Turkey - Bridge between Europe and Asia
Everything counts as trade fairs and exhibitions that is registered as such with the competent authorities. Even so, there are many shows with enormous business potential.
Turkey is an exciting exhibition location, with rules of its own. While trading on markets and in bazaars can look back on a history spanning thousands of years, the exhibition industry is still in its infancy -barely 20 years old. Most of the trade fairs in Turkey did not come about until the country entered the Customs Union in 1996. It was hoped that Turkey could assume a much-hailed function as the bridge between Europe and Asia, evolving into the interface of trade between the two continents. Today, Turkey is the pre-eminent exhibition country in the Eurasian economic area.
The exhibition themes are varied, with events established as a face-to-face marketing platform for practically all business sectors. With a little investigation, almost any interested company should be able to come up with the right showcase for its products in Turkey. A major positive is that the medium meets with enormous acceptance in the region by exhibitors and visitors alike. It arguably has much to do with the Turks mentality and sociability that companies are very receptive to participation in trade fairs and exhibitions.
The country's buoyant economic development is reflected in the dynamics of its exhibition business. Whereas 435 tradeshows and exhibitions were staged in 2002, a 30% jump was posted in the following year, with 580 events registered (of which 20 were ultimately cancelled). In 2004 as well, the number of fairs in Turkey topped the 500 mark. Given the large number of events, the Turkish exhibition market might seem bigger than its German counterpart. However, Germany distinguishes between international and regional fairs, whereas Turkey draws no such line. Any show officially registered with the competent authorities in Ankara - even if it consists of no more than a few exhibition stands in a hotel foyer - counts as a trade fair or exhibition.
But the key to a country's exhibition industry is the quality rather than the quantity of its shows. In this respect some events should be viewed with caution, because any company is permitted to organise exhibitions providing it can produce an appropriate entry in the register of companies. Of the more than 160 officially registered exhibition companies, less than one-third actively implement shows in Turkey. From among this third - around 50 firms, no less - national and international exhibitors must weed out the professional suppliers from the "black sheep". Certainly, organisers must register each individual fair with the Turkish government and appear in a relevant publication - but that's where state control and intervention comes to an end.
This also means foreign exhibitors have very few reliable ways of sieving out respectable exhibition organisers. Although official statistics on exhibitors, attendance and display area are available in most cases, there is no control mechanism such as the German Society for the Voluntary Control of Fair and Exhibition Data (FKM). Data should therefore be treated with caution. What is more, since the tradeshow indicators published in Turkey are based purely on particulars from organisers, their credibility varies with those organisers professionalism. However, initial contacts with international exhibition associations are being instituted to build up a similar network in the region.
Before taking part in a fair in Turkey, it is therefore advisable to subject the show chosen to close prior scrutiny. Companies considering a participation are well advised to judge the quality of the organiser with reference to the following questions:
Is literature available on the event in various languages?
Does the organiser possess an informative, multi-lingual website (important for foreign visitors)?
Does the organiser provide statistics on previous years?
Are lists of exhibitors available from previous years?
Are inquiries answered competently and quickly?
A rule applying not only to Turkey says that the more information an organiser makes available, the better exhibitors can weigh up whether the fair provides the right environment for their products and services.
For those still in doubt over the quality of the exhibition, the professionalism of the organisers or the key ratios published, in most cases information is available from the German embassy, for one, or from the German-Turkish chamber of commerce.
Although more than half of all Turkish fairs and exhibitions are of no interest to foreign exhibitors, many attractive shows with considerable business potential still take place. These include CeBIT Bilisim Eurasia for the IT industry, ITSE for the textile trade, ISK-Sodex for the refrigeration, air-conditioning and sanitary sector, Automechanika for automotive suppliers, Yapi for the construction industry, and last but not least Agac Makinesi for the woodworking industry.
Companies in Turkey make up their minds on exhibition participations much later than in Germany. Consequently there is often little time for in-depth preparation. This calls for improvisation talent on the part of the organisers.
Exhibition companies have recognised the need to make the Turkish tradeshow sector more competitive. Foreign partners play an important part here, supporting national organisers with their international marketing expertise and professionalism. Only two German exhibition organisers are actively engaged on the Turkish market: Deutsche Messe AG, Hanover, and Messe Frankfurt both aim to establish themes from the German parent company's leader fairs in Turkey. Deutsche Messe AG opened its Istanbul branch in 1996, and Messe Frankfurt has had a subsidiary there since 2001. Other major German exhibition companies are represented by local firms and therefore also have contacts in the growth market Turkey.
The most promising exhibitions for international exhibitors take place in Istanbul, the country's undisputed economic centre hosting some 40% of all the country's fairs. But the oldest exhibition city in Turkey is Izmir. Back in 1923 the first Turkish business congress was staged there on the orders of Mustafa Atatürk, paving the way for Izmir's further development as an exhibition location.
In recent years exhibition facilities have also been opened in the regional centres of the country, such as Trabzon on the Black Sea coast, Konya in central Anatolia and Gaziantep in southeast Anatolia. There, mainly regional trade fairs take place, in line with the local business focus. But for the time being at least, Istanbul remains Turkey's undisputed exhibition capital, particularly with capacities there undergoing extension.
The Turkish exhibition industry's internationalisation drive is bearing the first fruit, with expansion of the range of industries and shows, development of facilities and a general increase in the number of exhibitions. While everything may not yet come up to German standards, the Turks improvisation talent and the appeal of Istanbul encourage international exhibition visitors and exhibitors to make allowances here and there. Doris Petersen
m+a report Nr.2 / 2005 vom 23.03.2005
m+a report vom 23. März 2005