As a bridge between East and West and with a legacy of trade that dates back to the Silk Road, Turkey is exceptionally well positioned as a place to do business. It’s also an exceptionally rich mosaic of culture, from celebrated cities of antiquity to little-known pastoral villages, from Ottoman mosque complexes to Byzantine basilicas.
Choose among the primary meeting destinations of Istanbul, Izmir and Antalya, each boasting convenient international and domestic accessibility via reliable transportation routes, state of the art convention and meeting facilities, top flight business-centric hotels and a wealth of cosmopolitan dining, sightseeing and entertainment opportunities for after-hours.
Istanbul is one of the busiest centers for congress travel, having seen its star rise among meeting planners within the past few years. In 2009, the IMF World Bank meeting hosted 20,000 attendees in the city’s “Congress Valley, conveniently located within walking distance to the Istanbul Convention & Exhibition Center and the Hilton Convention Center. The Golden Horn Convention and Cultural Center opened in March 2009, hosted the 5th World Water Forum with almost 33.000 participants.
Some of the metropolis’s most popular dining and nightlife venues are just a short taxi ride away from the conference centers, while the monuments of empires – The Hagia Sophia, the Blue Mosque, TopkapiPalace and the Grand Bazaar – patiently await the end of your Powerpoint presentation.
Antalya is a city that knows how to both work and play, a place where business and pleasure go hand in hand. This city that embraces the Mediterranean is both the Turkish Riviera’s main resort destination and not surprisingly, a highly sought-after convention center, with its Expo Center able to accommodate more than 50,000 delegates at any given time. All along the length of Antalya’s coastline are four and five star beachfront hotels, each more superior in style and service than the next. From international, sumptuous themed hotels to golf or wellness centric resorts, there’s something for every corporate culture, with meeting facilities on site.
Along the length of the Gulf of Antalya's TurquoiseCoast there are ancient cities, monuments, secluded bays, sandy beaches, beautiful forests, cliffs and waterfalls. Antalya serves as an incredible feast of nature and archaeology for all of its visitors. As a center of culture, Antalya features a number of remarkable museums and events, including the award-winning Antalya Museum, numerous ancient cities, the Aspendos Opera and Ballet Festival, plus international sporting competitions and golf tournaments.
As a major trade and cultural center, Izmir is extraordinarily well suited for meetings, conferences and congress. The Izmir International Fair Center is a premier venue with a total capacity of 18,000 sq. feet, while the adjoining park is home to the Inonu Art Center, which has a capacity of 760, as well as the Ataturk Open-Air Theatre, which can hold up to 3,000 spectators. Izmir’s facilities will expand over the next two years with the construction of new convention centers in Kulturpark and Kusadasi, making this the ideal region for MICE conferences, fairs, shows, concerts and other large-scale events.
The Pearl of the Aegean, Izmir is a thriving and hospitable city characterized by waterfront promenades, palm lined boulevards and green parks. Izmir is also the gateway to the extraordinary remnants of antiquity, offering easy access to the remarkable site of Ephesus, as well as the ruins of the ancient cities of Miletus, Priene, Didyma and Pergamum. The city is also blessed with the proximity of the beaches, quaint villages and thermal spas of the ÇesmePeninsula.
As a modern center of culture, Izmir hosts a range of activities with its universities, museums, concert halls and cultural and art associations staging opera and ballet, musical concerts, recitals, modern dance performances and jazz ensembles.
Not surprisingly, the city is also home to many first class hotels, a wonderful variety of quality restaurants, exciting shopping and best of all, a temperate climate.
Source: http://www.tourismturkey.org/
