At the beginning, Mr. Hossein Beikzadeh, the secretary of the meeting, thanked the attendees and mentioned that attending the handwoven rug exhibition and the association's website arethe two main topics that are going to be addressed today

Mr. Mohammad Reza Rashtizadeh, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Qom Handwoven Rug Employers Association, asked the public for their opinions on finding a blogger az offering and selling rug online

Mr. Abolfazl Khosh sohbat, a handwoven rug manufacturer in Qom, said about the activities that the association can carry out: "According to the review of last year's exhibition, merchants did not make any purchases, and one should not participate in the exhibition in the hope of making a purchase." He also emphasized that serious efforts should be made to attract followersregarding online sales

Mr. Gholamreza Jan ghorban, a handwoven rug manufacturer in Qom, said while greeting and greetings: "Just because we had no sales last year, we should not give up trying. We must overcome challenges to enter the traditional market into the modern market." He also added that online sales have high potential and can be successful

Mr. Mohammad Hossein Hedayati, a handwoven rug manufacturer in Qom, said about introducing handwoven rug to the world: "This is possible through Instagram. We can enable sales through Amazon and also solve the problems of financial exchange

Mr. Rahim Forouhar, a handwoven rug manufacturer in Qom, said about the exhibition that attending it allows for direct contact with sellers and that we should also strengthen personal relationships

Mr. Ali Asghar Khoshgoftar, a handwoven rug manufacturer and the head of the Qom Province rug Designers Association, stated: “To achieve the desired results, long-term investments should be made in exhibitions.” Regarding sales through Amazon, he said that due to sanctions, sales can be made through other foreign brands. He also explained about the rug Design and Painting Exhibition that this event is being held in cooperation with the Designers Association, the Chamber of Commerce, the Production Union, and Hazrat Masoumeh University, and members were invited to visit it

Mr. Mohammad Reza Sediqian, Vice President of the Qom Handwoven rug Employers Association, said about the association's booth at the exhibition: "This is a good opportunity for branding and introducing the association's activities." He also said about the association's Instagram page that this space is very efficient, but the presence of bloggers without knowledge of handwoven rug will not be useful

They also emphasized that attracting target followers is of particular importance in order to meet their needs. They also reminded that the main topic of the meeting was related to the association's group booth and this issue should not be neglected. They said: "So far, all the activities of the association have progressed with the efforts of the board members. We have attended several exhibitions and most of the expenses have been paid by the board of directors. If the members believe that the association is important to them, they should cooperate in this direction; as long as only a few people are active, no progress will be made

He added: The exhibition is a great opportunity, but it is expensive. For this reason, this meeting was held to decide on the group presence under the supervision of the association to determine whether friends are willing to participate collectively or independently. It was further stated: The association’s Instagram page was active for a while, but due to the inability to cover the admin costs, the activity was stopped. If members believe that introducing rug through the association is more effective, they should cooperate. The association is an institution that has more trust in individuals and can introduce carpets without an initial cost and receive its share in the event of a sale. However, the reception has been low and this is discouraging. Mr. Sediqian continued: “Some say that rug are dead

"If so, then why not bury it? But if it still has breath, we need to keep it alive with new methods. It is no longer time to rely on the past; we need to bring in the new generation, understand the digital space, and globalize sales

Mr. Hadi Pourjahan, a handwoven rug producer in Qom, emphasized the need to support young people for effective activity in the rug field

Mr. Ali Asharifard, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Saman Mihan Tavan Aria Company and active in the field of exports, reminded of the importance of attending the exhibition and said that its results should be viewed with a long-term perspective

Ms. Mahdieh Molla Hosseini, Vice President of the Qom Handwoven rug Employers' Association, also welcomed the presence at the exhibition and said: "Because everything is moving towards modernity, it is necessary for us to be active in this direction. This work requires patience, but it will definitely be fruitful and can also attract young people as a target market

Mr. Saeed Alizadeh, a handwoven rug producer in Qom, emphasized that proper financial support must be provided for success in these fields

Mr. Majid Asadi, a handwoven rug manufacturer in Qom, emphasized that the association should attend the exhibition with a new decor and program in order to have a more dynamic and effective participation. Also, the activity in cyberspace should be continuous, purposeful, and professional. Mr. Asadi continued, “Our profession is completely traditional, but we must accept that we have moved beyond tradition and turned to modernity. It is suggested that experts be invited to provide advice in this field; the future is definitely in this direction

Members emphasized that building trust is a key factor in success. The Isfahan Fair experience showed that when people know that a reputable entity is behind the rug sale, they approach and negotiate with more confidence, even if they don't make a purchase

Mr. Javad Eliasi, Secretary of the Qom Handwoven rug Employers Association, stated: "Most of the activists in the rug industry are elderly and traditional thinking still prevails. Many of them find it difficult to accept change, but we must accept that times have changed. Generations change every fifteen years and sales methods must also change. Technology has grown significantly in the last thirty years, but we still work with old methods. If we want rug to survive, we must learn new methods

Mr. Seyed Ebrahim Mousavi, a handwoven rug seller from Qom, also said: "Our rug is known only in Iran. We need to introduce it in other languages, produce content in English and Arabic, and publish it on YouTube and international networks. We need to tell the story of persian rug to the world. If we can introduce artists or famous international figures to persian rug, it will have a great impact

It was further emphasized that content production is time-consuming and costly, but the result will be global visibility. Therefore, one should work with a long-term view and not expect immediate profits

The audience continued, "persian rug are an artistic and delicate product whose true value is not properly recognized in the global market. Unfortunately, in recent years, the quality and value of rug exports have declined, and we are unable to properly introduce, export, and price our rug

The solution is for rug producers and activists, through solidarity and cooperation, to take responsibility for the quality, pricing, and introduction of rug. We should not auction off rug or reduce their value; the real owner of the rug is the producer, and we must preserve this art

Today's market requires transparency and accurate information. When producers determine the value of their rug and the right policies are created for introduction and sales, the global persian rug market will be revived and find its true place

:In this session, the audience emphasized the importance of active and purposeful presence in handwoven rug exhibitions and the digital space. Key points raised included

The necessity of using the capacity of online sales and social networks to introduce persian rug to global markets

The importance of building trust and introducing the rug through a reputable institution such as the association, rather than scattered and personal activities

The need for long-term investment in exhibitions and professional content production to attract target audiences and followers

Paying attention to the new generation and using modern technology and methods to expand the handwoven rug market

Finally, the members agreed that in order to revive the value and position of persian rug in the global market, it is necessary for producers to take their responsibility seriously, cooperate together, and use modern tools and innovative methods to pass on this valuable art to future generations