyone trading natural stone because everyone works with Turkish stone. Every year we see new marbles and new stones. Everyone in this business should come to Türkiye and this fair.”

“Marble İzmir is an indispensable meeting point for us”

Deniz Fazlılar, representative of Aslanlar Marble, emphasized the fair’s importance in terms of both trade and brand value:
“Being an İzmir-based company gives us a special advantage here. The İzmir Fair is very important for us in terms of sales, prestige, and promotion. We have been participating for about 15 years; except for the pandemic, we are here every year and are generally very satisfied. Looking at this year, we think the quality of visitors has increased rather than the quantity. Visitors this year were more decisive, knew what they wanted, could make faster decisions, and conclude business more efficiently. This is a great advantage especially for boutique quarries and factories like us.”

“We have been coming to Marble İzmir for 23 years”

Yasser Rashed, representative of Alex Tiles & Alex Marmo from Egypt, said:
“We have been coming to Marble İzmir for 23 years. For us, this is one of the best places in the world. Since it is very important for everyone working in this sector, we always prefer to be here. The fair makes significant contributions to international trade for us and all participants. Here, we meet buyers from many different countries. It is an important meeting point especially for visitors from the Middle East. Turkish marble and stone diversity are very valuable to us. We are pleased to see this richness of Türkiye and İzmir. The relationships we build here improve our trade, and we will continue to be here in the coming years.”