First Elevex Konya Exhibition A Success, With Visitor Numbers Exceeding Expectations 

Konya’s first elevator and escalator fair, organized by Vizyon Sektörel Fuarcılık, Elevex Konya, made a good start by exceeding expectations with intense visitor participation between May 22-25.

Despite working as a publisher in this sector for approximately 12 years, it has been quite difficult for me to follow the new companies and new initiatives established in Konya. Many entrepreneurial businesspeople who work in a company for a certain period of time and gain experience leave and establish a new company alone or with partners and take part in the same competitive environment as a manufacturer. In addition to all these private initiatives, Emlak Konut, a public institution, opened the factory of Emlak Konut Asansör in Konya two years ago, thus increasing the production capacity in this city even more.

After the fair was first announced, the event that caught my attention the most was the 400 m2 and above stands purchased by large local companies manufacturing in Konya. Due to my work, I have the opportunity to attend almost all fairs in the world and see them firsthand. Apart from the WEE Expo in Shanghai, China, this was the first time I saw such large stands. Before the fair, my biggest curiosity was how these stands would be designed. However, when I arrived at the fair, I observed that a lot of work had been done on these giant stands and that serious budgets had been allocated. Throughout the four-day event, Elevex 2024 showcased the latest technologies in the elevator and escalator industry, strengthening business connections between participants and visitors across a 38,000-m² exhibition area.

Konya’s Share in Exports Is 40%

The opening ceremony was attended by Konya Chamber of Commerce President Selçuk Öztürk, Konya Chamber of Industry President Mustafa Büyükeğen, Construction Contractors Confederation (İMKON) Deputy Chairman Mustafa Şahin and heads of elevator industry associations, along with numerous industry professionals. After the opening, company booths were visited.

Öztürk expressed his satisfaction with Konya hosting an event like Elevex 2024 and stated that the industry is making great efforts to achieve Türkiye’s elevator and elevator parts export targets. Öztürk stated: 

“The elevator sector is one of the rare sectors in Türkiye that generates an export surplus. Approximately 40% of the sector’s production and exports are made from Konya. We consider this figure significant, and I congratulate all our participants, especially our companies from Konya, for their contributions to the elevator sector. We will fulfill all our duties to ensure that the Elevex Konya Elevator and Technologies Fair becomes one of the leading fairs worldwide in the future.”

Konya’s exports increased by 25% last year, significantly contributing to the city’s total export revenues. In a statement by the Konya Chamber of Industry, it was noted that the city’s elevator manufacturers have gained global competitiveness thanks to their high-quality standards and innovative technologies.

Büyükeğen also highlighted the importance of Elevex for the sector, stating: 

“More than 200 of our companies have set up booths at the fair. Participants from countries such as China, Iran, Germany, the U.S., India, the U.A.E. and Kazakhstan are also present. Nearly half of the sector’s exports, amounting to approximately US$500 million, are made from our city. Hopefully, with the new collaborations to be established at this fair, these figures will increase further. As the Konya Chamber of Industry, we will continue to support the Elevex Konya Elevator and Technologies Fair.”

A total of 203 participating companies from seven different countries and Türkiye were present at Elevex. The first edition of Eleex was visited by 21,507 sector professionals from Türkiye and 45 other countries, with 4,171 foreign visitors, giving the fair a global dimension.

Elevex 2024: A Bridge to Global Markets

Konya’s prominence in the elevator industry, which is gaining recognition, is seen as part of the city’s overall development in industry and technology. The city aims to expand its success in the elevator sector to other industrial branches and become a regional industrial power. These developments reinforce Konya’s position not only as a significant industrial center in Türkiye but also in Europe and the Middle East.

The high level of international participation in Elevex 2024, with visitors from 45 countries including Egypt, China, Iraq, Morocco, Saudi Arabia, Libya, France, Italy and Kuwait made commercial agreements and transformed the fair into a global platform. This significantly increased the fair’s worldwide recognition and impact.

Ah-met Asansör is among Türkiye’s top five export champions and manufacturing in Konya and had a giant LED screen installed at its stand, along with a triangular elevator with doors that opened in various directions and one of the most striking decorations: a whirling dervish rotating with Sufi music inside a symbolic elevator cabin. This attracted great attention from visitors.

Mars Elevator, which manufactures in Ankara and is Turkiye’s second largest exporter, and Bursa-based Özbeşler Asansör also hosted many visitors from home and abroad with their huge and stylish stands.

Konya’s rapidly growing cable and security component manufacturer Küçük Grup attracted attention with its robots roaming around the fair and with its three-dimensional digital videos on the LED screen card located in the center of its stand.

Emlak Konut Asansör, which everyone was eagerly waiting for and was the center of attention, offered visitors the opportunity to experience EKA cabins with augmented reality glasses at its stylish and modern stand without any physical products on hand.

Konya’s largest button manufacturer, Butkon, hosted perhaps one of the most crowded stands at the fair. Despite visiting several times, it was impossible to even find a seat. The traditional Konya pilaf style dinner held on the evening of the third day of the fair at its factory, which had just moved to and completed construction this year, attracted thousands of attendees. Although the meal was planned to be served outside, guests were accommodated inside the factory due to adverse weather conditions and heavy rain that fell just before the meal.

Another major producer in Konya, Onay Lift, was the center of attention of visitors with its etli ekmek (etli ekmek is a delicious Turkish pizza-like dish originating from the city of Konya), which it produced, baked and offered to guests free of charge at its stand throughout the fair.

