A number of Turkish cities and companies are set to exhibit their projects at the world's largest real estate fair, MIPIM (Le Marché International des Professionnels de l'Immobilier), in Cannes, France, March 13-16.

MIPIM 2018 is expected to attract a great deal of interest as it prepares to host more than 25,000 visitors from 100 countries in an area of 20,000 square meters. Turkey will have an exhibition area of 1,600 square meters where the country's most prominent cities, leading real estate firms and architects will display their projects.

The country will be represented by 250 institutions and 700 participants. Among the cities, Balıkesir, Gaziantep, Hatay, Istanbul and its Beyoğlu district will showcase a number of projects. The Istanbul pavilion will have an area of 685 square meters, which was prepared by the late Istanbul Chamber of Commerce Chair İbrahim Çağlar. Alkaş and JLL Turkey Chairman Avi Alkaş, MIPIM's Turkey representative, said Turkey would play a more active role at this year's fair.

"International investors are very interested in projects completed in the next couple of years. Their interests were evident in B2B meetings," Alkaş said. He said Turkey, with its cities and real estate companies, would secure a key position in the industry. MIPIM, therefore, is the best platform to exhibit Turkey's ambitions.

He also drew attention to the growing budget of Turkish cities, which compete with many countries, emphasizing that world cities will start to govern the world within two decades.

Turkey's biggest metropolis, Istanbul, is preparing to become a center for international investors once again with its pavilion at the fair. The city will again be represented by the Istanbul Chamber of Commerce (ICC).

The pavilion, located between Paris and London's, is expected to draw a great deal of interest from real estate investors, just like last year.

ICC Chairman Öztürk Oran said the ICC has built global bridges by participating in international fairs and secured stronger collaborations with some noteworthy projects. It has also added some value-generating power to the leading products of the sectors they represent.

"MIPIM, the prestigious real estate fair, is a strategic part of our projects," Oran said, adding, "By bringing together the leading figures of the sector every year, this fair is an important platform for exhibiting Istanbul's multilateral identity, deep-rooted history, and opportunities."

Oran said Istanbul Real Estate and Publicity Pavilion at MIPIM 2018 would open possibilities for stronger collaborations through different events. It will invite the world to Istanbul as different actors, government officials and high-level members of the real estate world gather at the Istanbul Pavilion.

"The Istanbul Chamber of Commerce is prepared to carry the prestige of Istanbul, an heir of ancient civilizations that hosts many opportunities for modern urbanization, to a higher level," he said.

Participating in MIPIM with two major urban transformation projects, namely "Istasyon" and "Aydınlar," southeastern Turkey's Gaziantep looks to attract a lot of attention from international investors. The city is ambitious with its urban transformation project in the "Istasyon" district. The project will transform an area of 505,330 square meters to create a modern commercial and tourist center consisting of offices, tourism and residential areas.

Gaziantep Metropolitan Mayor Fatma Şahin noted that this project, which is set to change city life and its image, is inspired by traditional and local architecture.

"Despite hosting a huge number of refugees, Gaziantep undertook the largest urban transformation project in Turkey," Şahin said, adding that they were trying to support major investments that will increase the competitive power of the city.

Mayor Şahin said Gaziantep would change the fate of the region and even of Turkey. "Today, cities are competing, and in that race, cities can take the lead with their economies and industries, as well as the importance they attach to art and culture," she said.

She noted that the development, which started in Gaziantep, would spread throughout the region, and the city will form the basis of regional development. She said that they want Gaziantep to play a leading role in the region and ensure its role in the spread of dynamism.