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Photo Credit: Istanbul Convention Bureau

The perception of the meetings industry has changed

The “Common Action Areas and the Role of Institutions during a Crisis” webinar was hosted by the ICOC & ICVB President Şekib Avdagiç with the attendance of ICCA CEO Senthil Gopinath, Hotel Association of Turkey President Müberra Eresin, Association of Turkish Travel Agencies President Firuz Bağlıkaya and Turkish Tourism Investors Association President Oya Narin. All of the participants stated that they expected 2020 to be the golden year of Turkey’s tourism & meeting industry.

Starting with the first day of the pandemic and the following crisis within the global industries, all of the associations took preventative measures and implemented extensive cleaning protocols and hygiene practices. All of the leaders stated that Turkey and Istanbul’s strength will increase with the cooperation and collaboration of all associations and industry players.

During the webinar, Avdagiç underlined: “As ICOC and ICVB, we have been trying to minimize the problems of all industries within our city. We are in contact with our ministries, industry representatives and shareholders and receiving various updates from them. We are actively working within Istanbul Pandemic Board with the other representatives of the city and have been trying to create short and long term safety standards and protocols. It is a fact that tourism and meeting industries were affected deeply by this pandemic. Due to travel restrictions in all destinations, many national and international meetings were either cancelled or postponed. The perception of the meetings industry changed. We are living the digital era to its core. Nonetheless, I truly believe that nothing will ever replace face-to-face interactions. Connecting and socially interacting is a part of human nature. Although, adapting and absorbing the change is also a part of our nature. That’s why we believe that the future is hybrid.”

Find out more about the meetings industry and events in Turkey and Istanbul at Istanbul Convention and Visitors Bureau.

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