Exhibition Cities

Click on city names to access exhibition venue information for that city. You can zoom in or out using mouse wheel or the slider on the left. Full scale map can be seen following this link

This map marks exhibition venues above 100.000 sqm. Map is built according to figures provided by UFI in 2011 World Map of Exhibition Venues and venue operator websites. Some venues like TUYAP in Istanbul or ADNEC in Abu Dhabi have been included because of their importance even though they hold slightly less space than 100.000 sqm mark.

Update 20.02.2012: Convention & Visitor Bureaus are added to the map.  Hong Kong has been added as a location.

The map will be updated each month. Amendment or update requests can be sent to: kaansekerciler@gmail.com

EXPO 2020 Izmir: A Multi-Million Dollar Job for Global Event Marketers

EXPO organizations are some of the most important mega-events in global events agenda. Starting with The Crystal Palace Exhibition in London in 1851, Expo organizations attracted millions of visitors to various metropols around the world. Most recent expo organization is EXPO 2010 Shanghai attended by 200 countries and attracted 73 million visitors to its host city. 

 

In order to hold an expo, a city must win the election held in BIE (Bureau of International Exhibitions) Headquarters in Paris – the organization which grants expo rights to world cities since 1928. Aware of the huge potential of these organizations major cities of the world are in competition for obtaining the rights to hold the next EXPO in their own premises.

 

BIE divides expo organizations in two categories; first are the World Expos –or World’s Fairs- which are organized in every five years and stays erect for six months. EXPO Shanghai in 2010 was a World Expo. In the second category are International Expos, which are smaller events organized between two world expos. At the moment there is one international expo which will be held in South Korean city Yeosu in 2012. There is also another planned event in 2017 for which Kazakhstan city Almaty and Belgian city Liege are competing. Next World Expo, EXPO 2015 will be held in Milan. 

 

Below cities are competing for EXPO 2020 organization with the following themes: 

• Izmir (Turkey) – New Routes for a Better World / Health for All
• Sao Paulo (Brazil) – Strength of diversity, harmony for growth
• Yekaterinburg (Russia) – Global mind: uniting all humanity in a single conversation
• Ayutthaya (Thailand) – Redefine globalization: balanced life, sustainable living
• Dubai (United Arab Emirates) – Connecting minds, creating the future

Turkish city Izmir which is one of the competitors is currently seeking for a global advertising or public relations agency to manage the promotion of its EXPO 2020 candidacy. Izmir gives special importance to obtaining an expo organization, an event which will allow the city to wriggle itself out of the shadow of Istanbul –Turkey’s mega city and commercial capital. Expo is a hot topic in Izmir since 2000 however the city was not successful in obtaining the rights to hold the event up to this day. Turkish government is also backing the efforts of city for this project. Last race for EXPO 2015, which Izmir lost to Milan, saw Turkish president making a presentation in BIE Office Building in Paris.

 

 

EXPO 2020 Izmir Execution Committee has announced that it will make a tender for the acquisition of advertising and promotion services for its campaign on February 29th, 2012. Tender document’s detailed and comprehensive approach reveals that defeat for EXPO 2015 race has only sharpened the city’s ambition to organize a World Expo. City’s marketing budget will no doubt reflect authorities’ ambition to seize the event.

  

Much is expected from the advertising agency. The agency will be responsible for everything from designing mugs to managing social media campaigns. However, the real challenge will be to make a killer presentation that will win the votes of BIE delegates in Paris. All the multi-million dollar promotion campaign is mere collateral to gain this result.

 

Izmir already made a presentation to BIE in June 2012. The city has to present its case four more times until the decision date on November 2013.

 

  

You can visit this link to examine the interesting bits of the tender document such as list of jobs expected from the agency, Committee’s evaluation criteria for the applicants and financial requirements.

 

Full set of tender documents can be seen visiting this link.

 

I would like to use this opportunity to offer my assistance to global advertising agencies that wish to apply for this tender but do not have an office in Turkey. As an event marketer it is no surprise that I am also interested to participate in this project and would be more than happy to work with an advertisement agency meeting the requirements specified in the tender document.

 

Interested parties may mail a message to me at: kaansekerciler@gmail.com or through my LinkedIn profile.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

EXPO 2020 Izmir: Excerpts from the Tender Documents for Marketing Services Acquisition

Izmir, one of Turkey’s important cities is nominating for EXPO 2020 with the theme: “New Routes to a Better World / Health for All”. Expo 2020 Izmir Execution Committee has opened a tender for marketing service acquisition on February 6th, 2012.

