#242 Building the Bridge: Europe, Türkiye and the Caspian Opportunity
23.07.2026 17 min Staffel 5 Episode 200
Zusammenfassung & Show Notes
🌍 Building the Bridge: Europe, Türkiye and the Caspian Opportunity
What happens when emerging markets, industrial know-how, business development and innovation ecosystems begin to converge?
In the latest edition of
What happens when emerging markets, industrial know-how, business development and innovation ecosystems begin to converge?
In the latest edition of
#Composites360onTour, Composites Lounge follows a journey from Istanbul, Türkiye to Baku, Azerbaijan to explore the growing importance of the Europe-Türkiye-Caspian corridor for the composites and advanced materials industry.
The newsletter features insights from an interview with Tevfik Denemeç, Sales Director of Artkim Group, discussing how Türkiye's position between Europe and Asia and Azerbaijan's ambitions for industrial diversification are creating new opportunities for international collaboration and business growth.
Readers can expect perspectives on:
✅ Why Türkiye continues to serve as a strategic bridge between markets
✅ Azerbaijan's development beyond oil and gas
✅ The role of business development in creating new industrial connections
✅ How exhibitions are evolving into broader industry ecosystems
✅ Why knowledge transfer and innovation must move across borders
✅ The vision behind TURKCHEM EXPO 2026, Turkchem Expo Azerbaycan 2027 and Eurasian Composites Show | Uluslararası Kompozit Sanayi Fuarı 2027
The article also highlights an increasingly important topic: the intersection of industry, innovation and destination marketing.
As regions compete for investment, talent and visibility, destinations themselves are becoming part of the industrial ecosystem. Places such as Istanbul and Baku are not merely locations for meetings and exhibitions. They are becoming platforms where business, technology, culture and partnerships come together.
The newsletter further explores why future growth in the composites sector will depend not only on materials and manufacturing capabilities, but also on the ability to connect innovators, researchers, manufacturers, investors and communities across regions.
At Composites Lounge, this mission remains at the core of everything we do:
🔹 Innovation
🔹 Technology
🔹 Sustainability
Because the future of composites will not be built within borders.
It will be built across ecosystems.
The newsletter features insights from an interview with Tevfik Denemeç, Sales Director of Artkim Group, discussing how Türkiye's position between Europe and Asia and Azerbaijan's ambitions for industrial diversification are creating new opportunities for international collaboration and business growth.
Readers can expect perspectives on:
✅ Why Türkiye continues to serve as a strategic bridge between markets
✅ Azerbaijan's development beyond oil and gas
✅ The role of business development in creating new industrial connections
✅ How exhibitions are evolving into broader industry ecosystems
✅ Why knowledge transfer and innovation must move across borders
✅ The vision behind TURKCHEM EXPO 2026, Turkchem Expo Azerbaycan 2027 and Eurasian Composites Show | Uluslararası Kompozit Sanayi Fuarı 2027
The article also highlights an increasingly important topic: the intersection of industry, innovation and destination marketing.
As regions compete for investment, talent and visibility, destinations themselves are becoming part of the industrial ecosystem. Places such as Istanbul and Baku are not merely locations for meetings and exhibitions. They are becoming platforms where business, technology, culture and partnerships come together.
The newsletter further explores why future growth in the composites sector will depend not only on materials and manufacturing capabilities, but also on the ability to connect innovators, researchers, manufacturers, investors and communities across regions.
At Composites Lounge, this mission remains at the core of everything we do:
🔹 Innovation
🔹 Technology
🔹 Sustainability
Because the future of composites will not be built within borders.
It will be built across ecosystems.
Transkript
Wonderful good afternoon dear LinkedIn
Community Composites Lounge members
as promised this is our first take
from Baku, Azerbaijan,
a very lively city
here and together with me is Tevfik.
Thanks Tevfik, for being part of our tour.
-You're welcome. Every time.
So for those
who have not met Tevfik so far.
Tevfik he is an expert
in event management.
And he's the sales director of Artkim.
And they are actually
a very long standing. 24 years ago,
being founded by Ahmet Güler,
an event organization
that has over 20 different events.
