Footwear Components Industry Reconvenes

Footwear Component Industry Convenes Again The International Footwear Component Industry Fair AYSAF, the largest trade show of its kind in Eurasia, brought together 36 business sectors for the 68th time in cooperation with the industry's umbrella organization AYSAD and Artkim Fuarcılık. Participants included footwear component material, leather, synthetic leather, textile, sole, heel, accessory, machinery, chemical and mold manufacturers from around the world. The fair, held at Istanbul Fuar Merkezi between 3-6 May 2023, welcomed a total of 12,736 visitors, of which 2,123 were international. A total of 331 companies participated, with 34 being foreign. The fair's panel titled "Sectoral Perspectives with Leaders," moderated by Hande Berktan, left a strong impression. The panel featured AYSAD Footwear Component Manufacturers Association Board Chairman Sait Salıcı, TASEV Turkey Footwear Sector Research Development and Education Foundation Board Chairman Hüseyin Çetin, TASD Turkey Footwear Manufacturers Association Board Chairman Berke İçten and Aegean Leather and Leather Products Exporters Association Board Chairman Erkan Zandar. Panelists noted that exchange rate imbalances reduce export competitiveness and emphasized the need to improve physical conditions, particularly production facilities, to increase exports and enable new generations to participate in employment. The fair, organized with integrated art and social responsibility components, drew considerable interest from the two-day performances by Alex's Men, the World's Fastest Shoe Designer, and artworks created by artist Deniz Sağdıç using recycled materials. The 69th International Footwear Component Industry Fair AYSAF will be held at Istanbul Fuar Merkezi on 15-18 November 2023.