A roll of machine-made carpet weighs more than most people planning a stand expect, and a pallet of natural stone or porcelain tile weighs a great deal more. ICFE covers both — textile floor coverings and hard flooring, marble, ceramic and parquet are all in the official scope — so the first number on an ICFE stand is not a design decision. It is the weight of your heaviest display item and the area it stands on.
ICFE, the International Carpet and Flooring Expo, runs 6–9 January 2027 at Istanbul Expo Center (İFM), Yeşilköy. This page is written for exhibitors looking for an ICFE stand builder: hanging and display systems, floor loads, the approval route, and prices.
Contents
ToggleICFE at a glance
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Dates | 6–9 January 2027 |
| Venue | Istanbul Expo Center (İFM), Yeşilköy, Istanbul |
| Frequency | Annual, early January |
| Exhibitors (2025) | 497, of which 141 foreign |
| Visitors (2025) | 36,000, of which 8,276 foreign |
| Area (2025) | 50,530 m² |
| Halls (2026) | 11, after an eleventh was added and filled |
| Exhibitor countries (2026) | 25, including China, Iran, Pakistan, India, Afghanistan, Uzbekistan, USA, Egypt, Jordan, Belgium, France |
| Organised by | Tüyap |
One thing to get right before anyone loads a truck: ICFE is organised by Tüyap but held at Istanbul Expo Center in Yeşilköy, not at Tüyap’s own centre in Büyükçekmece. At least one industry directory prints the Tüyap address under this fair’s venue block. The two sites are about forty kilometres apart on opposite sides of the city, and a crew sent to the wrong one loses a day.
Note also that the fair was previously called CFE and is now ICFE. Some listings still carry the old name as if it were a separate event.
Showing a floor covering is a structural problem
Istanbul Expo Center’s halls carry 2,250 kg/m², which sounds generous until you put a stone pallet or a stack of rolls on a small footprint. The figure that matters is the load over the area your display actually bears on, not an average across the stand. Four decisions follow from it:
- Hanging versus standing. Carpet hung from a rail transfers its whole weight into the structure above, so the frame has to be engineered for it rather than dressed to look like it is. Rolls stood on end need a restraint and a tip-over check. Neither is a decision to take on site.
- Hard flooring needs a base, not a plinth. Stone, porcelain and engineered parquet displayed as full-size panels put their load in a line along the bottom edge. We design a spreader base for them and position the display near a structural axis where the point load warrants it.
- Walkable samples. If visitors are meant to step onto a laid floor, the sub-construction has to be flat, fixed and rated for footfall for four days — and it has to come apart again, because nothing may be drilled or fixed into the hall floor.
- Touch height. A carpet is bought by hand as much as by eye. Build the display so a standing adult can reach into the pile without crouching or stretching.
Tell us the weight and bearing area of your heaviest item at briefing, together with how much hanging face and how much walkable area you need. Those three figures decide the stand’s structure before anything about its appearance.
Lighting is the second decision. A carpet’s colour and its pile direction both read differently under warm light, low colour-rendering light, or light that comes only from above. We use high colour rendering across the display zone and light hung faces directly rather than from the ceiling alone.
The design programme brings a different visitor
ICFE runs a substantial programme alongside the halls: Carpet Talks sessions on design methodology, traditional craftsmanship and Hereke silk, a designer workshop, a collection competition with finalist designs displayed on the fairground, and a collaborative carpet assembled on site during the fair from the work of hundreds of designers.
The practical consequence is that part of your audience is architectural and design-led rather than purely commercial. A stand that shows construction, backing, density and finish alongside the face earns those conversations; a wall of finished product alone does not.
Approval and the venue’s limits
Raw space means naming your constructor and having the design approved before anything is built. Deadlines vary — Automechanika Istanbul, which publishes its terms, requires drawings two months ahead and states that an unapproved design cannot be erected in the fairground. ICFE’s own deadline arrives with your exhibitor documentation, so request it the week your space is confirmed.
