Interview with Mr. Necip Güney – CEO of Teknik Fuarcilik Exhibition company
By: Kohan Textile Journal
Please let us know more details about Teknik Fuarcilik Exhibition company, history and success story?
Teknik Fairs, which has more than 30 years of knowledge and experience, was established to bring a new breath and new excitement to the exhibition sector. It has become one of the leading exhibition organizers in Turkey in a short time with its organizational ability in the international arena, strong customer relations, knowledge, exhibition experience, young, dynamic, and professional staff.
Leading the founding of global brands through its publications and exhibitions organized for the textile industry, Teknik Fairs Inc. has been holding sectoral exhibitions and events in various regions of Turkey and in Istanbul since its establishment.
Teknik Fairs Incorporation, which has accomplished successful organizations with the participation of international exhibitors and visitors, has become an indispensable partner of both exhibitors and visitors, taking into account the needs of its business partners and the sector.
Teknik Fairs, which has served tens of thousands of participants in the events that it has organized, has cooperated with many exporter unions, universities and associations. More than 1 million visitors to our exhibitions witnessed the latest technological innovations and set up important commercial connections.
Publishing two distinguished magazines for the textile industry in addition to the exhibitions, Teknik Fairs follows the developments of domestic and foreign textile companies with the monthly Tekstil Teknoloji Magazine. Nonwoven Technology Magazine, which is published every 3 months, continues to be the first and only publication in terms of its content in Turkey.
Underlying the success of Teknik Fairs Organization lies its vision of providing the highest quality service to customers by prioritizing their needs and satisfaction. Continuing on its way with the mission of innovation and entrepreneurship, Teknik Fairs will keep up organizing international events that pave the way for the sector and shape the sector.
Let us know about Teknik Fuarcilik exhibitions and conferences in textile sector?
Teknik Fairs Inc. is increasing its success every year by organizing the ITM International Textile Machinery, HIGHTEX International Technical Textiles and Nonwoven Fair, and IGM Istanbul Garment Machinery, Spare Parts and Sub-Industry Exhibitions a world brand, carried out in partnership with Tüyap Tüm Fairs Production Incorporation.
The ITM International Textile Machinery Exhibition, which has been held at Tüyap Fair and Congress Center for 20 years, is among the top three most important exhibitions in the world. ITM Exhibitions, where state-of-the-art models and innovations in textile machinery and technologies are exhibited and world brands carry out product launches, are the most important address where Big Ideas turn into technology and meet with global investors.
Organized every two years and growing by increasing the number of exhibitors and visitors at each exhibition, ITM, in its last exhibition held in 2018, broke a record with the participation of 1150 companies from 64 countries and 59.000 visitors from 94 countries.
HIGHTEX International Technical Textiles and Nonwovens Fair, which was held simultaneously with the ITM Exhibition, has the distinction of being the first and only exhibition in Turkey and the region. In the HIGHTEX Exhibition, which has been organized since 2005, which has become one of the most important markets of today, the cutting edge technological innovations of the technical textiles and nonwovens industry are on display.
At the HIGHTEX Exhibition, which is the most important meeting point of the technical textiles and nonwovens sectors of the Middle East and Eastern Europe, together with industry professionals, exhibitors, members of the press and guests, raw materials for technical textile and nonwoven, intermediate and final products and production technologies take place together.
Finally, the organizers of the ITM Exhibition, Teknik Fairs Inc. and Tüyap Tüm Fairs Inc., cooperated for the garment machinery exhibition. We will organize the IGM Istanbul Apparel Machinery, Spare Parts and Sub-Industry Exhibition, where we will convey our experience and knowledge that enabled our success in ITM Fairs, at TÜYAP on September 8-11, 2022.
At the IGM Exhibition, where all technologies used in apparel and ready-made clothing production will meet; all technologies used in apparel and ready-to-wear production will take place from sewing to cutting, from ironing systems to packaging, from embroidery to printing. Also, logistics services, hanger and storage systems, quality control machines, as well as all accessories used in production, from sewing thread to buttons and zippers, from fabric to labels, will also be exhibited.
Could you please explain more about IGM Exhibition? Why you decide to organize this event?
When we look at the global textile industry recently, especially considering the adverse effects of the global pandemic, we see that companies have started to turn to integrated facilities in order to reduce their costs.
In other words, the raw material that enters the facilities as cotton comes out as a finished product (clothing). We know that many large textile companies in the world’s largest textile exporting countries such as Bangladesh and Pakistan are turning to integration.
Here we understand that clothing has always been an integral part of textiles. When you look at the participants of the ITM Exhibition, you will recognize that we have exhibitors engaged in the garment business.
As Tuyap and Teknik Fairs, which co-organize the ITM exhibitions, which is one of the most important organizations in the world in its field and raises the bar of success every year, we cooperated to carry this success momentum achieved for the textile industry to the apparel industry as well. We joined hands to make IGM a world brand just like ITM.
