The world meets at Marble Talks.

Stone Will Speak in İzmir
The World Meets at Marble Talks

The heart of the natural stone industry will beat in İzmir. Leading names in design, architecture, and global trade will come together on the Marble Talks stage on April 14–17.

Hosted by the İzmir Metropolitan Municipality and organized by İZFAŞ, Marble İzmir 2026 will take place between April 14–17. The program, to be held in Hall D under the “D-ESIGN Arena” concept, will bring together industry representatives, architects, designers, and academics.

As part of the three-day Marble Talks series, topics such as the role of natural stone in architectural projects, design approaches, sustainability, global market dynamics, and digitalization will be discussed. The sessions are expected to attract strong interest from a wide audience, including industry professionals, academics, designers, architects, and students.

Leading figures of the sector at Marble Talks

The program will begin on April 14 at 15:00 with the session titled “The Trace of Time,” moderated by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Selçuk Demirci from Ege University, featuring Interior Architect Yeşim Kozanlı as the speaker. On the same day at 17:00, the Marble İzmir Sculpture Workshop Appreciation Ceremony and the 8th International Different Natural Stone Design Competition Award Ceremony will take place.

From stories to changing dynamics

On the second day of the fair, April 15 at 12:00, the session “Natural Stone Stories in Architectural Projects” will be held, moderated by Uğur Onur, Chairman of the İzmir Freelance Architects Association, with architect Melis Varkal as the speaker.

At 13:00, the session “Natural Stone in the Global Market: Local Strength and Changing Dynamics” will feature Hanifi Şimşek, Chairman of TÜMMER (the umbrella organization of Turkey’s natural stone sector), and Flavio Marabelli, Honorary President of the Italian Marble Machinery Manufacturers Confederation.

At 14:00, the session “Changing Times,” moderated by Dr. Can Özcan from İzmir University of Economics, will host speakers including Dr. Despoina Zavraka (Aristotle University of Thessaloniki), Prof. Ilia Palaguta (Stieglitz State Academy of Art and Design, St. Petersburg), Prof. Marinella Ferrara (Politecnico di Milano), and Prof. Michal Stefanowski (Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw).

At 15:15, the session “The Meaning, Opportunities and Limits of Natural Stone in Design Approaches” will be moderated by Dr. Dürrin Süer, with architects Burçin Demirsoy, Derya Akdurak, and Tolga Kezer as speakers.

At 16:15, the session “Best Use of Stone by Turkish Stones” will be moderated by Funda Bekişoğlu from the Istanbul Mineral Exporters’ Association, with speakers Ahmet Tekin (Western Mediterranean Exporters’ Association), Reyhan Sezgin (Aegean Mineral Exporters’ Association), architect Burak Pekoğlu, and landscape architect Dr. Oktan Nalbantoğlu.

Is good design enough?

Marble Talks will continue on April 16 at 13:00 with the session “Thinking with Marble: From Nature to Interior,” moderated by Reyhan Sezgin, Board Member of the Aegean Mineral Exporters’ Association, featuring Interior Architect Hasan Burak Akyıldız.

At 14:00, the topic “Sustainable Design and Natural Stone” will be discussed by architect Öznur Turan Eke and industrial designer Adnan Serbest, moderated by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Selçuk Demirci.

Architect Sedat Bayrak, known for his work in architecture and new media and his strong presence on social media, will offer a fresh perspective in the session “Is Good Design Enough? The Codes of Visibility in New Media,” scheduled at 15:15.