UNITY IN MODEKO
Renewed and strengthened with Nobel Expo, MODEKO-International İzmir Furniture Fair will be held at Fuar İzmir between 2-6 March 2022. Before MODEKO, where more than 300 companies and more than 750 brands will participate, there was a complete union of forces. While all the dynamics of the industry supported MODEKO, Izmir Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Tunç Soyer said, “We are behind you all the way.”
Following the partnership agreement signed between Efor Fuarcılık, one of the most experienced companies in the industry, and Nobel Expo, which set out with the slogan of a new generation exhibition understanding, in order to strengthen MODEKO’s power, the industry meeting was held yesterday with the participation of Izmir Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Tunç Soyer.
Before the fair, which will open its doors in Fuar İzmir, hosted by İzfaş, the sector made a contribution to the meeting at DoubleTree by Hilton İzmir Airport with its full support. From the districts that are the production centers of the sector, Gaziemir Mayor Halil Arda, Buca Mayor Erhan Kılıç, İzfaş General Manager Canan Karaosmanoğlu, Nobel Expo International Fairs Chairman of the Board Erhan Çelik, Efor Fairs General Manager Nuray Eyigele İşlendi, Izmir Furniture Chamber President Hasan Özkoparan, Office and Business Furniture Manufacturers Industrialists Businessmen Association President Gökhan Hepkafadar, Vice President Metin Güreler, Aegean Furniture Industrialists Solidarity Association President Sabri Baltaş, Aegean Furniture Industrialists and Businessmen Association President İmran Load, Aegean Exporters’ Association Paper and Forest Products Exporters’ Association Vice President Ali Fuat Gürle and industry leaders attended.
Izmir Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Tunç Soyer said, “We are ambitious and very excited. We will host the representatives of the furniture industry in our country and around the world at MODEKO, which will be held for the 33rd time. Nearly 300 companies will take place in an area of 60 thousand square meters.
Saying that fairs make a great contribution to the city’s economy, Soyer explained this with an example from the En-Track application, where all measurements are made for the taxis that were introduced in Izmir a short time ago. Soyer said that on December 1, 2021, the taxis in the city made a turnover of 2.8 million liras, but during the Travel Turkey Fair held on 2-4 December 2021, it increased to 3.6 million liras per day. Soyer said, “The fair industry is a sector that strongly affects everyone, from taxis to shopkeepers, from hoteliers to restaurateurs. We are aware of this. We are determined to do our best to pave the way for the furniture industry.”
Soyer, who gave good news to the shoe industry at the launch of Shoexpo Izmir Shoe and Bag Fair by Nobel Expo, gave good news to furniture manufacturers at this meeting. Stating that he has mastered the problems of the Karabağlar Furniture Shops and that they have been searching for a new place for a long time, Soyer said, “A few options have matured, these are quite beautiful places, it is almost time for us to reach the decision-making level.”
Thanks to NOBEL EXPO
İzmir Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Tunç Soyer also stated that they accept the organizer of the fair, Nobel Expo International Fairs Chairman of the Board Erhan Çelik, as an “İzmirli” and said, “I would like to thank Erhan in your presence. With great enthusiasm, as an Izmirian, we feel that way. We are proud to cooperate.”
Erhan Çelik, Chairman of the Board of Nobel Expo International Fairs, said that the union of forces in the sector is of great importance. Çelik said, “İzmir has a large fairground. Seeing all the stakeholders with such an exhibition area here increased our belief even more.” Drawing attention to the intense interest from İzmir to the furniture fair held in Istanbul, Çelik stated that they aim to reverse this with MODEKO and said, “We are working to make İzmir the center of furniture and trade. We can become Turkey’s second largest furniture fair this year by combining the data we have at the point of bringing foreign buyers to MODEKO with the power of Efor Fuarcılık and İzmir Metropolitan Municipality. Thanks to these stakeholders, there will be no need to go to Istanbul.”
Aegean Exporters’ Association Paper and Forest Products Exporters’ Association Vice President Ali Fuat Gürle thanked Soyer for his support to the fair. Gürle stated that he considered this meeting a milestone for the union of forces and said, “The industry has many problems. Our aim is to increase our exports to around 4.5 billion dollars, but for this we need the support of the Izmir Metropolitan Municipality. Together, we must move the Karabağlar industry, the center of the industry, to a more modern level. We believe that you are behind us.
