Interview at EIBTM with Cantekin Temizer
Interview‘Conference business still buoyant in Turkey’
Cantekin Temizer, Vice-President of MEP, tells ITCM ‘MICE business in Turkey is standing up well’. That is the experience of MEP, one of the country’s longest established destination management companies. Vice-President Cantekin Temizer, who was on the MEP stand at EBTM in Barcelona, says that 2009 was good thanks to a number of big conferences. ‘One of these was the Annual Meeting on October of the Boards of Governors or the World Bank Group and the International Monetary Fund (IMF). Although the numbers of delegates was a little down compared with previous IMF events, it was still a major piece of business for Turkey and for us. We handled as many as 5,000 of the delegates from six banking organisations.’He also goes on to say that a number of good contracts are already signed for 2010, so the coming year will not be a bad one for MICE in Turkey.
‘Conferences are definitely the bread and butter of the business at this time’, says Cantekin. ‘Incentives have been declining. However, Turkey has not been suffering from the perception problem that other destinations have been up against.
‘Turkey is not perceived to be expensive, nor too ostentatious. For the UK it is a short-haul destination, ye it still has the exotic flavour that attracts delegates.’
Cantekin admits that the gala dinner aspects of conferences have been played down in recent times. ‘Hotels are definitely ready to work on lower margins’, he confirms. ‘And MEP’, he adds, ‘can provide better rates because of our local knowhow and the volume of business we place with all the main properties. However, just as important as rates, and possibly even more vital, are the contract terms we can negotiate. Cancellation terms, for example, can be a risk for organisers that book direct.’
Antalya and Cappadocia are great destinations because of their locations and their history and culture and they have excellent hotel facilities, but Istanbul is still the big draw. It is the venue for about 90% of events held in Turkey. ‘And this will be the pattern for 2010, definitely’, says Cantekin. ‘The coming year sees Istanbul as European Capital of Culture and it comes at an excellent time. The city will be bubbling for 12 months.
‘We can very easily arrange 5-day incentives for groups that are excellent value for money, with three days in Istanbul at a superb property such as the Kempinski Ciragan Palace or the Four Seasons; followed by two days of complete contrast in the Caves Hotels of Cappadocia. Or, to maintain the sense of opulence, Istanbul can be followed with a stay at the new 6-star Mardan Palace in Antalya. This region will be playing a bigger role, as direct scheduled flights from the UK to Antalya are being introduced.’
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