In addition, Turkey, one of the largest textile manufacturers in the world, is among the top 5 countries in the apparel and ready-to-wear sector. The capacity utilization rate in the apparel and clothing industry of Turkey, which has increased its exports and production especially in the last period, has reached 80%. Due to Turkey’s advantageous geographical location, its proximity to the garment and ready-made clothing buyers, especially Europe, causes leading world brands to prefer Turkish manufacturers.
Thanks to the IGM Exhibition, which will be held in Istanbul and will unite Europe and Asia, we wanted to bring together the ready-made clothing and apparel machinery industries, which have not been able to come together with their customers and visitors for a long time due to the pandemic.
At the IGM Exhibition, where all the technologies necessitated by ready-to-wear and apparel manufacturers will be exhibited, thousands of products will be on display, from sewing machines produced with the latest technologies to high-performance embroidery machines, from ironing machines that perform several operations with computer control to presses, from pattern preparation systems to cutting machines.
Domestic and foreign ready-made clothing and apparel manufacturers who desire to establish a new production facility or renew their existing facilities will be able to locate all the technologies they need at the IGM Exhibition.
Manufacturers pursuing high quality, fast and hassle-free production will have the opportunity to closely examine state-of-the-art technology machines. Company officials, who will have the opportunity to compare machine alternatives, will guide new investment decisions. We invite everyone, who does not want to miss this great meeting, to the IGM 2022 Exhibition, which we will organize at Tüyap Fair and Congress Center between 8-11 September 2022.
What is your prediction for number of exhibitors and visitors for IGM 2022? Which countries are your target market?
Turkey, being the meeting point of the world textile machinery industry due to the ITM Exhibitions, will host the leading brands of the garment machinery industry with IGM Exhibitions. Bringing together the garment machinery industry, ready-made clothing manufacturers, and investors, the IGM Exhibition will be the only and one of the largest meeting points of the industry in the world. As the IGM organization team, we will maintain the same practice and experience as we did in ITM exhibitions at IGM exhibitions.
In this context, we will work on promotion and procurement committees. We aim to attract as many companies as there are, which operate in the field of apparel manufacturing all over the world to Istanbul. I think that Istanbul, which acts as a bridge between the East and the West, will be a center of attraction for European and Asian sellers and buyers.
Embracing the entire garment and ready-to-wear industry with its wide and comprehensive participant profile, technology and product variety, IGM Exhibition will host 500-600 domestic and international exhibitors.
In addition, IGM Exhibition will host approximately 35,000 professional visitors and procurement committees from many parts of the world, from Europe to Asia, from the Middle East where there is no visa and travel barrier, to North Africa, from the Balkans to the Turkic Republics.
How do you evaluate Textile industry in Turkey after corona virus pandemic?
Turkish textile companies have become the lifeblood of the Turkish economy with their confidence in supply during the pandemic, the actions they took rapidly in changing conditions, their strong infrastructure, and moreover, dynamic and qualified workforce. While many countries were caught unprepared for the demand for medical masks and protective clothing, Turkey did not experience any supply problems during the pandemic period with its diversity and flexibility in production.
Continuing to create added value for our economy with the production of surgical masks, protective suits, and overalls, Turkish Textile companies not only met the needs in our country but also responded to the mask and protective clothing demands from nearly 100 countries.
Turkey is in an advantageous position especially in the production of masks and protective suits in many aspects such as its geographical location, logistics network connections, production capacity, human resources, knowledge and skills.
Continuing its upward momentum in exports, the Turkish textile industry keeps on breaking records. In the January-August period of 2021, the sector achieved an export of 8.2 billion dollars with an increase of 41 percent compared to 2020 and 24 percent compared to 2019. In August, the sector realized an export amounting to 1 billion dollars with an increase of 36 percent compared to the same period of the previous year, reaching the highest August export figure of all time in Turkish history.
The ready-made clothing industry, which is among Turkey’s strategic sectors with its value-added production, contribution to employment, and net foreign exchange income, has also stepped up to close 2021 with a record 19 billion dollars in exports. Increasing its exports and production in the recent period, Turkey has increased its capacity utilization rate to 80% in the apparel and clothing industry. Expressing that their orders for the next 3-4 months are full, exporters state that they have difficulty in keeping up with the demand.
This significant increase in textile exports also brings developments in the field of textile machinery. The Turkish textile machinery industry, which produces with the slogan of “domestic and national”, is closing the gap between import and export every day. Turkey is now one of the first 3 countries in the world, and the first country in Europe, which is capable of fast, dynamic, and high-quality production, especially in textile finishing.