And we would like to take you on our tour
by bridging Europe, Türkiye
and Azerbaijan.
And Azerbaijan is such an interesting part
of this world.
As you can see today, Very sunny.
Nice weather.
-Windy, windy weather also.
This is why we have this bushel here.
And it's a very oil rich country.
But besides the oil and gas
that is present here,
Azerbaijan is looking also also
for foreign investment opportunities.
And this is why Artkim
decided to come over to Azerbaijan
and open this.
And I'm here
My role is to bridge Europe, Turkey
and Azerbaijan
and get this region known to you.
So, but before we dive in,
just after this short break,
my question to you.
My first personal question to Tevfik
is why event management?
What is your passion about it?
Exactly. When I was studying
the Istanbul University, I graduated
about tourism business management.
After then I was going to USA
for the event management
and to all suppliers part
of the tourism management and after then
when I feel to bring
all together the people
and after I get the management
of the some events and all convention
and exhibition
things, I feel really comfortable
and really like them.
Bring all together the people
and to create really different events.
When I was meeting with the Artkim group,
I was started
like a business development manager,
but before the business development
about the event management.
My passion is bring to all
bring the people all together
and helping them
to make their own business opportunities
and creating some
like an art of the event, you know,
because when we create the start
of the event, we create like a all LED
lights, like a catering
things and other equipment
of all events, we just connection
with them after then just resolving
the their passion
or their impression, you know.
-So Tevfik thank you
for all this information
that you have given to us
and the passion I can really feel it here
with the breeze of the Caspian Sea
and everyone here is so friendly.
Let me ask you about one thing: now,
all these events
that you are dealing here with.
What kind of events are those?
Please let us know what kinds of events
you organize in Turkey
and what kinds of events
are you planning here in Azerbaijan soon?
This season 2026
we passed away the one pharmacy events
in Beyoglu the middle of Istanbul,
and right now we are going to November
for Turkchem Eurasia.
Our big flagship event.
Turkchem Eurasia is a locomotive exhibition
for Artkim Group.
We are organizing Turkey and Eurasia
in November 25th
to 27th in 2026
on Istanbul Exhibition Center.
I'd like to introduce
to what we will do inside
of the Turkey exhibition.
Just I would like to say
we are really exciting
to introduce to our panels
like a visitors profile or exhibitors.
-So thank you Tevfik
for all this information and insights
into Turkchem and all the other events.
I'm really impressed
by the number of shows and the breadth
and the depth that you are giving
with these events and dear community,
as you have realized by now,
we have left Baku, Azerbaijan
and now we are
at the sahil (coast) of the Bosphorus.
Bogazici here.
Now, you see in my backdrop,
Fatih Sultan Mehmet Köprülü,
which is the bridge from Europe to Asia.
And this is basically our message
to you guys
that we are bridging now Europe, Turkey
to Azerbaijan and the Caspian region.
And therefore, this is so important
that you follow us here.
What we will show
you is investment opportunities.
What we will show you is new markets
that are emerging around there.
We all know
the classical industrial markets,
but we are on a message and on a mission
to get to expand
internationally in other new territories.
And as you know, Turkey
is getting into the G20.
It's one of the 20 largest economies.
What can be more appropriate
than using Turkey as a bridge,
like the Fatih Sultan Mehmet Bridge
to the neighbor countries.
So but of course,
that comes at a certain cost
and investment.
And this is why we are here
and show you that.
Tevfik and Community, Tevfik
is the sales director
of my partner, Artkim,
and we've entered into a partnership
regarding Turkey and Azerbaijan.
So you told about Turkchem
2026 in Istanbul.
Now let's move to Azerbaijan.
What's the reason
that you are expanding into Azerbaijan?
-I would like to say the Azerbaijan,
you know, our brotherhood country.
And also if we start
to regional appointment
of our geographic area
like Turkey starting to Turkey, Istanbul
and going up to Azerbaijan location
like a middle Asia after then
maybe our route is going to Eastern Europe
and far away of the Central Asia.
We're talking with the government side,
like Azpromo and Alat Free Zone
managers and Sumgayit area,
and also like
like a ministry of the economy.