A New Era in Elevator Engineering: ELEport Engineering Portal

One of the most striking products at the fair was the ELEport software. The ELEport Engineering Portal draws attention with its advanced calculation and modeling features for elevator projects. ELEport can perform detailed calculations for 14 different aspects related to elevators according to EN 81-20/50 standards. Additionally, it takes into account additional seismic forces on rails according to the EN 81-77 standard, ensuring safety and durability in seismic conditions. This feature elevates the safety and resilience standards of elevator projects to the highest level.

ELEport’s user-friendly interface allows engineers to easily perform complex calculations and create 2D and 3D drawings. Moreover, sharing these drawings can be done from phones, tablets and computers without the need for any CAD infrastructure. This feature enables engineers to manage their projects from anywhere and on any device.

Two Types of New Elevators from Decosan

Decosan’s Vavgen elevator for insufficient shaft dimensions and Seismic Zone Elevator, developed together with Serdar Tavaslıoğlu, were among the elevators that attracted the most attention at the fair. Providing information about elevators, Tavaslıoğlu said: 

“Our country is a country with active fault lines. Most of the large settlements are located on these active fault lines. With the Earthquake Regulation that came into force in 2007, buildings were made more resistant to earthquake movements, but the same improvement could not be made to elevators, which are a component of the building. In the recent Kahramanmaraş-Hatay earthquakes, many of our citizens who were caught in the earthquake in the elevator shafts lost their lives even though the building was not damaged. TS EN 81-77 Standard defines the precautions to be taken against earthquakes in elevators. It has determined methods for elevators to act more resiliently in the event of an earthquake, to prevent getting stuck in the shaft due to compression, to prevent the cabin and counterweight from encountering each other and to prevent damage to ropes and rails with simple but effective precautions. These precautions bring a cost difference of 13-17% depending on the elevator travel distance in an elevator, but this cost difference also determines the difference between life and death. Elevators should be made earthquake resistant as much as buildings. Just as it is a legal obligation to build earthquake-proof buildings, it should be a legal obligation to make elevators built in the same building earthquake resistant. If we do not take these precautions immediately, it will be inevitable to experience the same pain again. TS EN 81-77 standard should be mandatory for elevators in new buildings built in earthquake zones. There is no point in shedding tears in elevator shafts again. I do not think that it will be beneficial for us to continue discussing this issue without learning a lesson after so many earthquakes.”

VAVGEN’s Elevator for Insufficiently Measured Shafts: 

“In buildings built according to old regulations, the number and capacity of elevators were built according to old regulations. However, as people’s demands for comfort increased, the elevators built began to be insufficient in number and capacity. The addition of new elevators is necessary as a solution. However, for elevators built according to TS EN 81-20/50 standards, the shaft bottom and top dimensions are difficult to meet in existing buildings. Home Lift type solutions, which are another solution that does not require a shaft bottom, are not suitable solutions for high-rise buildings. Their speed is limited to 0.15 m/s, the requirement to keep the buttons pressed continuously and their low-capacity cause application problems in multistory buildings in terms of speed and capacity. VAVGEN elevator is an elevator built according to the TS EN 81-21 standard and certified by receiving Type Approval. Its speed is 1 m/s, its travel distance can be 27 m and its capacity can be up to 1000 kg. In addition, while Home Lift elevators are manufactured in accordance with the Machinery Safety Regulation, VAVGEN is an elevator manufactured directly in accordance with the Elevator Regulation and meets all the safety requirements required by the Regulation. Since the bottom of the well is 20 cm and the top of the well is 260 cm, it can be applied to any opening without digging a well. Elevator movements are also equivalent to a normal elevator. In this sense, it has been developed as a suitable solution to add elevators to existing buildings or multistory villas. It offers an extremely quiet and comfortable ride with its steel belt suspension system and STO drive.”

On the third day of the fair, the live whirling dervish show performed by SRL Asansör in the middle of its large stand was especially appreciated by visitors from abroad and out of town.

At Elevex 2024 Elevator and Technologies Fair, in the panel titled “Raising Awareness of Vocational Education in the Elevator Sector and The Importance of Vocational Education in Sustainable Development,” the importance of vocational education was addressed and the vital issue of providing young employment to the sector was discussed. Moderated by TASİAD Board of Directors Chairwoman Yasemin Bulut, the panel featured H. Emre Seçgin from the General Directorate of Vocational and Technical Education of the Ministry of National Education; “The Importance of Vocational Education in National Development, Vocational Education Applications in Türkiye and the World”; Durmuş Akdoğan, manager of Konya Chamber of Commerce Vocational Education Center; “What Should Be Done to Increase Efficiency in Vocational Education?”; Burçin Henden Şolt, manager of BEÜ Alaplı Vocational School; “Elevator Education Studies in Vocational Schools”; Güvercinlik Şehit Hasan Gülhan Vocational and Technical Education School Manager Nihat Şimdi “General Situation of Vocational Education in the Elevator Sector”; İMMİB Erkan Avcı Vocational and Technical Education. Electrical Teacher Malik Fırat talked about “The Importance of School/Industry Cooperation”; TASİS Chairman Turgay Kuluğ “The Importance of Public/NGO/Private Sector Cooperation and the Need for Educated Personnel in the Elevator Sector”; and AYSKAD General Secretary/Education Commission Chairman İlkay Kaplan Palancı “Vocational Education Studies in the Elevator Sector.”

The next edition of the Elevex Konya Elevator and Technologies Fair will be held again at the KTO Tüyap Konya International Fair Center on May 6-9, 2026.