Istanbul is home to numerous members of the ICCA, the International Congress and Convention Association, which is the most extensive and prominent meetings organization in the world.

According to ICCA statistics, Istanbul ranked 15th in market share by number of international meetings per city in Europe in 2003, just ahead of Munich and just behind Madrid. Turkey ranked 28th in number of meetings per country between 2000 and 2004, and 26th in total number of participants to international meetings between 1999 and 2002.

Istanbul's outstanding infrastructure, including modern, luxurious accommodations, state-of-the-art conference and exhibition venues and experienced conference professionals, makes it a logical choice for organizers. And, when combined with the city's fabulous history and stunning natural beauty, not to mention cultural riches, exciting shopping, sophisticated nightlife and world-class dining, it's not hard to figure out why top associations choose Istanbul, and enjoy exceptionally high attendance when they do!

Istanbul also offers organizers a wide variety of Pre & Post Tour options, from cruises and overland expeditions to cultural tours and just relaxing on some of the Mediterranean's finest beaches. Delegates can choose from the elegant and the exotic, the relaxing and the rugged, the ancient and the astonishing.

So, when you can offer your delegates luxury accommodations, organize your conference from the plenary session to the closing ceremonies in facilities equipped with the latest technology and able to accommodate over 3,500 for a banquet, plus give them Istanbul's 3,500 years of history to discover and the beauty of the Bosphorus, you can naturally expect to create an outstanding event.

The Istanbul festival

The Istanbul festival season generally runs from April to November, with several great events planned for that period. The largest and most important festivals are organized and promoted by the Istanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts, founded in 1973 for the 50th anniversary of the founding of the Turkish Republic, and just like festivals of art held annually in European and American cities, if you happen to be in the city when one of these festivals is taking place, you will not want to miss it. With international festivals for Film, Theatre, Music, and Jazz, Istanbul attracts big names and large crowds, always with a truly international artistic flair. Istanbul's festivals are generally city-wide events, with showings taking place at any number of interesting venues across the city. For the big acts, be sure to get your tickets early. Istanbul also hosts the Istanbul Biennial, which is a themed month-long event meant to encourage stimulating artistic dialogue and understanding between artists from different fields and different cultures. Past themes have included "Contemporary Art in Traditional Spaces," The Production of Cultural Difference", "On Life, Beauty, Translation, and Other Difficulties" and "Poetic Justice." One special feature of the Biennial is that it is held at historic venues including the Basilica Cisterns, the Haghia Irene Cathedral and more, giving visitors the chance to appreciate contemporary art in a timeless environment, blending past, present and future as only Istanbul can. For a calendar of events and other information pertaining to the Istanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts.

Entertainment and night life

From the ubiquitous sounds of live, traditional Turkish music and dancing in restaurants throughout the city to cultural and artistic events, international festivals and glitzy clubs and bars on the Bosphorus, Istanbul is a city that knows how to entertain and it knows how to party. There's so much to do, from theatres and exhibitions to museums, historic and architectural tours and cruises.

If you're looking for a night out, you need no more plan than to take a walk down Istiklal Caddesi in Taksim, the throbbing heart of modern Istanbul, a street that is always vibrantly alive with music, shops, restaurants, bars, and crowds. From Istiklal, it's just a duck down a side street and into just about any anonymous doorway, which you'll soon find may turn out to be a jazz bar, a quiet tavern for traditional Turkish meze appetizers washed down with abundant quantities of the national drink, raki, or it may turn out to be a set of stairs leading you upstairs to a terrace with a fabulous view of the city and the storied hill-lined waterways that front it. Nightlife in Istanbul is a way of life, and few cities in the world have such a variety of world-class clubs and bars.

Do not miss to take a trip to the Ortakoy district of the city, where any number of fantastic clubs directly on the shores of the night-lit Bosphorus blare music, serve drinks, and generally cater to the elated masses until the wee hours of the morning, and beyond. Whether you're looking for family entertainment, educational events, or just looking for a night out that would make Dionysus proud, Istanbul's got it all, from the water-front clubs with internationally-recognized DJs to five-star dining and even sushi on the Bosphorus!

Shopping

From the legendary Grand Bazaar to Akmerkez or Metrocity, ranked as the best shopping malls in Europe, to the stylish streets of Nisantasi and Bagdat Caddesi, Istanbul has what you're looking for. This colossal city on two continents is a shopper's treasure trove, complete with crowded markets and bazaars overflowing with goods of all kinds, skilled artisans, jewelers and metalworkers at every turn, leather producers, carpet sellers, handicrafters, and top brand name styles.

Despite the presence of world-class supermarkets and shopping centers, one of the best shopping venues in Istanbul remains the street market. Everyday of the week there is a street market somewhere, and often the range of goods is hard to beat even in the large modern shopping malls, not to mention the prices. These lively street markets are an age-old tradition in Turkey but appear to be in no threat of disappearing, and practically anything can be found there from clothes to ceramic plates, to cheese, olive oil, and spices, to pillows. One of the best street markets is the Ulus Pazar on Thursdays near Akmerkez, where export overruns of famous brands are a mainstay.

No trip to Istanbul is complete without a trip to the unforgettable Grand Bazaar. The oldest covered market in the world, the Bazaar has been bustling with commerce and treasured by bargain-hunters for centuries. Here you'll find over 4,000 shops, entire city blocks covered by vaulted ceilings and lined with an incomprehensible array, an entire street lined in gold and silver jewelery shops, another with the fantastic, and famous Turkish, Central Asian and Persian carpets, hundreds of handicrafts, painted tiles and ceramics shops, clothes of all sorts and styles, kilims, calligraphy, marbled paper, copper, inlaid wood, and leather goods of all kinds. The Grand Bazaar is a wonderful, sensation-filled place to spend an entire morning or afternoon, taking your time, admiring, and of course, practicing your bargaining skills with some of the most competitive merchants in the world.

Not too far from the Grand Bazaar is a market of another type, also very popular with visitors and locals alike, the Egyptian Bazaar, or Spice Bazaar. As its name implies, this is a fantastic place to find spices, nuts, fine caviar - local, Russian, and Iranian, the best in the world, and foodstuffs of all kinds and at affordable prices. Like the Grand Bazaar, the Spice Bazaar also has its own vibrant pace and colorful atmosphere, and therefore makes for an interesting visit of its own right.

For a less typical, perhaps more upscale shopping experience, Istanbul, a crucial stop on the trade routes for centuries and still a textiles superhub, certainly has its share of modern style. The wide boulevards of Bagdat Caddesi on the Asian side of the city, the classy Nisantasi just next to the Conference Valley and the well-designed shopping malls all cater to jet-setters and style makers.

[Source from icvb.org]