Founded in 1979 as Türkiye’s first private fair organization company, Tüyap plays a crucial role in keeping trade dynamic by organizing over 50 fairs annually across various sectors. With 45 years of experience, Tüyap holds a leading position in shaping Türkiye’s fair industry. We discussed Tüyap’s national and international projects, the significance of global trade, and the future of the fair industry with Zeynep Ünal Öztop, Chief Executive Officer of Tüyap Fair Organization Group.

Emphasizing that Tüyap has established a structure that guides the sector to institutionalize the fair industry in Türkiye, Zeynep Ünal Öztop, Chief Executive Officer of Tüyap Fair Organization Group, stated that their collaboration with RX Global marked a significant turning point in achieving international goals. Zeynep Ünal Öztop said, “With RX Global’s strong infrastructure and international experience combined with Tüyap’s vision, introducing Turkish brands to the world and establishing global business connections has become much easier. Through this collaboration, which we have maintained since 2012, Tüyap has become not only a local player but also a major force in global trade.”

  • Tüyap was founded as Türkiye’s first private fair organization company. So, how did this journey begin? Which sectors served as inspiration?

Tüyap Fair Organization Group was founded in 1979 by Bülent Ünal as Türkiye’s first private fair organization company. At that time, international trade was gaining momentum, and Türkiye was in a process of establishing stronger ties with the world. Our founder, Bülent Ünal, recognized this potential and set out with the vision of creating a platform that would revitalize Türkiye’s trade. Our inspiration came from the strength of the fair industry in developed countries and its contribution to the economy. Our first step was to bring together Turkish producers and buyers, introduce them to the international arena, and strengthen the local economy. On this journey, which we started with a small team and a big vision, we worked to understand the needs of the sector while striving to meet international standards. Throughout this process, we drew inspiration from the world’s leading fair organizations. We believed that Türkiye could also have a strong presence in this field, and now, 45 years later, we take pride in turning this vision into reality.

“We organize specialized fairs according to the needs of the sector”
  • What role did Tüyap play in the institutionalization of the fair organization industry in Türkiye?

Tüyap has not only created a commercial platform for the institutionalization of fair organization in Türkiye, but also established a structure that guides the sector. With us, fair organization in Türkiye has transformed from local events to a professional organization structure organized on an international scale. We have created quality fairgrounds, organized specialized fairs according to the needs of the sector and brought world standards to Türkiye. At the point we have reached today, our greatest success is that both our exhibitors and visitors see us as a solution partner. Tüyap’s success has gone beyond being just a commercial activity. While the fairs we organize offer new opportunities to sectors, they also contribute directly to the economies of cities and regions. These platforms also serve as a socio-cultural bridge, bringing together different cultures, ideas and people. With our vision of “Our Legacy is the Future”, we continue to carry this deep-rooted history forward and inspire new generations.

“Thanks to our cooperation with RX Global, the global recognition of our fairs has increased”
  • How did the partnership with RX Global, one of the world’s largest fair companies, accelerate Tüyap’s international targets?

Our collaboration with RX Global has been a significant milestone in achieving our international goals. Thanks to this partnership, the global recognition of our fairs has increased and we have established a wider communication network. RX Global’s strong infrastructure and international experience, combined with our vision, has made it much easier to introduce Turkish brands to the world and create global business connections. By utilizing RX Global’s sales and marketing network all over the world for our fairs, we are creating much more productive fairs for our exhibitors and visitors. Since 2012, with this cooperation, Tüyap is now one of the most important players in not only local but also global trade.

“We are planning around 50 fairs for 2025”
  • How many fairs did Tüyap organize in 2024 and how many fairs are planned for 2025?

In 2024, Tüyap Fair Organization Group organized 56 fairs in total, 50 of which took place in Türkiye and six abroad. With these fairs, we continued to keep the pulse of global trade by hosting more than 12 thousand exhibitors from 65 countries and more than 3.5 million visitors from 175 countries. For 2025, we plan to bring together our exhibitors and visitors in the most effective way with around 50 fairs.

“The largest privately owned fair center in Türkiye with 145 thousand square meters of indoor and outdoor space”
  • Can you give information about the physical conditions of Tüyap? How many thousand square meters do you serve?

Tüyap Fair and Congress Center in Istanbul is the largest privately owned fair center in Türkiye with a total of 145 thousand square meters of indoor and outdoor exhibition space. Our center is designed to host all kinds of events with 14 fair halls and 33 meeting rooms. With the five-star, 630-room Tüyap Palace, which is integrated into our fairgrounds, we provide accommodation services to exhibitors and visitors and offer them the opportunity to rest where they work. Last year, Tüyap Fair and Congress Center received I-REC certification, becoming Türkiye’s first and only zero carbon emission fair and congress center. Tüyap Fair and Congress Center is the 24th largest fair center in Europe.

“We mediate the establishment of business connections worth billions of dollars”
  • How do you contribute to the country’s economy with the fairs you organize?

Each fair creates great value not only for exhibitors but also for the economy of the city where the fair is held. While directly contributing to services such as accommodation, food and beverage, and transportation, we are mediating the establishment of business connections worth billions of dollars. At the same time, we support exporter companies to reach new markets, which directly contributes to the growth of the Turkish economy.

“We organize fairs in many sectors from books to machinery, agriculture to carpets in Anatolia”
  • Can you tell us about your organizations and projects in Anatolia?

Our fair centers in Anatolia offer a great opportunity for local producers to make their voices heard. Thanks to the fairs we organize in Konya, Samsun, Adana, Gaziantep, Gaziantep, Bursa, Diyarbakır and Eskişehir, we revitalize regional economies. We also serve the sector with our fair centers in Samsun and Konya. These cities serve as showcases for local producers and bring them to the national and international arena. We organize fairs in many sectors in Anatolia, from books to machinery, agriculture to carpets. In particular, Konya Agriculture Fair, which we have been successfully organizing for 20 years, draws attention as the 3rd largest fair in Europe; it is possible for strong sectors such as this, which have an international presence, to open up to the world from Anatolia.

“We aim to contribute more to local economies with events in Anatolia”
  • How do you predict 2025 will be for the fair industry?

2025 will be a year of innovative steps for us with a focus on digitalization and sustainability. We are working to make our fairs more accessible and environmentally friendly. At the same time, with the recovery in the global economy, we expect a significant increase in both exhibitor and visitor numbers internationally. We aim to contribute more to local economies by emphasizing our events in Anatolia.

“We are increasing our number of international participants with 76 sales agencies in 20 countries”
  • In which countries is Tüyap active abroad? How does it act as a bridge to open new markets for Turkish exporters?

As Tüyap Fair Organization Group, we are very active abroad with our international offices in Tbilisi, Moscow, Skopje, Belgrade, Ljubljana and Tehran. These offices provide support in marketing and procurement delegations in order to ensure that Turkish companies take part in the global arena. In addition, we are realizing our goal of increasing the number of international participants in our fairs with our 76 sales agencies in 20 countries. We also serve as a strong bridge for companies that want to expand to markets such as the Middle East, Africa, Russia and China through our fairs. For the last two years, we have been organizing fairs abroad as we used to do in the past, bringing our exhibitors from Türkiye together with the professional visitors of the relevant country and neighboring countries. All4Wood and WindoShow Fairs we organized in the past years are the best examples of these. At the same time, we make our companies more visible by organizing Türkiye’s national participation in prestigious fairs in different sectors every year.