June 2005 Article                      

A Meeting Planner's Dream

300 wood preservationists, 1,500 hydrogen energy experts, 8,000 physicians, and 10,000 architects are among those who have chosen to meet in this thoroughly modern, ancient country of European sophistication and Oriental mystery. From board meetings of ten people to international conferences of thousands, meeting planners are discovering that Turkey offers the best of all worlds in ways no other nation can claim.

After all, Istanbul straddles two continents – Europe and Asia, and has served as the capital of three different empires. The country has played host to Anthony and Cleopatra, Agatha Christie, the Trojan Horse, and Suleiman the Magnificent. All of these influences mean the food is a splendid blend of Mediterranean and Ottoman, the architecture mixes skyscrapers with mosques, and the shopping ranges from a 500 year-old bazaar to the most modern shopping mall. For good or ill, the famous Turkish coffee competes with the fare in omniscient Starbucks shops.

Yet, the richness of Turkey’s historical, cultural, natural, tourist and business resources are available at truly modest prices. And “It’s better quality,” claims Hulya Aslantas, managing director, Universal Travel Services, Istanbul. In the business for 30 years, Hulya reports that all Americans who visit Turkey for the first time return home and say, “We did not know that Turkey was so beautiful.” And, once they’ve seen it, Hulya says, they come back with their friends.

Already claiming the most five star hotels within walking distance of convention facilities, Istanbul has another 25,000 beds on the way as new luxury accommodations rise in Conference Valley, its prime downtown meeting district.

Consider Turkey and you can check these items off your wish list…

Good Meeting Space. With the 5,000-person capacity Istanbul Convention & Exhibition Centre, two fair and exhibition halls (CNR & TÜYAP), and other nearby facilities, the city is able to host 25,000 conference and exhibition delegates and visitors at any one time. The city’s hotels also offer modern, flexible meeting venues.

Luxury hotels at modest prices. Accommodations in Istanbul are as rich and varied as the city itself. Ancient monuments, Ottoman palaces, post-modern skyscrapers, and everything in between. The city offers over 10,000 five-star rooms, virtually all in hotels built or renovated in the past ten years, and a total of over 50,000 rooms in hotels of all categories.

Good food. In Turkey you can enjoy the best of Mediterranean cuisine including pastas, pizzas, and the abundant use of olive oil. You’ll also savor the more exotic Asian influenced kebabs, dolma, grains, yogurts, and breads. Turkey’s climate produces some of the best fruits and vegetables in the world. One specialty is eggplant. "The Ottoman kitchen," Hulya relates, "is said to have 280 ways to prepare eggplant. I only prepare it 12 or 15 ways at home myself,” she continues. Lamb, and an especially tasty variety, is also a staple. With seas on all sides, the country also specializes in fish and seafood. For dessert, baklava, fresh fruit, or interesting pudding-like dishes. And, of course, cuisine from around the world can be found in Istanbul and elsewhere. All to be finished off with famous Turkish coffee.

Cultural Splendors. Haghia Sofia. The Blue Mosque. Topkapi Palace. Dozens of legendary sites in one place encourage afternoon exploration of ancient Istanbul, which also boasts a fine symphony, opera, and lively theater. Side trips can be made to such architectural treasures as Troy, Ephesus, Aphrodisias, Pergamon, and Cappadocia.

Exotic themes.

• Dress in appropriate attire and enter a tent to relive the sweet scented tales of the 1001 Sultan's Nights serenaded by local musicians and enchanted by gifted belly dancers.
• Help solve a dark shadowed mystery with Agatha Christie. While in Turkey, Christie wrote "The Murder on the Orient Express" which today gives its name to the Mystery Night, a theme event that takes place at the Pera Palace.
• Indulge yourself at a Turkish Bath & Show. Turkish baths are often fantastic achievements of the architectural genius of the past. You will be welcomed by classical Turkish music, trays full of fruit, and typical Turkish soft drinks. Shows and belly dancers will follow one another while you lie on a heated slab of marble, having steaming water poured on your body, and being scrubbed and massaged. For the finale sip Turkish coffee while puffing at your narghile, the Oriental pipe.
• Wander with Cleopatra along her private beach sanded by the Romans with the sand specially brought for her from the Nile.
• Go on a treasure hunt in the Grand Bazaar.
• Dine on a sultan’s ship as it cruises the Bosphorus separating Europe from Asia.
• Sit with Homer to contemplate the ruined city of Troy.

Endless Unusual Shopping. The Grand Bazaar can claim to be the world’s first shopping mall. This totally covered shopper’s paradise began life in the 16th century and now boasts over 4,000 shops under one roof. The exotic fare includes jewelry, rugs and flat weaves (kilims), ceramics, copperware, embroidery, objects in gold and silver, furniture, antiques, slippers, and thousands more items.

Temperate Climate. Istanbul’s climate is much like that of New York, Hulya explains. Turkey itself ranges from a Mediterranean climate in the South to long cold winters in the highlands, where there is skiing. "The best times to visit are March to June and September to November," she recommends.

Outdoor Activities. Yachting, underwater diving, rafting, windsurfing, spelunking, and hiking are just a few of the sports that allow visitors to enjoy Turkey’s natural splendors.

A Mediterranean paradise - Antalya. Because of the archaeological and natural riches of the area, Antalya is also known as the Turkish Riviera. The sun, sea, nature and history combine to form a popular resort, highlighted by some of the cleanest beaches in the Mediterranean. The 630km shoreline of the province is liberally scattered with ancient cities, harbours, memorial tombs and beaches, secluded coves and lush forests.
Several gorgeous golf courses offer daylight pleasures. The equally untouched beautiful beaches of Antalya supply the perfect setting to another theme party: the Pirate's Night. Good food, fun, and a kindly kidnapping mark this event. Or you can choose Roman Night at the Roman Aspendos theater, a nearly perfect antique edifice. Period costumes, a play or a gladiator fight, fine music, cheese and wine complete the theme.

Add to all of Turkey’s wonders the comfort of knowing that Istanbul’s airport was the first to be approved by the United States after 9/11 as meeting American security standards.

UNIVERSAL Travel Services is a privately owned DMC established in 1984. Ranking today among the top Turkish tour operators, the company serves clients from North America to the Far East and South Africa to Europe through the Middle East. The International Global Refund company, a leader in tax refunding on purchases made by visiting tourists, is a partner of UNIVERSAL.

For more information on Universal or Turkey, contact your GEP or Krisam representative, or e-mail newsletter@theeventinsider.com.