Textile machinery export and import figures for 2021 demonstrate that Turkish manufacturers continue their investments even during the pandemic period. In the first 5 months of 2021, Turkey realized 361 million dollars of textile machinery exports with an increase of 52% compared to the same period of the previous year. In the first 5 months of 2021, it purchased machinery worth 692 million dollars with an increase of 60.9% compared to the same period of the previous year.
In short, we can easily indicate that the post-pandemic trends in textile point to Turkey. If government supports and incentives continue, textiles in Turkey will gain upward momentum in the coming years.
Why textile exhibitions in Istanbul are important and attract thousands of international buyers and exhibitors?
Istanbul is not only the largest city in Turkey in terms of population but also the capital of industry, commerce, finance, and culture. Continuing to be the forcing power of the Turkish economy today as it was in the past, Istanbul alone meets 32 percent of the country’s Gross National Product. In addition, half of the exports and imports from Turkey are realized in Istanbul. Istanbul is in an advantageous position for both textile exhibitions and other organizations due to its ease of transportation, the absence of visa problems, and being in a very convenient location in terms of hosting international events.
As the historical and cultural texture of Istanbul, located at the crossroads of civilizations, and its impact on world trade, combined with the city’s advanced transportation opportunities and rich accommodation options, the best location to be preferred for large-scale global exhibitions emerges.
For example, due to the geographical location of Istanbul, companies in both European countries and the rapidly developing Middle East, North Africa, Turkic Republics, Balkans, and Asian countries prefer exhibitions in Istanbul. As a matter of fact, people living in these regions can reach Istanbul after a short flight of about 3 hours and visit the exhibitions.
On the other hand, many countries such as India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Vietnam, Egypt, Algeria, Tunisia, Morocco, Iran, Uzbekistan, and Turkmenistan, which are the shining stars of the textile world with their great potential and production power, have visa agreements with Turkey. Another important issue that strengthens Turkey’s hand is its mission as a bridge between the East and the West. The fact that the textile manufacturers of countries that have visa problems on their way to Europe do not experience this problem when traveling to Istanbul reveals the importance of the exhibitions in Istanbul.
In addition, Istanbul’s location at the center of world trade offers great convenience to the exhibitors and visitors who arrive for the exhibitions with its accommodation facilities as well as its historical and cultural attractions. Thanks to the proximity of the hotels to the fairgrounds, domestic and foreign visitors to the exhibitions in Istanbul do not have any difficulties in terms of accommodation.
How do you predict 2022 for exhibition and event sector?
The most important events that bring companies together with new business opportunities are undoubtedly exhibitions. As you know, many exhibitions were postponed or canceled due to the pandemic crisis that affected the whole world in 2020. In 2021, physical exhibitions started to be organized again by taking the necessary precautions and hygiene measures. Tuyap, the most successful brand of exhibition organizations, hosted many successful exhibitions during the pandemic and raised the bar of success even higher with the measures it took to protect all exhibitors and visitors at the highest level.
I think that as a result of the rapid continuation of vaccination programs around the world, community immunity against coronavirus will be gained to a large extent in 2022, so that the exhibition organizations will completely normalize by next year. I also believe that the exhibitions to be held in the post-pandemic period will be much better and more active than in the old days. Because, in the long-lasting pandemic conditions, many companies focused on product development and new productions.
All of them look forward to bringing their products to market and introducing them to their customers face to face. Exhibitions are the most suitable environment for this. That’s why I think the exhibitions will be more lively than before. I can confidently claim that the exhibition industry will compensate for the negative effects of the pandemic in 2022.
At this point, the importance of the ITM 2022 Exhibition, which is one of the first major organizations where the textile industry will come together after the pandemic period, is increasing even more. As a matter of fact, in this great meeting on 14-18 June 2022, many textile technology leaders announced that they will launch many new technologies and machines that they produced during the pandemic period at ITM 2022. Thousands of professional visitors will also have the opportunity to see the latest technological innovations closely at the ITM 2022 Exhibition.
In addition, we will hold our HIGHTEX 2022 Exhibition, which is the first and only exhibition in the field of nonwovens and technical textiles in Turkey, simultaneously with ITM 2022. As you know, Turkey, which is among the most important suppliers of the world in the production of nonwoven fabrics, has proven its worth in protective products, especially during the pandemic period. When the demand for protective products increased all over the world, Turkey became the center of nonwoven fabric supply by demonstrating its experience and power in this field.
Nonwoven manufacturers are waiting for the HIGHTEX 2022 Exhibition to come together with the global players of the sector, invest in technology, and introduce their latest developed products. HIGHTEX 2022 Exhibition, where we will host the world’s leading technical textile and nonwoven manufacturers in Istanbul for 5 days, will host the latest products and production technologies of companies operating in many sectors from medical textiles to hygienic textiles, from agricultural textiles to geotextiles.
