The International Food Products and Technologies Fair, WorldFood Istanbul, organized by the International Trade and Exhibitions (ITE) Turkey for the 26th time, is scheduled to kick off on Sept. 5. The fair, to be held at the TÜYAP Fair and Congress Center from Sept. 5 to 8, will witness sector-related operation and market-oriented seminars within the scope of the "Food 360 Experience" and will host international purchasing delegations. Business-to-business (B2B) meetings will be held during the event where participants will be offered plate presentation events and food and beverage tastings.

The fair creates a platform where suppliers, retailers and consumers that make up the food chain can meet. It is supported by the Turkish Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, Turkish Ministry of Trade, Small and Medium Enterprises Development Organization (KOSGEB), Association of Gastronomy Tourism (GTD), Federation of Turkish Retailers (TPF), Association of All Foods Foreign Trade (TÜGİDER), Association of Agricultural Products Cereal Grains Business and Packaging Manufacturers (PAKDER), Marmara Region Purchasing Managers Platform (MARSAP), Association of Private Brand Products Industrialists and Suppliers (PLAT) and Association of Cooks.

WorldFood Istanbul will support the professional development of the food industry by covering not only sector-specific regulations, laws and technical issues, but also market-oriented issues related to future investments. It will address the latest technological developments in the market, consumer preferences and the future of the food industry which is one of the strongest sectors in Turkey.

WorldFood Istanbul welcomed 354 exhibitors and 13,198 visitors from 29 countries last year, it is preparing to bring more than 400 exhibitors from 30 countries along with approximately 17,000 visitors this year.

During the fair, purchasing delegation programs will be implemented by both ITE Turkey and the Turkish Ministry of Trade. This year, the fair will host more than 200 domestic and foreign professional purchasers from many countries including Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Russia, Germany, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Azerbaijan, Iraq, Belgium, Kazakhstan and Colombia and witness B2B business meetings. Many products, including beverages, milk and dairy products, meat and poultry products, fresh fruits and vegetables, seafood, frozen products, basic foods and oils, sugary products, bakery products and nuts and food additives will be exhibited at the four-day fair.

WorldFood Istanbul will discuss all the processes of production, operation and consumption in the food sector with more than 30 experts and share the most up-to-date information and cutting-edge technologies in the sector. Within the scope of "Food 360 Experience," speakers will discuss many agenda topics during more than 15 events in the Food Arena established at the exhibition area.

At the Conference Stage and Show Cuisine designed in the Food Arena, WorldFood Istanbul is waiting for its participants and visitors with an event program full of seminars, conversations, panel discussions, plate presentations and food and drink tastings.

Some topics as part of the fair will be "Food Inflation Coping Methods," "Sustainability in 'Competition,' the Sine-Qua-Non Factor of Growth," "Turning Food Leftovers into Opportunity," "Becoming Brand in Food Industry, Becoming Different with Gastronomy," "Hints from Masters," "Chef Shows" and "Turkey's Best Chefs Plate Competition."

The event "Food Road Map – Food Inflation" to be held as part of the "Food Inflation Coping Methods," at 11 a.m., Sept. 5, will be moderated by economist Dr. Can Fuat Gürlesel, and will be on reasons that trigger food inflation and what kind of measures can be taken to curb inflation, as well as long-term advantages and disadvantages of these measures and what measures companies must take. Panelists will include Prof. Dr. Burak Arzova, economist and Marmara University Business Administration Faculty member, Prof. Dr. Erhan Aslanoğlu, academic, economist and Piri Reis University Vice Rector, Hakan Güldağ, Dünya newspaper editor-in-chief and Melahat Özkan, Secretary General of PAKDER & TÜGİDER.

Under the topic "Sustainability in 'Competition,' the Sine-Qua-Non Factor of Growth," to be held as part of the theme "The Future of Food – Sustainable Growth" in cooperation with PLAT Turkey at 3 p.m. on Sept. 6, food industry experts will address "how" and "what" steps must be taken for qualified and sustainable growth in the sector that experiences intense competition. The panelists will include PLAT Turkey Manager Burak Aksoy, Oğuz Gıda Sales Director Enes Örer, Sultanlar Group Sales and Marketing Director Fikret Yıldırıcı, Coca-Cola Beverage Marketing Manager Gözde Aksoğan ve Aynes Food Sales Manager Mustafa Yıldız.