Basic guidelines for the tender are 18 pages long. There is also a second 11 page guide book for Digital Media Service Acquisitions. Fortunately for any curious event marketers I skimmed the document and excerpted the interesting bits out of the exhausting passages in specifications booklet. However any interested parties may download full tender documents from this link. 

Below excerpt form the Administrative and Technical Specifications explains what is expected from the advertisement agency of the Project:

1. Enrichment of EXPO 2020 Izmir Visual Identity Manual
The COMMITTEE shall provide the AGENCY with visual identity utilization standards and basic visual identity operating stationery. Accordingly, below items are expected to be designed.

1.1 Design and/or construction of booths to be used in fairs, congresses, etc.

1.2 Design of e-templates

1.3 Development of a presentation template to be used in various software including MS Power Point, Apple Keynote.

1.4 Development of an e-mail template which shall be displayed problem-free on web based e-mail providers

1.5 Design of promotion materials (pins, mugs, USB drives, magnets, t-shirts, caps, VIP gifts and other items that may be proposed by the AGENCY)

1.6 Dressing transportation vehicles (land, air, sea)

1.7 Dressing buildings
1.8 Outdoor decoration

1.9 A short promotion video which includes 3-d animation of the logo (30-45 seconds)

1.10 Other elements that may be proposed by the AGENCY.


2. Design and Production of Advertisement Campaigns
2.1 EXPO 2020 Izmir advertisements to be used for national/international campaigns (for visual and printed media channels including TV, Radio, Internet, Newspaper, Periodicals, etc.)

2.2 Motto proposals related to the theme (Upon completion of the Theme file, it shall be prepared in harmony with sub-themes.)
2.3 One-page EXPO 2020 Izmir advertisement with five different contents for printed press (It shall be prepared in Turkish and Official Languages of the United Nations; Arabic, Chinese, French, English, Spanish, Russian; visual elements and the text shall be ready to be printed). The translation office which will translate the text shall be approved by the COMMITTEE. In case of any deficiency or error in translated versions, the COMMITTEE shall be entitled to have the translations made by any translator and invoice the cost of such translation to the AGENCY.)

2.4 One-, two-, and four-page EXPO 2020 Izmir advertorials for the printed press (shall be prepared in three versions in Turkish and Official Languages of the U.N.; visual elements and the text shall be ready to be printed)

2.5 Five different EXPO 2020 outdoor advertisements (shall be prepared in Turkish and Official Languages of the U.N.; visual elements and the text shall be ready to be printed)

2.6 Five different EXPO 2020 Izmir advertisements to be used on advertisement boards at the airports, subway stations, but stops in Turkey and abroad (shall be prepared in Turkish and Official Languages of the U.N.; visual elements and the text shall be ready to be printed)

2.7 Five different EXPO 2020 Izmir posters (shall be prepared in Turkish and Official Languages of the U.N.).

2.8 Five different EXPO 2020 Izmir roll-ups (shall be prepared in Turkish and Official Languages of the U.N.).
2.9 Comprehensive EXPO 2020 Izmir booklet (shall be prepared in Turkish and Official Languages of the U.N.; visual elements and the text shall be ready to be printed)
2.10 EXPO 2020 Izmir mini brochure (shall be prepared in Turkish and Official Languages of the U.N.; visual elements and the text shall be ready to be printed)

2.11 PowerPoint presentation for promotion of Izmir’s bid for EXPO 2020 (shall be prepared in Turkish and Official Languages of the UN).

2.12 Production of a communication and promotion manual in Official Languages of the U.N., including information on members of EXPO 2020 Izmir Steering Board, Executive Committee, and General Secretariat to be distributed to BIE delegates and to others, as necessary.

2.13 Shooting classic and panoramic pictures of Izmir to be used in promotion activities and candidature file, provided that copyright to such pictures belong to EXPO 2020 Izmir General Secretariat (Examples include pictures of thermal facilities, historical artifacts related to health, healthy crops grown in the region, historical and modern facilities where such crops are harvested and processed, cuisine, sports facilities, treatment centers, alternative vacation options, daily life etc) and development of a photo archive.


3. Production of EXPO 2020 Izmir Promotion Video in Three Different Lengths ( (30 seconds - 45 seconds) – 1 minute – 2 minutes ) (shall be prepared in three versions in Turkish and Official Languages of the U.N.)

This video shall have following elements.

