The booths where art meets marble were highly appreciated

Marble İzmir, the Gateway of Turkish Natural Stone to the World, Left a Mark with Its Artistic and Eye-Catching Booths

In addition to creating a large trade volume, Marble İzmir offered a visual feast to its visitors, featuring everything from statues of characters like Batman and the Joker to Egyptian sphinxes, from marble renditions of the famous painting The Tortoise Trainer to marble-patterned car wraps.

Organized for the 30th time by İzmir Metropolitan Municipality and İZFAŞ from April 9 to 12 this year, Marble İzmir – International Natural Stone and Technologies Fair left a lasting impression not only commercially but also visually. Participants noted that booths adorned with artistic touches attracted great interest and helped boost trade volume. Many exhibitors expressed their intention to make their booth visuals even more distinctive next year.

“The Sculptures Drew Attention”

One of the most eye-catching booths belonged to Kömürcüoğlu Marble, a company from Denizli that has participated in the fair for 29 years. Their booth featured a marble sphinx and camel sculpture, transporting visitors to ancient Egypt. Marketing Manager Çetin Apa said that their artistic booth drew unexpected attention and led to surprising new deals.

“Kömürcüoğlu Marble is one of the oldest companies in the sector with a 45-year history. We believe in using part of the resources we gain from this country for its cultural values. Sculpture was the most suitable and quickest way to achieve this. That’s why we support sculptors and sculpture art. Our booth attracted great interest. Unexpectedly, we began receiving sculpture orders. However, our primary aim is not to profit from sculpture, but to reach new firms and customers. Natural stone has been the raw material of sculptures for 10,000 years—so we believe this initiative yielded excellent results,” he explained.

Caretta Caretta Marble: A Foreign Favorite

FMK Marble, a company from Afşin, Kahramanmaraş, introduced a unique marble with a blend of blue and yellow hues, exclusive to the region. Their booth drew great attention with their registered “Caretta Caretta” marble, featuring sea turtle motifs, a turtle-shaped marble bathtub, and a marble relief of Osman Hamdi Bey’s famous painting The Tortoise Trainer. Visitors frequently posed for souvenir photos at the stand.

Company owner Kemal Öztürk shared that the stone received significant interest, especially from international buyers. “In recent years, marble is no longer used just for floors or countertops—it’s now seen on walls, fireplaces, and even in yacht interiors. Our stone is one-of-a-kind in the world. The harmony of blue and yellow is highly appreciated and in great demand abroad,” he said.

A Fair Experience with Game of Thrones, Batman, and Joker

Nature Stone, a company from Afyon, captured attention with a booth that embraced pop culture. Alongside commercial meetings, hundreds of visitors took photos with statues of characters like Game of Thrones figures, Batman, and the Joker. Company representative Özerhan Tokman said, “We value Marble İzmir highly and prefer to attend each year with a new theme. This year, we designed a Game of Thrones concept. Next year, we plan to present a completely different one.”

Noting that they have attended the fair for nearly 20 years, Tokman added, “Compared to last year, we observed a noticeable increase in foreign buyers. Especially from Europe, the participation was stronger this year. Typically, the first few days aren’t busy for sales, but even on the first day, we had unexpectedly high sales.”