Ilhan Ersozlu, President of the Turkish Fair Producers Association, said that Europe’s declining share in the world fair industry, Russia’s state of war and insecurity in the Middle East have shifted the axis of fair organizing to Turkiye.
Ersozlu, who attended the Konya Machinery Technologies Fair, told the AA correspondent that, according to the fair calendar of the Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Turkiye, 413 fairs will be held this year, 111 of which are international, and that the number may increase further with monthly updates.
Pointing out that the Turkish fair industry is gaining momentum, Ersozlu stated that they want to increase Turkiye’s 1.5% share in the world fair industry to 3% in the first stage and to 5% within 10 years.
Ersozlu pointed out that the fair industry in the West has begun to lose its importance, lose blood and shrink, and said, “Many sector fairs, especially in Central European countries such as Germany, Italy and France, are losing their former importance. The axis of fair organization started to turn to Turkiye. There was an incredible demand for Turkiye, especially after the pandemic. The supply chain shifting to Turkiye in all sectors and Turkiye being an important production location causes the fair organization to grow as well.”
“The scale of the exhibition centers has caught up with those in the West”
Emphasizing that the opportunities provided by the developments in the fair organization infrastructure are approaching the level of competing with the world, Ersozlu continued as follows:
“When we look at the specialized fairs held in Turkiye, especially in Istanbul, the number one and number two fairs of the world and Europe have begun to emerge. This is not a temporary and periodic thing. It is a permanent and sustainable situation. The scale of the exhibition centers in Turkiye has caught up with those in the West. Many sector fairs that could not be held in the past can now be held very well. In the next 10 years, Turkiye will take over the role and market that the West had in the past in fair organizing.”
“Turkiye has become the most reliable port”
Mentioning that the growth in fairs has triggered all sectors and improved service exports, Ersozlu said that foreign participants and visitors contribute to the dynamics of cities by leaving a considerable amount of foreign currency.
Ersozlu pointed out that Turkiye is a very strong country in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region and said:
“Apart from Europe, the world fair market is taking shape in Asia and the Pacific countries, and on the other hand, NAFTA (North American Free Trade Agreement) countries. The market was dominated by Europe in the past. Europe has started to reduce its share in the world fair market. Here, the share started to increase in Turkiye in the MENA region. Turkiye is in great competition with Moscow and Dubai, but due to Russia’s state of war and insecurity in the Middle East, Turkiye has become the most reliable port. Production in many sectors shifted to Turkiye. Fair organization is also growing in parallel. Fair organizations will be one of the most important sectors of our country in the near future.”
Source: AA / Prepared by Irem Yildiz