· Key messages related to the city should be communicated effectively
· Different aspects of the city should be demonstrated
· Existing infrastructure of the city should be shown to emphasize that Izmir is capable to host EXPO
· It should be underlined that Izmir’s candidature theme is one of the most important items on the global agenda
· The relationship between the theme and Izmir should be reflected
· Potential sub-themes should be emphasized
· It should be authentic and has a high visual quality
· New shootings should have been used in the production.

4. Development of Strategic Public Relations Plans
4.1. Preparation and implementation of campaign idea(s) aiming to increase national and international awareness related to Izmir’s candidature


4.2 Innovative idea contests

4.3 Management of Expo 2020 Izmir Volunteerism Program (Identifying areas in which the volunteers will work, ensuring coordination among volunteers, planning and implementing studies aiming to train, motivate and mobilize volunteers wherever necessary).

4.4 Upon request of the COMMITTEE, carrying out and when necessary managing communication and promotion efforts for every step of social responsibility activities which will be performed under the coordination of the COMMITTEE in necessary areas, and which will contribute to lobbying activities.

4.5 Preparation of a one-page EXPO 2020 Izmir manifesto, which shall be focused on Izmir, Turkey and the theme and used in national and international activities during Izmir’s EXPO 2020 candidature and submission of minimum 3 alternatives to the COMMITTEE related to this text (It shall be prepared in Turkish and Official Languages of the U.N.)

5. Design and Development of Digital Communication Tools
5.1 Development and regularly updating EXPO 2020 Izmir website in coordination with EXPO 2020 General Secretariat.

5.2 Design and management of social medial tools

Technical Issues: Minimum technical requirements related to Design and Development of Digital Communication Tools is given in Annex-3: Specifications on “Purchasing Digital Media Applications”.

5.3 Production of EXPO 2020 Izmir viral video (length and script shall be decided jointly by the AGENCY and the COMMITTEE in line with the proposals of the AGENCY.) The idea behind the movie and its budget shall be indicated in the presentation and in the bid.


6. Planning and Implementation of EXPO 2020 Izmir Presentations
6.1 As regards Izmir’s EXPO 2020 candidature, three presentations shall be made in Paris and one presentation shall be made in Izmir for BIE Delegates. Acceptation of projects to be proposed related to the presentations shall be at the sole discretion of the COMMITTEE, and should the AGENCY fail to fulfill requests and observe recommendations of the COMMITTEE, the COMMITTEE shall be entitled to work with other agency or agencies, including Digital Media Application Purchasing service to be provided by the AGENCY under these Specifications. In such case, the AGENCY agrees, acknowledges, and undertakes that it shall not claim any balance fees, compensation or any amounts under whatsoever name, and it shall be responsible for sharing all kinds of documents, visuals and other instruments that may be necessary in such activity within the scope of this service procurement, and if required, it shall work in coordination with the new company to be selected. Any expenses arising therefrom shall be deducted from the AGENCY’s budget.

6.2 Preparation of the contents of minimum four presentations to be made at BIE within the scope of Izmir’s EXPO 2020 candidature, according to the strategy to be determined in coordination with the COMMITTEE; and design and production of visual materials to be used during the presentation.

6.3 Preparation and coordination of presentations to be made during the Forum to be held in Izmir for BIE delegates related to the theme and sub-themes proposed by Izmir for EXPO 2020.


7. Design of the Candidature FileThe AGENCY is expected to design the Candidature File, which shall be prepared according to the criteria set forth by BIE, an intergovernmental organization located in Paris and in charge of overseeing the organization of EXPO 2020, and such Candidature File shall constitute the main
reference document. The COMMITTEE shall approve one design out of minimum 5 alternative
designs. Should the COMMITTEE not approve any of the alternative designs submitted by the
AGENCY, the AGENCY shall be responsible for preparing 5 more alternative designs, taking therequests and demands of the COMMITTEE into account. It shall include alternative size/cover design, design of example pages, and different types of paper.


8. Providing National and International Media Purchasing Services

The COMMITTEE shall request budgets to be prepared for national and international media
purchasing services to include net prices and agency commission fees as separate items. The bid shall contain commission rates for national and international media purchasing services. Should the budgets submitted by the AGENCY be disapproved, the COMMITTEE shall become entitled to directly purchase media, including Digital Media Application Purchasing service to be provided by the AGENCY under these Specifications. No extra payment shall be made for development of Media and Communication Plans to be requested by the COMMITTEE.

