Istanbul is on the move: with major tunneling work powering ahead under the Bosphorus designed to improve the city’s transport infrastructure and numerous construction projects under way. A city that usually catches the travel headlines for its ancient heritage is now not just facing East and West. The Istanbul CVB’s ‘A Tale of Two Cities’ marketing campaign highlights the high-tech modern infrastructure, juxtaposing it against the history.
Istanbul is a bustling city of 14m people, straddling Europe and Asia and 22,000 companies in the city work with foreign partners, so the potential for corporate meetings is vast.
In terms of international association congresses, the city has consolidated itself in the ICCA rankings top 10, (ranking ninth in the latest list released May 2015, with 130 qualifying congresses).
Istanbul has the youngest population in Europe and its 49 universities and five technoparks.
Istanbul is home to seven purpose-built convention centres. Venue options date back to the 4th century. Gala dinners for 2,000 people can be held in the Grand Bazaar which can be closed by permission of the shopkeepers’ association. Other Istanbul exclusives for organisers include whirling dervish shows in an Ottoman cannon factory and Bosphorus cruises.
Conference clusters
Istanbul boasts four meeting clusters spread around the city: The Congress Valley, the Golden Horn, the Airport Area and the Asian side.
The Congress Valley in the city centre features two main complexes: the Istanbul Congress Center and the Istanbul Lütfi Kırdar – ICEC.
Opened during the World Bank – IMF Summit in 2009, the ICC’s auditorium has capacity for 3,705 delegates and has 115 meeting rooms.
Istanbul Lütfi Kırdar – ICEC’s auditorium is able to host 2,000 delegates and there are 27 multi-functional rooms. Several hotels are within walking distance and, a short distance away, is Grand Cevahir Hotel & Convention Center where organisers will find the city’s biggest ballroom.
The Haliç Congress Center sits on the shores of the Golden Horn, and is another big complex. It hosted the 5th World Water Forum and its auditorium holds over 3,000 delegates.
Hotel stock in the immediate vicinity is limited, so think through your delegates’ logistical journey carefully.
Over at the Airport Area you will find CNR EXPO, with 150,000sqm of indoor and 120,000sqm of outdoor space. Istanbul Expo Center (IFM), the biggest exhibition ground in Turkey stretches over 162,000sqm, and the WOW Convention Center offers 34 halls.
Trains, planes and hotels
Istanbul has a 94,000-bed capacity across 170 five-star and four-star hotels, with a further 102 under construction.
Turkish Airlines is leveraging the city’s geographical positioning and flies to more countries in the world than any other airline, offering 260 direct flights.
For those preferring to go under rather than over, the 5.4km Eurasia Tunnel will connect Asia and Europe and see 120,000 light vehicles travel through each day.
Bureau leads rebrand
The Istanbul Convention & Visitors Bureau (ICVB) has led a rebranding project for Istanbul in the MICE sector. Under the ‘Tale of Two Cities’ strapline, Istanbul’s modern appeal and infrastructure is juxtaposed to its well-known heritage.
“We have created this campaign to strengthen the city’s position to highlight Istanbul’s contrasting styles in a huge variety of venues,” says ICVB general manager Özgül Özkan Yavuz. The bureau has a burgeoning congress ambassador programme and Yavuz says ICVB research indicates 14% of meeting planners prefer university venues.
The ambassadors have helped bring in significant conferences. ‘No Dig Conference’ on 28-30 September 2015 is set to bring 2,500 delegates to the city and that bid was won thanks to the Turkish Society for Infrastructure and Trenchless Technologies. The World Neurosurgery Conference, to take place on 20-25 August 2017, will bring 8,000 delegates and was signed up thanks to efforts by the Turkish Neurosurgical Society working with the ICVB.
Association accent on Europe
For association meetings Europe is the biggest market for Istanbul, with 65-70% of meetings emanating from there. Yavuz notes, however, that when it comes to corporate and incentive markets, the balance is more evenly spread, with groups coming from the US, Russia, Asia, Middle East and India. “Thus, we haven’t been affected seriously from recession in Europe on the corporate and incentive side,” she says. For those in search of something different, why not take an event to the Uniq Museum, which offers private viewings of the Suleiyman, the Magnificent Century TV series exhibition. Not so much history, as Turkish soap meets Madame Tussauds.
Delegate ‘to do’ list
Istanbul offers a great variety of restaurants and cookery and wine-tasting events can be integrated into your conference theme.
If liquor tickles your tastebuds, try creating your own cocktails with the team at Hard Rock Café Istanbul. Try dishes from Ottoman times at the Asitane restaurant in Edirnekapi or explore the fish restaurants at the top of the Bosphorus.
Istanbul has been the capital of three empires (Roman, Byzantine and Ottoman) and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Explore The Hagia Sophia, Blue Mosque and Topkapi Palace, then haggle in the Grand Bazaar. The Galata Tower area of Beyoglu is full of cafés and boutiques and the 14th-century tower itself has panoramic views. The famous Istiklal Street is nearby. Take a ferry to the Asian side.
And to wind down, the Turkish bath or hamam can be sampled at the restored Ayasofya Hurrem Sultan bath in Sultanahmet.
