The MÜSİAD EXPO Trade Fair, to be held on 18-21 November 2020 at the TÜYAP İstanbul Fair and Congress Centre, will offer a "hybrid fair" experience for the first time this year. The fair, to be organized under the auspices and with the attendance of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, is expected to reach more than 100,000 visitors. Speaking at the "Foreign Press Briefing Meeting" on the fair, MÜSİAD Foreign Economic Relations Committee and EXPO Chairman Hıfsı Soydemir emphasized that the fair to be held will add strength to production in line with Türkiye's 2023 targets.

ALL MEASURES HAVE BEEN TAKEN

Stating that the "hybrid fair" experience will be brought to life for the first time this year at MÜSİAD EXPO, MÜSİAD Foreign Economic Relations Committee Chairman and EXPO Chairman Hıfsı Soydemir said that the trade network would be expanded further by bringing business people together both physically and virtually. Pointing out that radical changes and steps supporting production had been taken in the field of production in line with Türkiye's 2023 targets, Soydemir said that MÜSİAD was among the initiatives that would add strength to production and exports. Noting that MÜSİAD EXPO, to be held in 6 halls over an area of 60,000 square metres under the slogan "Global Trade is Here", places people at its centre, Soydemir said, "God willing, we will come to the fore with an event that Türkiye has longed for".

Stating that all health measures had been carefully taken in cooperation between MÜSİAD and TÜYAP, Soydemir recalled that the TSE Covid-19 Safe Service Standards would be applied for the fair and that special teams would be on duty in every area throughout the fair. In his statement Soydemir said that MÜSİAD EXPO, which will be instrumental in enabling our country's business people to develop their business by making contact with the whole world in the fields of production, trade, exports and investment, is an extremely important organization at this difficult time the whole world is going through. Adding that there is no other capital and business platform in the world organizing such an event, Soydemir expressed that it is a source of pride to prove to the whole world, as MÜSİAD, the faith we have in these lands.

MOUs TO BE SIGNED WITH 20 NEW COUNTERPART ORGANIZATIONS FROM 4 CONTINENTS

Stating that MÜSİAD has signed 190 MOU / Letter of Good Will – Memorandum of Understanding with different commercial organizations and business people's organizations in 73 countries since its foundation, MÜSİAD Diplomatic Relations Committee Chairman Zeki Güvercin said that MoUs would be signed with 20 new counterpart organizations from 4 continents at MÜSİAD EXPO 2020. Noting that as MÜSİAD they had declared 2020 the year of MoUs, Güvercin emphasized that a broad trade diplomacy was targeted through the World Honorary Consuls Summit to be held within the scope of MÜSİAD EXPO.

In his statement Güvercin made the following remarks:

"In developing bilateral relations, the 'Letters of Good Will / Memoranda of Understanding' signed at the international level, primarily with countries' business people's organizations, make an important contribution to mutual cooperation and the development of trade. Your partner in the country with which you have a memorandum includes you in its list and involves you in the talks during an important trade delegation, investment delegation or initiatives to increase bilateral trade potential. When used actively, bilateral and trilateral good will cooperation agreements serve as an important bridge. Good will in these agreements means: yes, I am focusing on developing cooperation with you in the commercial sense. The aim of the MOU cooperation agreements concluded within the MÜSİAD Diplomatic Relations Committee is to identify the counterpart organizations that will create these opportunities for us, to sign MOU agreements with these institutions and to plan organizations that will deepen cooperation through the talks to be held subsequently.

At the same time, alongside ambassadors and consuls, honorary consuls assume a very different, complementary and important role. That is, they are a very important element of diplomacy. Since our honorary consuls are business people at the same time, they have a very different civilian position. Unlike diplomats, they have the opportunity to act more freely. Although the number of consuls general and embassies in the world is increasing, the importance of honorary consuls is not decreasing; on the contrary, it is growing. Because here our honorary consuls have very important functions such as lobbying, commercial intelligence, building trade bridges and attracting investment. In this process two different structures we have observed emerged. More than 120 countries have honorary consulates in Türkiye. This is a very important potential. In addition, Türkiye has honorary consuls around the world. We have around 80-90 honorary consulates in the world. At MÜSİAD EXPO we will bring together, under the name of the World Honorary Consuls Trade Diplomacy Summit, all of Türkiye's honorary consuls around the world and all the honorary consuls of world countries in Türkiye. Here we will hold 3 separate sessions. "

GIANT COOPERATION FROM MÜSİAD AND TÜYAP

MÜSİAD, Türkiye's most widespread and largest capital platform on a global scale, and TÜYAP, our country's largest fair organizer, will join forces to undertake a major organization that will make waves worldwide. The MÜSİAD EXPO Trade Fair, to be held for the first time on 18-21 November at the TÜYAP İstanbul Fair and Congress Centre as a predominantly physical hybrid event, is preparing to host 100,000 visitors in 6 halls over an area of 60,000 square metres, representing more than 40,000 companies. Online, the number of visitors is expected to reach millions. More than 8,000 B2B business meetings are targeted at the fair.

The fair, which will be attended by foreign purchasing delegations from 88 countries, primarily Uzbekistan, Pakistan, Kazakhstan, Sudan, Libya, Qatar, Nigeria, South Africa, Iran, Iraq and Venezuela, will also host many organizations.

The International Business Forum (IBF), which will be attended by industrialists and business people from all over the world, is one of these important meetings.

In addition, the "MÜSİAD-World Honorary Consuls Trade and Diplomacy Summit", which will bring together honorary consuls regarded as important players in international trade, will also be organized within the scope of the fair. The participation of 82 honorary consuls in this summit has been confirmed.

The MÜSİAD World General Administrative Board (GİK) will also be held within the scope of the fair.

At the organization, which will be carried out without in any way disregarding the Mask, Distance and Hygiene rule, all participants and visitors will be able to enter after meticulous checks and contactless technologies will be made available in the fair area. Special teams will be on duty for crowd control and disinfection procedures.

WHY HYBRID?

Stating that MÜSİAD EXPO preparations were being made meticulously because of COVID-19, which is having an impact worldwide, TÜYAP General Manager İlhan Ersözlü also mentioned that MÜSİAD EXPO, which is preparing to be the largest predominantly physical fair event after the pandemic, would offer a "hybrid fair" experience for those unable to come because of the outbreak. Conveying that 200 companies would take part in the fair physically and that there would also be national participations from Venezuela, the Netherlands, Indonesia, Congo and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, Ersözlü also stated that they had integrated virtual fair services into the fair and that the virtual fair would continue for 10 days.

Ersözlü gave the following information on the subject:

“Thanks to the technological infrastructure provided by TÜYAP, the participants of the fair, which is preparing to host thousands of business people and industrialists attending physically in line with social distancing rules, will be able to come together with fair visitors and do business on the digital platform not only in the fair area but even after the fair has ended. Contactless technologies will be made available in the fair area, which all participants and visitors will be able to enter after meticulous checks. One hall has been reserved solely for this. Special teams will be on duty for crowd control and disinfection procedures.”

Speaking at the meeting, MÜSİAD Foreign Economic Relations Committee and EXPO Chairman Hıfsı Soydemir said that the fair had been organized in keeping with the MÜSİAD spirit and placed people at its centre, and stated, “We will hold a fair that many of our members and Türkiye have longed for”.

Speaking about the fair to be held under the slogan Global Trade is Here, MÜSİAD High Board Chairman Fatih Keçebir underlined that the MÜSİAD Expo Trade Fair was ready to host 100,000 visitors in 6 halls over an area of 60,000 square metres, representing more than 40,000 companies, and that online they expected the number of visitors to reach millions.