9. Monitoring and Evaluation
In order to measure efficiency of the efforts spent related to the corporate identity, the AGENCY shall adopt scientific methods to measure perception, and to plan and carry out relevant activities, evaluate and report relevant findings. Reports shall be provided by the AGENCY to the COMMITTEE within maximum 7 days upon completion of each service. Monitoring and evaluation of the performance of the Agency and/or Consortium shall be made by the COMMITTEE (for instance in every three months), and as a result certain adjustments may be requested.

Below table reveals the evaluation criteria that will be used by Expo 2020 Izmir Execution Committee to evaluate the performance of the agencies bidding in the tender:

		First Level Evaluation Criteria	Max. Score
Corporate	1	Profile, organization and shareholding structure of the agency, international connections	10
	2	Existing clients, client retention rate, new account acquisition, achievements	10
Strategic Abilities	3	Project perception and approach	7
	4	Creative approach, innovative ideas and proactive practices	7
	5	Draft Media and Communication Plans	6
Creative Ability	6	Proposed advertisement campaign and poster designs	15
	7	Web site interface design, social media and viral film proposals	15
	8	Proposed Strategic PR Plan	10
Client Focus	9	Number of persons devoted for the project, responsibilities and qualifications of the project team	10
	10	Customer satisfaction indicators, performance criteria and measuring proposed for the company/project	10
		TOTAL	100

And as for the financial requirements bidders are expected to bond an amount corresponding to 3% of their bid however letters of guarantee from the banks or blocked checks are accepted instead of cash.

ARTICLE 9 – BID BOND
1. Each bidder shall submit a bid bond corresponding to 3% of their bid. Any bidder, who submits a bid bond which is less than 3% of its bid, shall be disqualified.

2. Bids that are not submitted with an acceptable bid bond shall be disqualified by the COMMITTEE due to failing to meet participation requirements.

ARTICLE 10 – ASSETS THAT MAY BE ACCEPTED AS A BID BOND 

1. Below assets may be accepted as a bid bond:
 a. Turkish Currency in circulation.
 b. Letters of guarantee and blocked checks issued by the banks

2. Any letter of guarantee issued by a foreign bank which is authorized to operate in Turkey under applicable legislation; and any letter of guarantee issued by a bank operating in Turkey relying on the counter guarantee of a bank or a financial institution operating abroad may also be accepted as a bid bond.

EXPO 2020 Izmir campaign is an important, multi-million dollar campaign and is a significant business flow for any global marketing agency. It is also a project I am very interested. If any event marketer out there is interested to involve more with this project and need local help in following procedures, they can contact me via my e-mail address: kaansekerciler@gmail.com or through my LinkedIn profile.

French Breakdown in Turkish Market

Rising tension between France and Turkey unleash opportunities for exporters in other manufacuring countries.

For those who are distant to world politics: There’s a political dispute between France and Turkey that will most likely disrupt French exports to Turkey, creating a gap for manufacturers exporting the goods Turkey currently purchase from France. 

Ghosts of the Past

The bill is connected with some unsettled accounts of a bitter Armenian public in France requesting compensation for their losses in The Great War of 1914. Legitimacy of Armenian claims and the tasteless story behind them are subjects of another article. In this article we are interested with the commercial results of the dispute.

French President Sarkozy -in a desperate attempt to increase his votes for a second term- accepted the Armenian side of the story as truth and pushed a bill to the lower house of French parliament threatening anyone opposing Armenian claims with a 45.000 € fine and 1 year in jail. The proposal –exposing Turkish nationals to Armenian provocations in French territory- enraged Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan to the point of announcing a boycott for French goods in Turkish market.

Prime minister’s announcement had no immediate effect and Turkish foreign policy makers were successful in silencing Mr. Erdogan with the hope that the bill will not be approved by French Senate. Erdogan did not press on too much in order to maintain his country’s mobility on the issue and is now waiting for the French Senate’s decision.

However latest polls in France reveal that Sarkozy’s attempt was successful in increasing his votes and French President will not draw his support from the bill, ensuring that it will pass the senate. When this happen, observers expect a strong boycott backed with a hate campaign in Turkey.

Turks in France attending a demonstration next to the National Assembly in Paris

The Potential
According to UN COMTRADE Database, Turkey imported 8.176.579.003 US $ worth of goods & services from France in the year 2010. Below is the breakdown of French exports to Turkey according to main product groups.

