MÜSİAD EXPO 2020, organized by MÜSİAD every two years, opened its doors today. The fair, inaugurated by Minister of Industry and Technology Mustafa Varank and MÜSİAD President Abdurrahman Kaan, will continue for 4 days. At MÜSİAD EXPO2020, which represents more than 40,000 companies and is preparing to host 100,000 visitors, the number of online visitors is expected to reach millions.

MÜSİAD EXPO, the International Economy, Finance and Trade Summit organized every two years by the Independent Industrialists and Businessmen Association (MÜSİAD), was opened by Minister of Industry and Technology Mustafa Varank and MÜSİAD President Abdurrahman Kaan. The MÜSİAD EXPO 2020 Trade Fair, held at the TÜYAP Fair and Congress Centre in a hybrid format both physically and online in compliance with pandemic theories and TSE COVID 19 Safe Service standards, has begun to welcome visitors from home and abroad. MÜSİAD EXPO 2020, which has the distinction of being the largest fair held since the pandemic and which will end on 21 November, is taking place across a 70,000 square metre area in 10 halls. At MÜSİAD EXPO 2020, which represents more than 40,000 companies and is preparing to host 100,000 visitors, the number of online visitors is expected to reach millions. More than 8,000 B2B business meetings are also targeted at the fair.

At the organization, which is being carried out without in any way disregarding the Mask, Distance, Hygiene rule, all participants and visitors enter after careful checks and contactless technologies are used in the fair area. The TÜYAP team, meanwhile, is on duty in the fair area for density control and disinfection procedures.

NEW COLLABORATIONS WILL BE DEVELOPED

Speaking at the opening ceremony, Minister of Industry and Technology Mustafa Varank, who stated that they expect the MÜSİAD EXPO 2020 Trade Fair, now among the virtually indispensable organizations of business life in Türkiye, to achieve a resounding success, said: “Comprehensive events such as MÜSİAD EXPO provide an opportunity for us to develop new collaborations with countries with which our trade volume is low. In these difficult days we are living through, the joint investment, joint production and joint trade opportunities established between countries will make it possible to develop a strong economic immunity against the outbreak. The winners of the post-outbreak period will be those who establish cooperation today and act swiftly.”

Minister Varank, who said that they had set themselves the goal of making Türkiye one of the world’s leading regional production and innovation centres, underlined that Türkiye is advancing towards this goal with confident steps thanks to its production infrastructure, its flawlessly functioning supply network, its qualified human resources, its hardworking entrepreneurs and its strong R&D ecosystem.
Varank, who said that the innovation that excited him most this year at MÜSİAD EXPO 2020 was the Entrepreneurship Area opened for the first time, also thanked the MÜSİAD management for the vision it had displayed.

NEARLY 15,000 VISITORS WILL COME FROM 125 COUNTRIES

MÜSİAD President Abdurrahman Kaan, who reported that there would be stand participation at MÜSİAD EXPO 2020 from many countries, from Venezuela to Uzbekistan, from Azerbaijan to Cyprus, from Indonesia to Germany, said: “The intense demand from Europe, Asia-Pacific, Eurasia, Africa and MENA countries and the fact that nearly 15,000 visitors will come from 125 countries makes us particularly happy in these days when we are renewing our national macro policies in the name of production, trade, investment and employment.”

Kaan, who reported that an important step would be taken towards developing exports and commercial relations between countries by signing MoU agreements with 20 new institutions from 4 continents at the fair, recalled that another of this year’s firsts at MÜSİAD EXPO 2020 is the “Entrepreneurship Area” to be opened for the first time. Kaan, who said that investments that have become an important strength of Türkiye and that resonate around the world would meet visitors in this hall, continued his speech as follows:

“At this year’s EXPO, differently, caravans appealing to every income level will also take their place at our fair in order to support Caravan Tourism. As you know, caravan tourism was put forward for the first time by MÜSİAD within the scope of our strategy of Developing New Tourism Resources and diversifying Tourism Investments, and it has met with considerable demand on a very broad basis. In this regard, we too have given a place to Caravan Manufacturers at this year’s EXPO 2020. Apart from this, domestic electric vehicles will also be exhibited this year within the scope of EXPO 2020. As MÜSİAD we are very pleased to have given a place within the Fair to this initiative, which is a source of national pride and which should also be regarded as a supporter of the Green Deal”

WHICH ORGANIZATIONS WILL TAKE PLACE?

The fair, in which 400 foreign purchasing delegations from 50 countries, above all Uzbekistan, Pakistan, Kazakhstan, Sudan, Libya, Qatar, Nigeria, South Africa, Iran, Iraq and Venezuela, will participate, will also host many organizations.

The International Business Forum (IBF), to be held on 19 November with the participation of industrialists and business people coming from all four corners of the world, is one of these important meetings. At the forum, where the Economy of the Virus will be discussed, information will also be shared about the sectors that will boom after COVID-19. The World Presidents Meeting will also be held on the same day.
On 20 November, President of the Republic of Türkiye Recep Tayyip Erdoğan will visit the fair. On the same day, bilateral business meetings of the Purchasing Delegations of the Ministry of Trade of the Republic of Türkiye will be held. 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. 82 honorary consuls will participate in this summit.

On the last day of the fair, where country and panel presentations will be made, the MÜSİAD International Cooperation Agreements Signing Ceremony will be held. MÜSİAD has signed a total of 193 MOU agreements with various institutions and organizations to date. At MÜSİAD EXPO 2020, steps will be taken towards developing exports and commercial relations between countries by signing MOU agreements with 20 new counterpart institutions from 4 continents.