Marble İzmir International Natural Stone and Technologies Fair, the important gateway of Turkish natural stone to the world, opened its doors for the 30th time this year and welcomed sector professionals and enthusiasts. The fair, which was held between April 9-12 with the joint organization of İzmir Metropolitan Municipality and İZFAŞ, offered a visual feast to its visitors in addition to commercial agreements. The stands of the participating companies, which stood out with their original and artistic designs, caused the fair to leave a lasting mark in people's memories. From statues of popular culture characters such as Batman and Joker to Egyptian sphinxes, from the stand where Osman Hamdi Bey's famous "Turtle Trainer" painting was processed on marble to marble patterned car coatings, interesting presentations revealed that the fair is not only a trade platform but also an art and design event.
The Magic of Statues Also Increased Trade
The stand of Denizli-based Kömürcüoğlu Marble, which has been participating in the fair for 29 years without interruption, attracted great attention from visitors with its giant marble sphinx and camel statues that brought the Egyptian atmosphere to İzmir. Kömürcüoğlu Marble Marketing Manager Çetin Apa stated that this artistic approach brought more interest than expected to their stand and that they signed commercial agreements they never expected. Apa said, “Kömürcüoğlu Marble is one of the oldest and most respected companies in the sector with its 45-year deep-rooted history. We have the vision of using some of the resources we obtain with the values of this country for the values of this country. We believed that the most effective and fastest way to achieve this is art, especially sculpture. For this reason, we support talented sculptors and the art of sculpture. Our stand was met with incredible interest. In fact, we started receiving sculpture orders unexpectedly. Our main goal was to reach different companies and new customer segments rather than directly generating income from sculpture. Considering that natural stone has been the basic raw material of sculptures for thousands of years, we think that this concept also yields very positive results in commercial terms.”
Caretta Caretta Marble Became Foreigners' Favorite
FMK Marble, which participated in Marble İzmir from Kahramanmaraş Afşin, introduced a special type of marble that is extracted only from the Afşin region in the world and has unique blue and yellow colors intertwined. The company, which has received great acclaim with its registered trademark “Caretta Caretta” marble, exhibited marble objects with caretta caretta figures, as well as a luxurious bathtub designed in the form of a sea turtle and a meticulously carved marble relief of the famous painter Osman Hamdi Bey’s painting “The Turtle Trainer”. Visitors immortalized their fair memories by taking many photos at this unique stand. Kemal Öztürk, the owner of FMK Marble, expressed his satisfaction with the intense interest shown to their stand and stated that the caretta caretta stone, which stands out with its striking colors specific to Afşin, is especially in great demand by foreign buyers. Öztürk said, “In recent years, the areas of use of marble have expanded considerably. It is no longer only preferred on floors and countertops; it is also preferred in wall coverings, fireplaces and even in the interior decoration of luxury yachts. Our caretta caretta stone has no equivalent in the world. The unique harmony of blue and yellow colors is especially appreciated by international buyers and is in high demand.”
Pop Culture Icons Bring Joy to the Fair
The Nature Stone company, which participated in the fair from Afyonkarahisar, attracted attention with its stand where it brought together beloved characters from popular culture with marble statues. Company representative Özerhan Tokman stated that in addition to commercial meetings, hundreds of visitors took photos with the statues of iconic characters such as Game of Thrones, Batman and Joker that they exhibited at their stand. Tokman said, “We attach great importance to the Marble İzmir Fair and for this reason, we prefer to participate with a different and interesting concept every year. This year, we tried to create a stand with the theme of Game of Thrones. Next year, we will be at the fair with an even different and surprising concept.” Stating that they have been participating in the Marble İzmir Fair for approximately 20 years, Tokman stated that they have observed a significant increase in the number of foreign buyers this year and that there was also more participation from Europe. Tokman added that sales normally progress more slowly in the first days of the fair, but this year they achieved an unexpected sales performance from the first day. This situation shows that Marble Izmir's international effectiveness and the competitive power of Turkish natural stone in the world market have increased.
