From 5–8 December 2023, rug and carpet industry professionals will gather at the Carpet and Flooring Expo, held at the Istanbul Expo Center. The fair will be organised by the Tüyap Exhibitions Group in cooperation with the Istanbul Carpet Exporters’ Association (İHİB) and the Southeast Anatolia Carpet Exporters’ Association (GAHİB). There will be approximately 350 national and international participants, occupying an area of one hundred thousand square meters across eight halls.
CFE will offer a varied events programme, including a series of talks that ensure this event will inspire and invigorate not only rug dealers and manufacturers, but also designers, decorators, architects and creative thinkers. The following talks are scheduled to take place at the show:
Tuesday 5 December:
- ‘The Importance of Weaving in Turkish Culture’ by Assoc. Dr Mustafa Genç
- ‘The Nature of Space in Historical Anatolian Weavings’ by Ali Rıza Tuna
- ‘How to Create a Global Brand’ by Bilgen Coskun and Dilek Ozturk
Wednesday 6 December:
- ‘Artists, Designers and Weavers’ by Ben Evans and Matthew Bourne
- ‘The Unsustainability of Sustainability’ by Fırat Nezi̇roğlu
- ‘Is a Future with Artificial Intelligence Possible for Traditional Carpet Design Heritage?’ by Özgecan Üstgül
- ‘Rug Rules for Design Schemes’ by Naomi Scott-Dunne
- Keynote presentation: ‘2025 Home and Interior Trends’ by Lidewij Edelkoort
Thursday 7 December:
- ‘A City of Design: Gaziantep’ by Özgür Uşaklıgil and Ömer Türk
- ‘The Wellness Trend and Ethical Design’ by Lucy Upward and Reto Aschwanden
- ‘Creative Technologies for Cultural Heritage’ by Ecem Dilan Köse
- ‘Future Trends in Home, Work and Hospitality Carpet and Flooring’ by Phil Pond
