ISTANBUL, Turkey: Mustafa Gültekin Gökgül, managing director of Athena Fuarcilik and an accomplished horticultural trade show organiser, is delighted to announce Landscape Istanbul 2022 which will premier from 13-16 October 2022 in Istanbul.
Gökgül will held Turkey’s newest horticultural trade exhibition at the Istanbul Expo Centre in Yesilkoy near the capital’s former intercontinental airport Atatürk which today primarily serves as cargo hub. There is no doubt that for him and thousands of industry professionals the venue will feel like coming home. Between 2011 and 2016, Gökgül, Hakan Yuksel and their team organised here the very succesful Flower Show Turkey/Eurasia Plant Fair, in which British event organiser took a majority share in 2012 to wholly own it a few years later.
The inaugural Landscape Istanbul Fair 2022 (LIF2022)will be dedicated to breeders, growers, landscape architects, garden retailers, contractors and building firms. It will serve as showcase for the latest in nursery stock products, flowers, bulbs, perennials, annuals and cut flowers, focusing on the emerging landscaping and horticulture markets of the Middle East, Central and Eastern Europe, North Africa, Central and South Asia.
Ideally located on the crossroads between the West and the East, LIF 2022 is set to become the region’s leading horticultural trade show, also because over the years Gökgül has become a familiar face within Turkey’s blooming nursery stock sector, knowing many companies personally and relying on an extensive international network.
With increasing awareness of the important role carefully planned landscaping can play in tackling the effects of climate change, encouraging biodiversity and promoting general health and well-being, particularly in urban settings, Gökgül believes there is no better moment for the region to have a dedicated landscaping event. It is difficult to predict how things will be next year but it is pretty safe to say if the weak lira continues well into 2022 it will provide a big plus for the country’s flower and plant exporters.
He says his initiative has been greated with enthusiasm. “We are delighted with the high level of interest we are getting from across the professional landscaping and horticulture industry. It confirms the results from our market research which indicated strong demand for a dedicated event to promote trade, education and networking for the region’s professional landscaping community.”
With over 40 per cent of available stand space already reserved within the first month of launch, Gökgül is confident the show will live up to the high expectations.
He is fortunate that he can count on the support of Turkey’s Ornamental Plants and Products Exporters’ Association. Mr. Ismail Yilmaz, Chairman of the Board, says, “Our capacity, diversity and quality of ornamental plant production, means we export to nearly 80 countries and we welcome new platforms such as Landscape Istanbul Fair 2022, which will facilitate bilateral trade through the creation of new business relationships.”
Yilmaz adds, “Our members are looking forward to meeting and networking with their international counterparts to learn about market trends, industry standards and import export procedures.”
This sentiment is shared by SUSBİR, the Turkish Ornamental Plant Growers Union, which represents nearly 1,000 ornamental plant producers in Turkey. Mr. Savas Akcan, Chairman of the Board, said “Conditions in Turkey enable our members to grow a diverse range of plants and in recent years we have seen big improvements in the quality of production.” He went onto say, “Our members are excited by the opportunity to highlight their capabilities to both domestic and international landscape designers and practitioners next year.”
LIF 2022 will occupy three halls of Istanbul Fair Centre, the largest exhibition facility in Turkey.
For more information, visit www.LandscapeIstanbulFair.com
