Deutsche Messe is in the process of acquiring a 100 percent stake in Sodeks A.S., organizer of the ISK-Sodex, Turkey’s largest trade fair for HVAC technology. The contracts for the takeover were signed recently in Istanbul. Deutsche Messe’s Turkish subsidiary HANNOVER MESSE INTERNATIONAL ISTANBUL currently owns 50 percent of Hannover-Messe Sodeks Fuarcilik, the joint venture company that organizes ISK-SODEX.
Over the past 10 years, Hannover-Messe Sodeks Fuarcilik has successfully grown ISK-SODEX, which is held biennially, into Turkey’s biggest trade fair. The last ISK-SODEX, held in 2010, featured 883 exhibitors and attracted more than 80,000 visitor registrations. Hannover-Messe Sodeks Fuarcilik will continue to organize the fair under the new ownership set-up.
“We are pleased to announce that Murat Demirtas will stay on as chairman of the board and general manager of Hannover-Messe Sodeks Fuarcilik, so that the fair will continue to benefit from his considerable expertise and experience,” said Alexander Kühnel, general manager of HANNOVER MESSE INTERNATIONAL ISTANBUL.
The takeover of ISK-SODEX is the latest step in Deutsche Messe’s overseas growth strategy.
“There is still significant potential for growing our overseas business,” said Wolfgang Lenarz, senior vice president of global fairs, Deutsche Messe. “In the last two years, alone, we’ve started up 20 new trade fair events worldwide, and we will continue to grow our international events business in close partnership with our customers and relevant industry representatives and organizations. We now have trade fairs on all five continents, making us strong partners for customers keen on achieving international growth. Turkey has been one of our strongest markets in this sense. It has achieved steady growth over the years and will continue to do so.”
The next ISK-SODEX runs from May 2-5, 2012, at the CNR Istanbul Expo Center and will be staged alongside another trade fair organized by Hannover-Messe Sodeks Fuarcilik: “pool expo” – an exhibition for swimming pools, spas, saunas and associated equipment.
