The Industry Awaits the 30th Marble İzmir Fair

Marble İzmir – International Natural Stone and Technologies Fair, the lifeline of Türkiye natural stone exports, welcomed industry representatives and visitors from all over the world at fuarizmir between April 17-20. Contributing significantly to natural stone exports, which account for $2 billion of Türkiye approximately $6 billion mining exports, Marble İzmir delighted not only its participants and the industry but also the local tradespeople of İzmir through the business volume it generated. In addition to business agreements, the increased occupancy rates in hotels, higher turnover in restaurants, and the busy atmosphere in the city's shopping centers and tourist attractions created satisfaction.

Hosted by the İzmir Metropolitan Municipality and organized by İZFAŞ at fuarizmir over an exhibition space of more than 150,000 square meters, Marble İzmir – International Natural Stone and Technologies Fair took place with the main sponsorship of Çemar Traverten & Mermer, featuring 1,014 exhibitors and welcoming a total of 68,975 visitors. İzmir Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Dr. Cemil Tugay, emphasizing the importance of branding and marketing in the natural stone sector, stated during the fair’s opening:

"During this period, we will focus on regional development. For this, we will collaborate with our neighboring provinces and all institutions and organizations in Türkiye. Historically, İzmir has been a city of trade and fairs. We will make great efforts to enhance this aspect. I hope to meet again at the 30th edition and in the following years with even more developed fairs and larger organizations, including an additional 20,000 square meters of space."

Marble İzmir was visited by 68,975 people, including 8,277 international visitors from 125 countries and 60,698 domestic visitors from 76 provinces in Türkiye. The natural stone industry, which increased its exports in the first three months of this year and achieved significant sales and agreements at the fair, is now looking forward to the 30th Marble İzmir, scheduled for April 9-12, 2025.

"Marble İzmir Fair Brings Hope for the New Year"

İZFAŞ General Manager emphasized that Marble İzmir Fair, the gateway of the Turkish natural stone industry to the world, has provided a promising commercial volume, stating:

"With the support of the Ministry of Trade for export-oriented initiatives, we organized three different procurement delegation programs in cooperation with the Aegean Mineral Exporters' Association, Istanbul Mineral and Metals Exporters' Associations, and the Western Mediterranean Exporters' Association. Within the scope of these programs, our participating companies conducted hundreds of business meetings with 130 firms from 19 target countries. To help the natural stone industry expand into new markets, professional visitors from many countries, including China, the USA, India, and Saudi Arabia—our top export markets—along with South Korea, Australia, Brazil, and the United Kingdom, attended the fair. Through the B2B meeting programs held during the fair, we facilitated fast and effective meetings between exhibitors and buyers. Despite political and economic challenges worldwide, witnessing the establishment of new business collaborations, sales, and agreements has made us very happy."

Highlighting that Marble İzmir has evolved beyond a trade event into a key driver of Türkiye economy, the İZFAŞ General Manager added:

"For four days, the fair once again generated a significant trade volume for the industry. In its first year, the Turkish natural stone industry had an export volume of $77 million. Today, it has reached an export potential of $2 billion. This year’s fair also made a significant contribution to the city. Nearly 70,000 visitors coming to İzmir resulted in increased hotel occupancy rates and boosted business for local tradespeople, from taxi drivers to restaurant owners. This demonstrates how crucial Marble İzmir Fair is for the city’s economy as well. We extend our gratitude to our İzmir Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Dr. Cemil Tugay, our former ministers, deputy ministers, governors, mayors, ministry representatives, general directors, and the presidents of chambers, unions, associations, and NGOs who supported us and our exhibitors. By working together, we believe we can further advance the natural stone industry. In its 30th edition, Marble İzmir will continue to be an active player in increasing commercial volume and exports, benefiting both the industry and the city’s economy."

"Marble İzmir Fair Brought Us Closer to Our 2024 Export Goals"

Ibrahim Alimoğlu, Chairman of the Board of the Aegean Mineral Exporters' Association, stated:

"Marble İzmir Fair has significantly contributed to the rapid rise of Türkiye natural stone industry into the global top three. Despite the cooling global economy and high inflationary environment in Türkiye, the fair met our industry’s expectations. In the first quarter of 2024, our industry increased exports by 2%, reaching $420 million. As the Aegean Mineral Exporters' Association, we organized a procurement delegation program at the fair, bringing 40 importers from 17 countries together with 44 exporters, leading to 500 one-on-one business meetings. With the momentum gained from these meetings and other visitor interactions, we aim to increase Türkiye natural stone exports by 10% in 2024—from $1.936 billion to $2.130 billion. Our association, the leader in Türkiye’s natural stone exports, aims to recover the losses of 2023 by achieving a 15% growth rate and bringing in $775 million in foreign currency. In the first quarter of 2024, we increased our natural stone exports by 6%, rising from $150 million to $159 million. Processed natural stones accounted for 80% of this figure, with exports totaling $127.4 million. Our association maintained its leadership by securing a 38% share of Türkiye $420 million natural stone exports."

Alimoğlu also expressed his gratitude:

"We extend our heartfelt thanks to the İzmir Metropolitan Municipality, which has organized the Marble İzmir Fair for 29 years, establishing it as the ‘Marble Festival’ of our industry. We are also grateful to İzmir Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Dr. Cemil Tugay, who embraced our sector warmly despite only a few days in office, and to İZFAŞ General Manager and the entire team, who have worked tirelessly for 29 years to make Marble İzmir one of the world’s top two fairs in its sector."

"Wishing Success to the Industry"

Hanifi Şimşek, Chairman of the Board of the All Marble Natural Stone and Machinery Manufacturers Association (TÜMMER), also shared his thoughts:

"Marble İzmir Fair opened its doors to the world for the 29th time between April 17-20, 2024. I must say that the organization was extremely successful. We were honored to have the Deputy Minister of Energy and Natural Resources, the former Minister of Trade, governors, deputies, mayors, and bureaucrats visit our stands. The fair was also a success in terms of procurement delegations. The İZFAŞ team handled issues promptly and professionally, as always. This year, in addition to classic stones, the exhibition featured more innovative and directional products, which increased demand. I would like to make a few recommendations for the next fair. Before the end of 2024, İZFAŞ, TÜMMER, exporters' associations, and the presidents of member associations should hold a meeting to outline a roadmap for procurement delegations, plan the next year, and evaluate fair operations. As always, planning should be carried out collaboratively through advisory boards, taking into account exhibitors' requests. We have also presented our request for an additional 20,000 square meters of exhibition space to İzmir Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Dr. Cemil Tugay, and we believe this issue will be resolved by next year. I would like to thank everyone who contributed to making the Marble İzmir Fair even stronger. Following a successful fair, I wish the entire industry prosperous sales and a fruitful period ahead."