One of Türkiye’s top business associations is set to kick start a major trade fair in Istanbul on Wednesday that will bring together hundreds of Turkish firms and entrepreneurs with foreign buyers and officials from more than 120 countries.

Looking to be a platform that will help generate new deals and cooperation, the 19th edition of Independent Industrialists and Businessmen’s Association’s (MÜSIAD) biennial MÜSIAD EXPO will be held between Nov. 2-5 at TÜYAP Istanbul Fair and Congress Center.

Industrialists, entrepreneurs and investors from 124 countries will gather for the event, which is also expected to host over 100,000 visitors.

Officials say the four-day expo seeks to serve as a trade diplomacy platform that will feature multiple events, including the 26th International Business Forum, to be held under the theme "Food Safety and Preservation of Generations."

The event will also host ambassadors from Developing-8 (D-8) countries who will come together for a summit that will be held for the first time as part of the expo.

Alongside Türkiye, Indonesia, Bangladesh, Egypt, Iran, Malaysia, Nigeria and Pakistan are members of the D-8 that is based in Istanbul.

The organization was launched in June 1997 after then-Turkish Prime Minister Necmettin Erbakan proposed the creation of an economic group consisting of eight emerging economies from the Muslim world.

Speaking of the fair, MÜSIAD chair Mahmut Asmalı stressed that the expo, which he said plays an important role in introducing national technologies to global markets, would guide trade with the opportunities it hosts.

"MÜSIAD fairs have been one of the most important showcase projects that have introduced the strong potential of Anatolia to the world since 1993. MÜSIAD EXPO, which is expanding its influence every year it is organized, will open its doors on Nov. 2 with the largest participation in its history," Asmalı said in a statement.

Delegations consisting of more than 1,500 business people from more than 60 countries "will have the opportunity to come together with their direct interlocutors at our fair," he noted.

"We aim to get maximum efficiency from the B2B negotiations to be held during the fair. This great meeting, which will directly contribute to the exports of our country, will also direct regional and global trade with its multicultural and wide-ranging structure."