Athena Fair won’t rest on its laurels and has already started preparing for an even better Landscape Istanbul Fair (LIF)

LIF 2022.

It was no coincidence that last year Istanbul was chosen as the venue for the first edition of a brand-new international trade event for the professional landscaping sector, the Landscape Istanbul Fair (LIF). Event organiser Athena Fairs looks forward to seeing you again this year on 16-18 November.

As Mustafa Gültekin Gökgül, CEO of Athena Fairs and organiser of LIF, puts it, “Türkiye has become a major player in the global landscaping industry as its climate and location make it ideal for the production and export of a wide variety of ornamental plants and flowers.” He went on to say, “Furthermore, with a single-minded focus on delivering high quality output at affordable prices, Turkish exporters are already supplying major landscaping projects worldwide.”

Therefore, it was logical for Gökgül, an industry veteran, to launch LIF in Türkiye when he identified a gap in the market, i.e. to offer international buyers and specifiers a one-stop sourcing opportunity for ornamental plants.

Mustafa Gültekin Gökgül, CEO of Athena Fairs and organiser of LIF.

As the country’s commercial hub and boasting excellent transport links and accommodation, Istanbul is the ideal strategic setting for an event focused on international horticultural trade. The results from the launch show would appear to support Gökgül’s belief as over 2,800 trade buyers attended, representing large-scale landscaping interests from across the EMEA region.

As a passionate advocate of the Turkish horticultural sector, Gökgül has no plans to simply sit back and enjoy the success of the first Fair, and he is already working on ways to deliver further added value to both exhibitors and buyers. “It was a great start, and the early bookings for LIF 2023 are way beyond my expectations, but we have only scratched the surface when presenting the capabilities of the Turkish market to a wider international audience. LIF 2023 will showcase even more Turkish companies and an even wider range of products, and we will be actively inviting buyers from around the world to come and view this comprehensive collection of ornamental plants suppliers.”

The list of suppliers who have already confirmed their participation at LIF 2023 reads like a ‘Who’s Who’ of Turkish horticultural exporters and includes leading brands such as Çepkan Çiçekçilik, Yeşilvadi Landscape Design, Aratlı Botanik, Vardar Fidancılık, Triyanna Flowers and Turgutlu Botanik.  Gökgül points out that many Turkish brands, such as these, will only be present at LIF 2023 and no other trade events in Türkiye, so this represents a unique sourcing opportunity for international buyers.

Another reason for LIF’s success is the team’s holistic approach to customer service, which extends beyond simply opening the exhibition’s doors and leaving attendees to get on with it. Gökgül and his colleagues offer to facilitate one-to-one meetings between international buyers and Turkish suppliers so that their time at LIF can be used most effectively. In addition, site visits to relevant Turkish nurseries can also be arranged for international visitors based on their particular horticulture requirements. Gökgül elaborates, “If you want high quality ornamental plants at competitive prices, then now is a great time to buy Turkish.”

Landscape Istanbul Fair 2023 will occur from 16-18 November 2023 at the Istanbul Fair Centre.

Istanbul Peyzaj ve Süs Bitkileri Fuarı | 16-18 Kasım’23 (peyzajistanbulfuari.com)