TEKNOFEST in Southeast Anatolia: record attendance and Bayraktar’s visit to the Demirören Medya stand
TEKNOFEST Güneydoğu in Şanlıurfa has drawn a record number of participants. Haluk Bayraktar called the festival the largest organisation in the republic's history and visited the Demirören Medya media partner stand.
Abdulrahman Sadikhli3 min read
The TEKNOFEST Güneydoğu festival, taking place in Şanlıurfa in southeastern Turkey, is attracting a record number of participants. Baykar CEO and member of the T3 Foundation's board of trustees Haluk Bayraktar announced this on 2 October 2026.
Bayraktar visited the festival's media partner stand — Demirören Medya, spread over an area of 250 square metres — and spoke there before journalists.
"TEKNOFEST Güneydoğu in Şanlıurfa meets our citizens together with all the finalists. Tremendous inspiration. We are glad to be part of this inspiration and to support it," he said.
Bayraktar said the festival in the southeast has 157 partners, and thanked Demirören Medya for its support.
"This is the largest organisation in the history of the republic. Each tent is a world of its own. There are many competitions here: from the world of art to technology, from biotechnology to robotics, from drones to artificial intelligence. This is an inspiration that our entire nation has embraced — from 7 to 77 years old," he said.
According to him, on the second day of the festival the number of visitors reached 200 thousand.
"Our goal, within the framework of the National Technology Movement, is for our country to become strong and prosperous, to direct young people into new technologies, so that they put forward ideas and pursue their dreams. TEKNOFEST is one of the projects I am most proud of and of which I am a part," Bayraktar said.
Tour of the exhibition and projects
After his speech, Bayraktar toured the Demirören Medya stand. He showed particular interest in "Dimi", the domestic AI assistant developed within the Demirören Medya ecosystem. The director of the development group for the Demirören Medya platform and media technologies, Ahmet Temur, told him about the project. Bayraktar asked questions about the principles of how the system works, noted that he liked it, and congratulated the development teams. He was also shown the TEKNOFEST quiz prepared by the Demirören Yazılım team.
In addition, Bayraktar familiarised himself with projects by students of the Demirören professional and technical Anatolian media and technology lyceum. He received information about the AI-based future simulation AI Future Verse and spoke with students about the AI Reporter Studio project, which offers anchoring experience with the help of AI.
At the Demirören Yayınları stand, Bayraktar viewed 27 collector's editions prepared under the motto "In the footsteps of cultural heritage", and received information about the album book "The Seal of Conquest: Hagia Sophia and the Kebir Cami and Şerifi", published for the sixth anniversary of Hagia Sophia's status as a mosque.
During Bayraktar's visit he was accompanied by member of the board of directors of Demirören Holding Bereket Murat Oktay.
Source: cnnturk.com