HS Code	Description	Trade Value
87	Vehicles other than railway or tramway rolling-stock, and parts and accessories thereof	$1,639,116,818
84	Nuclear reactors, boilers, machinery and mechanical appliances; parts thereof	$1,341,174,510
88	Aircraft, spacecraft, and parts thereof	$833,666,352
85	Electrical machinery and equipment and parts thereof; sound recorders and reproducers, television image and sound recorders and reproducers, and parts and accessories of such articles	$642,324,312
72	Iron and steel	$603,867,144
	Other commodities	$3,243,122,184

Automotive

As it can clearly be seen Automobiles and Automobile parts takes the lead in French exports amounting 1,639,116,818 US$. Most of the parts go to French automotive giant Renault’s production plants in Turkey, being used in the production of Clio, Clio Grand Tour, Symbol and Fluence models of the brand and then exported again to different countries including France. The brand has strong presence and a long history in Turkey which renders it immune to the effects of a boycott. Two other French automotive brands in Turkey -Peugeot and Citroen- do not enjoy the same kind of immunity against such an action and may lose some market share in case of a strong boycott campaign against French goods. However automotive market in Turkey is pretty consolidated and the lost share of French brands will be quickly absorbed by other strong brands already operating in the country. We may say that opportunities revealed in automotive will be for companies that already have a presence in Turkish market.

Machinery

Another large portion where some opportunities lie is the Machinery chapter (HS 84). Apart from manufacturing machines which Turkey imports in huge amounts from Germany, France and Italy; this chapter also includes industrial furnaces, boilers, HVAC equipment and rollers. France is currently Turkey’s 4^th biggest supplier in this chapter. Importers of these products –Turkish Small to Medium Sized Enterprises- are the strongest supporters of the current government and will most likely give a full backing to a boycott against France. Therefore exporters may expect softer resistance in product groups forming this chapter. It may be a good time for machine manufacturers in developed countries to conduct some research on the structure of Turkish machinery imports and contact with trade development organizations in Turkey on the subject. TurkishMachine Exporters Association maybe a good place to start as most of their members also import the parts they use for production.

Aircraft

TurkishAirlines (THY) is a loyal customer of AIRBUS –French based aircraft producer. Airline recorded significant growth in year 2011 and plans to purchase 20 Airbus planes in year 2012 (14 A321-200 and 6 A319-100). It cannot be said that these orders will be cancelled and the government has no right to impose a ban on these purchases. However the airline announced that it will purchase 85 more planes in near term and it is safe to assume that a government supported boycott will improve the chances of suppliers like BOEING or even BOMBARDIER in the bids for the purchase of these planes.

Infrastructure Projects

French companies in Turkey are interested with large scale infrastructure projects. Especially nuclear power plants current government plan to erect. It may be said that French companies like Areva will have hard time in persuading Turkish authorities on the quality of their services, leaving the market to Russian, Japan and US contractors that are after these projects.

Environmental technologies especially water treatment are also considered to be as a main export chapter to Turkey. Canadian, British and US trade delegations to Turkey in recent years include at least one company which operates in this industry. MED-ALLIA Latest French trade event in Istanbul, included 8 companies operating in environmental technologies. Suppliers from other countries may be interested to contact Turkish municipalities that are buying these services and make their presentations once again as they will be more than eager to switch to suppliers from other countries.  

Construction contractors in Turkey are very closely related to municipalities and central government. After all, nearly all large scale projects are coming from these resources. They will be afraid to invoke any kind of negative attention onto them and will be among the first participants of a boycott. This will cause companies like Schneider Electric, Lafarge or Onduline to have a hard time in penetrating large scale projects in Turkey. This of course is an opportunity for their competitors.

Iron & Steel

Turkey is a net importer in Waste & Scrap Steel purchasing 7.100.000.000 US$ worth of waste steel in year 2011. An important amount of Iron & Steel imports from France includes steel waste. Average import price Turkey paid for this item is 450 US$ / Ton. France exported $603,867,144 US$ worth of iron& steel products to Turkey in 2010. Current import market in this item is dominated by EU countries including France but we may expect that Russian and Ukrainian suppliers will have less difficulty in approaching Turkish market in 2012.

FMCG

France’s famous Carrefour retail chain also operates in Turkey with 243 stores. A boycott will most probably shift an important part of their business to other retail chains in Turkey.

Cosmetics market in Turkey is dominated by French brands such as L’oreal. Versace, Yves Saint Laurent or Louis Vuitton are luxury brands highly sought by Turkish consumers. These are first castles to fall in a boycott campaign. However large marketing & advertisement budgets are necessary in order to snatch a market share from these high end brands. 