They always say that we are always open
your events
and like a chemical industry, a benchmark.
After then just
we decided to visit Baku
and get some meeting
with like a sectoral professional.
And always they are really give us
some advice about the chemical
industries opportunities
in Azerbaijan.
You know, the like a petrochemical,
raw materials,
always growing them in Azerbaijan,
but like an industry
doesn't give some sense
about like going up to Central Asia.
-So the general industry
is still too low of a share.
It's a lot of dominated by oil and gas.
And Azerbaijan is looking for new kind
of industries like the chemical industry.
And Turkchem Azerbaijan 2027
is well positioned
in the general industry
as a chemical event.
Obviously. So that's understood.
And now let's come to our summit
and our really the zenith of the events,
which is close to my heart.
Eurasia Composites.
Let's talk about Eurasia Composites.
So it will be in November 2027.
And what is your idea
about Eurasia Composites.
What's the the speciality about it?
Why should our community
take care about it.
Why should they consider it?
-Two months ago
we visited the JEC World 2026, you know,
and also we researching
about how it's going on the composite,
like applications.
What's going on in the composite?
You know, right now,
the all over the world,
the most popular thing is defense
and after also the Turkish government.
And there are
geopolitical Ideas going to defense
and all about the material
of the composite.
Why are we using the composite?
Just we would like to learn
European playmakers,
how we use the composite
and also how they are calling
the like a connection
of the all materials composite.
You know, because we know your ideas
about the composite.
And also we need to match European side
and Eurasian side
and maybe Central Asia side.
Also we have so much like a materials
of the composite industry. But you know,
we would like to like an opening
to European side, to a Eurasian side
and to matching our visitors
and hosted buyers.
-So dear community,
just to sum up this Eurasia Composites
2027 is of course,
a great opportunity
not only to connect the European
and the Turkey and the Caspian region.
It is also a possibility and opportunity
to increase knowledge,
increase knowledge about applications.
And as you know, my three content pillars
are innovation,
technology and sustainability.
And I'm seeing here a lot
of great brains in Turkey
that have so much innovative minds
and are really bright minds,
but they are not really communicated
in the hemisphere of composites.
And I'm here to help you guys.
If you have an innovation
to get this known from Europe
to Turkey and vice versa.
Let me give you an example.
There is from Malatya,
a lady, Merve Canpolat.
Greetings to you.
At this point
she has extracted from a fruit which is.
Now I have to ask you, in Malatya,
the fruit is, uh, apricot.
Yeah. The apricot.
I was looking for the English word.
So she's extracting a biopolymer.
And this is so innovative.
And I spoke with her in length.
And this is a feature
of this really core of this fruit
that has a non-flammable
or flame retardant features.
And this is so great
because we are doing as an industry
so much to get flame retardancy
incorporated designed into that.
So things like this,
the innovation coming from Turkey,
from places from resources
that are not available in other places
can be transferred to other places
because I am absolutely convinced
if the world comes together
with these ideas,
with the innovative ideas, the whole world
will participate from that.
This does not mean that Turkey
is the cheaper country to produce.
But maybe there is an idea here,
maybe even it is cheaper to produce
the scaled production of this product instead.
The innovation is clear,
but the scaling can be done.
Maybe in Germany,
maybe in the Netherlands,
or maybe in Turkey that will be seen.
Important is that the innovation
and the knowledge
is being spread around the world.
So I'm coming also now
to the close of my video
with my partners Artkim
here where we are going
to combine Europe, Turkey
with the Caspian region.
It's really been a pleasure
with you guys one week together.
Our pleasure.
It was really a deep dive
into this region.
Thank you so much
for opening all this region.
And we try as Composites Lounge
as much as it's possible
to get both countries together.
So my name is Ilkay Özkisaoglu.
I'm the community manager
of Composites Lounge.
I have my own company called IMBEO
doing also business development.
Yeah. And ask you to join our movement.
When we open new territories.
We will soon have possible offers
for you guys.
Check out our links,
check out Turkchem in Istanbul,
check out Turkchem in Azerbaijan
and check out Eurasia Composites
and let the show begin.
Thank you.