Among the many stands at TEKNOFEST Southeast in Şanlıurfa, the stand area of the Directorate of Communications of the Presidency of the Republic of Türkiye holds a special place.
At first glance, this area clearly differs from spaces focused on unmanned aerial vehicles, aviation technologies, or engineering designs. Here, technologies are primarily used as a means of communicating with visitors.
From the entrance onward, the area around the stand is constantly occupied by students and young people. Groups of children move from one interactive area to another, examine digital materials, use touchscreens, and take part in the activities offered.
Indeed, young people make up a large portion of TEKNOFEST's visitors overall. The festival in Şanlıurfa itself brings together technology competitions, educational workshops, exhibition areas, and interactive programs for students and university students.
At the stand of the Directorate of Communications of the Republic of Türkiye, however, this idea takes on a different character. Rather than showcasing a single technological development, visitors are offered the opportunity to interact with information.
While digital screens and interactive panels serve visitors in the area, one of the most striking sections is a small studio equipped with professional lighting, a camera, and a green screen. Here, visitors can observe how modern media content is produced and how technology can literally transform the visual environment around a person within just a few minutes.
It is particularly interesting to observe the reactions of the students.
For many of them, state communication here ceases to be merely abstract information seen on a television or smartphone screen. Communication becomes a process in which the visitor can personally participate. Visitors select content through the interactive panel, stand in front of the camera, and have the opportunity to see up close how media technologies work. This approach also aligns with the broader efforts of the Directorate of Communications of Türkiye to develop mechanisms of interaction between the state and society.
At TEKNOFEST, this understanding is presented in a tangible way.
The stand has been designed so that visitors do not remain merely passive observers. Visitors turn to the screens, examine the content presented, and communicate with the staff on duty. The most active participants are once again children.
The photographs clearly show how much interest the area attracts. At certain moments, there is almost no empty space left inside the stand.
This is perhaps one of the most interesting outcomes of this format. TEKNOFEST is generally associated above all with aviation, unmanned vehicles, engineering, and high technologies. However, technologies today are not only transforming industry and transportation. They are also changing how public institutions speak to society, how information is disseminated, and how the younger generation interacts with the media environment.
In this sense, it is entirely natural for the Directorate of Communications of the Republic of Türkiye to take part in a technology festival.
In Şanlıurfa, this connection can be observed directly on the ground. Students stand in front of the interactive screens; some examine digital materials, some wait their turn, and others head toward the studio area.
Thus, a different aspect of TEKNOFEST comes to the fore: the festival becomes not only a place where new technologies are showcased, but also a meeting point demonstrating how these technologies can be used to communicate more effectively with people.
Its ability to bring together entirely different fields, from aviation to artificial intelligence and from media to public communication, carries TEKNOFEST far beyond an ordinary technology exhibition.