On Friday, Sept. 7, a panel titled "Turning Food Leftovers into Opportunity" will be held at 11.30 a.m. in cooperation with the Association of Basic Needs (TİDER). In order to support the disadvantaged segments, the panel discussion will address the applications made by TİDER to utilize food waste, the agreements made with the chain markets and what can be done both on individual and corporate levels to develop a solution to this problem. Jacobs Douwe Egberts Turkey Manager Banu Erkorkmaz, Nefista Founding Partner Eren Merzeci and TİDER Founding President Serhan Süzer will participate in the panel.

The events to be held at the end of the day on Sept. 5, 6 and 8 as part of the section entitled "Hints from Masters" are expected to be the most interesting events of the fair. Gürkan Boztepe, the Chairman of the Association of Gastronomy Tourism, and Deniz Temel, the Chef and Host at Alaf Kuruçeşme, will address the question "How does new media affect food consumption?" as well as discuss the eating habits of the new generation on Sept. 5.

Meanwhile the event "The Restaurant Story of a Chef and an Entrepreneur, the Actors of Making a Difference" on Sept. 6 will feature Veranda Pera & Alaçatı and Fiko Grill Restaurant Partner Doruk Doruk and Lets Consultancy and Zula Istanbul Founding Partner Üryan Doğmuş will talk about how they have taken distinctive steps in the areas of concept determination, menu design, restaurant decoration and the use of social media.

The panel "Becoming a Brand in the Food Industry, Becoming Different with Gastronomy," which will be held in cooperation with the Association of Gastronomic Tourism (GTD) at noon on Sept. 8, will bring together distinctive gastronomy professionals to discuss the significance of "marketing" in the competitive food industry. Turkish and Ottoman Cuisine Specialist and MasterChef Aydın Demir, Chef and Nicole Restaurant Founder Aylin Yazıcıoğlu and Futurist and Hotelier Dr. Cem Kınay will take part on the panel which will be moderated by GTD Chairman Gürkan Boztepe.

The Food Arena, located at Hall 5 of the WorldFood Istanbul fairgrounds, will host Show Kitchen from Sept. 5 to 8. Designed with Kayalar kitchen equipment, the kitchen will witness daily special-concept shows to be performed by famous restaurant and hotel chefs in cooperation with the Association of Cooks. In cooperation with the World Gourmet Society which includes the world's leading chefs, gourmets, food writers, journalists and restaurateurs, WorldFood Istanbul has become the private partner of the international "Best Plate Challenge" competition this year. WorldFood Istanbul will reward Turkish chefs for their best and most creative plates at "The Best Chef Plate Competition" which will be held for the first time in Turkey. The winners of the competition will be receive their awards at ceremony to be held from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m., Sept. 7. WorldFood Istanbul aims to introduce Turkish cuisine, Turkish chefs and Turkish gastronomic diversity to the international arena.


The Best Chef Plate Competition will be held for the first time in Turkey at the 26th WorldFood Istanbul.

About ITE Turkey and EUF – E International Fair Promotion Services

ITE Turkey is the Turkey office of the ITE Group, an international exhibition company which organizes 240 fairs and conferences a year with more than 1,000 experienced staff working at 32 offices in 20 countries worldwide. ITE Turkey, consists of YEM Fair Organization, EUF – E International Fair Promotion Services and Platform International Fair Organization.

Organizing Turkey's leading fairs in the areas of construction, tourism, cosmetics, food, rail systems and logistics, ITE Turkey takes it strength from its experiences in Turkey and the region as well as from the global network of ITE Group which it is a subsidiary of. ITE Turkey transfers its strong global network in the fair organization sector to each sector it is involved in, as well as create new business, business alliances and purchasing opportunities at the fairs it organizes and contributes to the development of these sectors.

EUF - E International Trade Promotion Services Inc., a subsidiary of ITE Turkey, has been organizing fairs in energy, construction equipment, food, furniture, stationery, promotion, water and wastewater treatment, tourism, rail systems and logistics sectors since 1999. Thanks to ITE Group's global information network, experience and global cooperation, EUF Inc., has held the East Mediterranean International Travel & Tourism Exhibition (EMITT), the International Rolling Stock, Infrastructure & Logistics Exhibition (Eurasia Rail) and the International Food Products and Technologies Fair (WorldFood Istanbul).