The venue caps stand height at 5.8 m and requires a structural check for any stand 4 m or over and for every two-storey stand. A tall hanging wall for long carpets crosses that threshold easily, and so does an overhead identity band on a large stand, so budget for the static report rather than discovering it late.
Flame-retardant certification is worth settling at design stage. Textile floor covering is the dominant material on this floor and fire-performance requirements apply to stand textiles — which is a separate question from your product’s own specification.
Bringing carpet and flooring into Turkey
Display rolls, panels and fixtures you will take home again normally travel under an ATA carnet as temporary admission. Cut samples, swatch books and anything handed to a buyer are given away and need a full export declaration instead. Textile and flooring products can also carry category-specific documentation — confirm both with your freight forwarder in writing before shipping.
In-hall lifting and handling are ordered through the venue’s authorised contractor, with requests at least two weeks before move-in. Heavy rolls and stone pallets need that slot booked at the start of the setup period, not on arrival.
Prices
| Included in our price | Paid to the organiser |
|---|---|
| Design and 3D visuals, revised until approved | Floor space rental |
| Technical file, static report and submission | Electricity and water connections |
| Engineered hanging frames and load-bearing display bases | In-hall lifting and empty-case storage |
| Manufacturing in our own workshop and pre-assembly | Compulsory service and catalogue fees |
| Transport, installation and dismantling | Static control fee, where one is charged |
| A technician on call during the fair |
Our band for a custom stand is 400 – 750 EUR per m², quoted as a fixed price in EUR against an approved design. Island stands add 10–20%; double-decker structures add 40–60%, including the structural report and the longer installation.
Send your hall and stand number, size, number of open sides, the weight and bearing area of your heaviest item and how much hanging face you need, and you get a 3D design and a fixed quotation.
Timeline for January 2027
| Stage | When |
|---|---|
| Display list: weights, bearing areas, hanging face, walkable area | Immediately — the fair is close |
| 3D design, hanging frame engineering, lighting plan | Straight after the brief |
| Static report if over 4 m or two-storey | Before submission |
| Submission to the organiser | Per the deadline in your exhibitor documentation |
| Lifting and electricity orders | At least two weeks before move-in |
| Manufacturing and pre-assembly | December 2026 |
| Product shipping and customs | Separate from the stand, with its own lead time |
We work to 10–12 weeks for a custom stand, and add time where the structure has to carry engineered hanging frames. If you are inside that window for January 2027, tell us and we will say honestly which stand types still fit.
Frequently asked questions
When is ICFE 2027?
6–9 January 2027 at Istanbul Expo Center (İFM), Yeşilköy, Istanbul. The fair is annual and runs in early January. The 2025 edition had 497 exhibitors including 141 foreign, and 36,000 visitors including 8,276 from abroad, across 50,530 m².
Is ICFE at Tüyap?
No. Tüyap organises it, but the fair is held at Istanbul Expo Center in Yeşilköy. Some directories print the Tüyap Büyükçekmece address under this fair — the two venues are on opposite sides of Istanbul.
Can I hang full-length carpets on my stand?
Yes, with the frame engineered for the load rather than dressed to look like it is. Tell us the weight per hung piece and how much hanging face you need; a tall hanging wall usually crosses the 4 m threshold and will need a structural check.
Can visitors walk on a laid floor sample?
Yes, with a sub-construction that is flat, fixed and rated for four days of footfall — and demountable, because nothing may be drilled or fixed into the hall floor. Tell us the walkable area you want and we design the build-up for it.
How heavy a display can the hall take?
The halls carry 2,250 kg/m². The figure that decides it is the load over the area your display actually bears on — a stone pallet or a stack of rolls on a small footprint can exceed the limit locally. Send the weight and the bearing area together.
Creostand is an exhibition stand builder in Istanbul: we design, manufacture in our own workshop in Esenyurt — about 35 minutes from Istanbul Expo Center — and install on site. For other fairs and dates, see our Istanbul exhibition calendar.