The foundation of the Europe’s most prominent additional exhibition investment at Istanbul Fair Center (IFC) was laid. Şekib Avdagiç, President of the Istanbul Chamber of Commerce (ICOC) and Deputy Chairman of the Istanbul World Trade Center (IWTC) stated, “With the expansion project that will increase our total exhibition area to 140,000 square meters, we will cross a strategic threshold on our path to making Istanbul one of the world’s leading exhibition hubs.”

ŞEKİB Avdagiç, Chairman of the Istanbul Chamber of Commerce (ICOC) and Deputy Chairman of the Istanbul World Trade Center (IWTC), said: “We have laid the foundation for the most significant additional exhibition investment in Europe at the Istanbul Fair Center (IFC). Once the construction of the new exhibition hall is completed, the IFC-whose capacity will increase by 40 percent-will move forward with firm steps toward becoming the most influential exhibition venue in our region.”

Avdagiç announced that construction work has begun at the Istanbul Fair Center  for a new two-storey exhibition area with a total size of 40,000 square meters. Avdagiç noted that the IFC, which operates under the Istanbul World Trade Center (IWTC) with 11 exhibition halls, has succeeded in ranking among Europe’s leading exhibition centers thanks to extensive infrastructure and technology investments.

Avdagiç added, “After assuming full operational responsibility for all our exhibition halls and acquiring their title deeds, we have launched the construction of an additional exhibition hall for the first time in 18 years. With this project, we will complete the initial phase of our expansion and increase our total exhibition area to 140,000 square meters.”

Noting that they had laid the foundation for the most significant additional exhibition investment in Europe at the Istanbul Fair Center, Avdagiç stated that the center’s capacity would increase by 40 percent once the construction of the new hall is completed. Avdagiç said, “The IFC is moving forward with confident steps toward becoming the most influential exhibition venue in our region. With the expansion project that will increase our total exhibition area to 140,000 square meters, we will cross a strategic threshold on the path to making Istanbul one of the world’s leading exhibition hubs.”

ALREADY 73 FAIRS IN THE AGENDA

Avdagiç mentioned that in this way, they would make the most of the shift in focus toward Istanbul following the uncertainty caused by economic and geopolitical fluctuations in Europe, as well as the Russia-Ukraine war.

Şekib Avdagiç underlined that the Istanbul Fair Center has achieved to take part among the leading fair centers of not only Türkiye but also Europe with the major infrastructure and technology investments accomplished to date and added, “Since the 2026 calendar has already been arranged, we expect the number of exhibitions to reach 73, with total space utilization amounting to 2,536,000 square meters. The increase in square meter usage stems from our hosting of larger-scale and more comprehensive events, as well as the inclusive exhibition approach we have implemented from the very beginning. This indicates that we are steadily moving closer to our goal.”

EMECA MEMBERSHIP

Avdagiç stated that in 2025 they launched a private 5G infrastructure for the first time in Türkiye’s exhibition sector, adding, “With Private 5G, we have strengthened the IFC’s position on the global stage by advancing its digital infrastructure beyond that of leading exhibition centers in Europe. On the other hand, we have also delivered another very important service for our visitors by constructing the IFC Bridge over the Ayamama Creek, thereby facilitating pedestrian access between the E-5 Metrobus line and the Istanbul Fair Center.”

Avdagiç also noted that in 2025, they inaugurated a new-generation meeting and event space called IFC Divan (IFC Council) within the Istanbul Fair Center, comprising modern meeting rooms and multipurpose halls. “The Istanbul Fair Center within ICOC’s body has become a member of European Major Exhibition Centres Association (EMECA) in 2025. This membership will enable close cooperation with the fair centers in Europe and highlight IFC’s role in the region.” 

New generation meeting halls

IFC Council has been opened in 2025 to meet the increasing demands for meetings and events at the exhibition center. Comprising new generation meeting halls and multipurpose lounges, IFC Council hosts professional business negotiations of the organizers and participants particularly during the events. All rooms of IFC Council provide high-speed internet, professional sound-image systems, digital screens, video-conference solutions and automated reservation infrastructure. 

IFC Atlas

IFC Atlas is a first in the Turkish exhibition sector and it was actively used in 2025 by all the organizers and service providers. IFC Atlas enables the management of all additional service processes of the exhibition organizers and service providers via a single platform. Infrastructure installation, logistics, OHS, security-cleaning, toll gate and door registry systems are some of these services. As an innovative digital solution that aims to carry out the operations in a healthier, faster and uninterrupted way, IFC Atlas carried IFC’s service quality to another level.

Showcase of defence

IDEF’25 Exhibiton displaying the defence industry’s power has been one of the most outstanding organizations of Istanbul Expo Center last year. Among Türkiye’s major defence industry events, IDEF - International Defence Industry Fair gathered World’s leading defence industry companies, decision-makers and military delegations at Istanbul Expo Center. As part of IDEF, products and systems regarding all critical areas of defence industry such as land, air, sea and cyber security solutions were displayed. Local and foreign companies seized the opportunity to present new technologies, prototypes and innovative platforms to global public opinion. IDEF’s organization at Istanbul Expo Center strengthened Türkiye’s global position in defence industry and revealed IFC’s capacity to host large-scale global organizations