The 11th edition of Marble 2005, the International Natural Stone and Technology Fair, was held from March 31 to April 3 at the International Izmir Fair Center in Izmir, Turkey. The exhibition included 900 companies from 32 countries and nearly 40,000 visitors from 65 nations, according to show organizers.

“Marble” was first held in 1995 as Turkey's international stone fair, with 47 exhibitors in an area of approximately 28,000 square feet. Today, the show has expanded to encompass almost 360,000 square feet of exhibition space. The event was registered by one of the world's leading trade fair authority, UFI - The Global Association of the Exhibition Industry, in 1998, and was the first UFI-approved specialized trade fair in Turkey, reported organizer Izfas Izmir Fair.

This year's exhibition showed a 52% increase in the number of attendees compared to the last year, exceeding expectations, according to Dogan Isleyen, general manager of Izfas Izmir Fair. “We have two aims,” he said. “Our first aim is to build a new exhibition center to fulfill the rapidly increasing demand of new exhibitors, and to provide a comfortable opportunity for our professional visitors. Our second aim is to increase Marble's success and make it the premier [show] in the world.”