This year's Izmir International Fair to focus on energy

The Izmir International Fair, Turkey's premier international trade show, this year is set to focus on energy as it opens its doors to millions of visitors for the 79th time. Izmir Greater Municipality Mayor Aziz Kocaoglu told a press conference yesterday at the fairgrounds that the event will draw an estimated 1.5 million visitors from Aug. 27 to Sept. 5 and that the guest of honor will be the city of Gaziantep. On choosing the theme for this year's fair, Kocaoglu said energy is a hot topic both internationally and in Turkey, with ever-growing demands for more energy resources to fuel economic growth. He said during this year's fair, the Energy and Natural Resources Ministry will sponsor a panel summit on energy on Sept. 2-4. "I hope we will take the opportunity to refresh our knowledge of renewable energy sources, including geothermal, solar and hydroelectric energy, as well as provide information to the public about new technologies and advances in the energy sector both at home and abroad," he said. Over 800 Turkish companies will take part in the fair along with 250 foreign firms from 55 countries, marking a nearly 50 rise in the number of participants.