With the support of Uğurlular Textile and Osman Uğurlu, President of the Denizli Exporters’ Association (DENİB), which is an external stakeholder of the Foreign Trade Department, 8 students and 2 academics from the PAU DVSSS Foreign Trade Department attended the fair and met with industry representatives. The participating students engaged in intensive networking activities over the two-day event, gaining sectoral experience and establishing important connections that will contribute to their career planning.

On the first day of the fair, the students and academics attended the opening ceremony and had the opportunity to meet Minister of Trade Ömer Bolat, Denizli Member of Parliament Şahin Tin, chamber presidents, and numerous businesspeople together with DENİB President Osman Uğurlu. Through these meetings, the students gained valuable insights into Türkiye’s export potential, the position of the home textiles sector in the global market, and foreign trade processes.

As part of HOMETEX 2026, 86 Denizli-based companies and 4 companies from Uşak operating under DENİB participated in the fair. Throughout the event, students and academics from Pamukkale University’s Foreign Trade Department held one-on-one meetings with representatives of many DENİB-affiliated companies, closely observing the sector’s needs, export processes, and developments in international markets.

The students had the opportunity to evaluate internship and career prospects by establishing contacts with companies operating particularly in the fields of foreign trade, export operations, marketing, and international customer relations. They also received comprehensive information from officials at the DENİB stand regarding the companies’ fields of activity, export volumes, target markets, and the current dynamics of the sector.

The technical trip and fair visit made a significant contribution to enabling students to combine their theoretical knowledge with field experience. The organization, which was also regarded as highly productive by the academics, was stated to be of great importance in terms of strengthening university-industry cooperation and supporting the professional development of students.

Pamukkale University Denizli Vocational School of Social Sciences Foreign Trade Department faculty members, Vice Head of the Foreign Trade Department Lecturer Dr. Mükrime Öksüz Demirgubuz and Lecturer Dr. Burcu Yaman Selçi, stated that such organizations, which enable students to establish direct contact with the industry, will continue in the future and thanked DENİB President Osman Uğurlu for his contributions.