Before concluding this article it must be stated that Turkish Government has no official right to impose any ban on French goods according to EU regulations accepted by Turkey. Nevertheless, a boycott successfully held in 1998 against Italy with the initiative of trade unions & associations close to the government cost Italy 1.000.000.000 US$ worth of exports in 1999. Turkish Prime Minister’s announcements and expert opinions clearly show that a similar boycott campaign is on the way for French goods in Turkey and it will be tougher and longer than the one held against Italy. Lists of French brands and companies began to appear in different internet sites with calls for boycott. Boycott against Italy only lasted for one and a half month. A boycott against France will probably take more than a year even two years as it is for certain that France will not take back the law once it is accepted by its Senate.

Political situation may mean extra workload for diplomats and politicians but opportunities are also at bay for those who are sharp enough to see them.      

Expo Summit Turkey 2011 Over

Expo Summit Turkey 2011 Conference organized by Manch Communications Pvt. of India in Istanbul Turkey between September 29 - 30, 2011 have been attended by more than 100 delegates operating in exhibition industry. As the events' domestic sales agent I had chance to correspond with various national and international delegates and nearly everyone I approached praised the scope and content of the event while expressing their desires to participate to an expanded version of the event next year.

In order to complete the organization works of the conference, Manch Communications transferred all of its 5 member organization team to Istanbul from its HQ in Delhi, India. Despite being first timers in Turkey, the organization team were able to create a lavish event where they hosted the exhibition organizers throughout the world in a comfortable setting.

Speaker sessions focused mainly on mergers, acquisitions and techniques for integrating Turkish organizers to the international exhibition market.

Considering the event's success in such a tight schedule Ms. Kiran Mittal -Director of the Expo Summit Series - announced that the Expo Summit Turkey 2012 Conference will be organized in September 27 - 28, 2012.

I look forward working again with the ingenious Manch Communication Organization Team for their future projects.

Expo Summit Turkey 2011

Turkey's fast expanding economy continue to attract the attention of multinational exhibition companies.

Latest procurements in Turkish exhibition industry are:

Tarsus Group procuring 75% of IFO for 16,1 million USD ( Press Release )
ITE Group procuring 60% of YEM FUAR for 26,5 million USD ( Press Release )
UBM procuring 65% of ROTAFORTE for 300.000 USD ( Press Release )

Realizing the industry's potential, India based event organizer Manch Communications decided to launch a 2 day conference program to inform international exhibition organizers about the country's potential, and provide a networking platform in which the local and international companies meet each other.

Expo Summit Turkey 2011 will be launched in WOW Congress & Conference Center on September 29th, 2011 in Istanbul, Turkey. I am responsible for the domestic sales of the event. Although approached a bit late by the event organizer (it's been only 15 days since I began my work and the event will be held in one month) I am trying my best to add a few more additions to the already crowded participant list.

Conference Program, Bios of Speakers and Registration Details can be examined in the event's website: www.exposummitturkey.com

May 17, 2011 : Nigerian - Turkish Business Forum / Lagos, Nigeria

Nigeria promises to be an attractive export market for Turkish companies with its 'registered' population of 158 million, stable ( in African standards ) democracy and oil revenues. With its large natural gas reserves, Nigeriais seen as the future alternative of Russian natural gas for the European Union and therefore promises a richer and more stable government for the years to come ( that is of course if they manage not to sacrifice the union of their country to a Muslim - Christian polarization ).
Realizing the potential of this huge market, SO PLUS Int'l Trade Organizations decided to place a small business event in which they planned to meet small to middle sized Nigerian importers with Turkish Small to Middle Sized Exporters.

I was happily selling this event to Turkish companies until one day ( one month before the event ) my supervisor came and asked me to coordinate the business matching side of the event in Lagos, Nigeria. I spend the month of May in contacting Nigerian importers with our local business partner EMA Ventures. The event took place in May 17th, 2011 in Best Western Ikeja Hotel in Lagos. A total of 6 turkish companies met with approximately 55 Nigerian companies during the course of the event.
It was not the best business event of 2011 but it was a good show for a pioneering event and I am confident that each Turkish exporter was able to meet with at least 2 Nigerian prospect promising serious business.

Success of this event encouraged other Turkish exhibition companies to organize larger events in this country. After I returned from Nigeria I came to notice two such ventures organized by Meridyen Exhibition Co. of Turkey. Turkish Export Products Fair (125 exhibitors) will be launched in September 14, 2011 and Lagos Fashion Show will be launched in October 5th, 2011.
I wish good luck for both the organizations and hope that I can produce another event in this giant, promising market again.