Istanbul is the perfect setting for incentives, combining history, culture, natural beauty, traditional arts and crafts. Your incentives can be as unique as their setting, and there are an infi nite number of programs you can develop.

Start with something spectacular to amaze your guests. Take them on a sunset cruise along the Bosphorus. Your boat will embark at the Old City andcocktails are served as the sun begins to descend. Next, mezes, Turkey’s almost infi nite variety of appetizers, will be served. While musicians start to play enjoyable rhythms, the boat will sail past illuminated palaces, mosques and fortresses. Only İstanbul can off er you such an experience. Turkey has a rich tradition of arts and crafts. Learning about them is a pleasure by itself enabling you and your guests to catch a glimpse of what one might call the Turkish soul. Carpet and kilim weaving are the most renowned Turkish crafts, which will probably appeal to Western visitors. Given their rich colors and enormous variety of designs, this is no surprise. An expert in the field will explain the techniques involved, how to recognize where the kilims come from, and the symbolic meanings of their motifs. Also, your incentive participants can try at a little weaving of their own. You can also try the art of ceramic.

The fi nest examples of this craft are the beautiful Iznik and Kütahya tiles that decorate some of Istanbul’s fi nest mosques. You can start at the Blue Mosque and continue with a visit to one of İstanbul’s largest ceramic emporia to see the works of Turkey’s leading ceramic artists, who produces not just tiles, but bowls and vases bearing elegant and bold designs. Here you will learn the secrets, as well as the techniques and history of this craft. The program will end with a visit to an atelier, where your guests can see the artists at work. Other possible events might involve demonstrations of calligraphy, glass-blowing or Ebru, the traditional Turkish art of paper marbling.

For an activity with a team-building emphasis, try a treasure hunt through Istanbul’s fabled monuments and the bustling streets of the Grand Bazaar, the world’s largest traditional covered market. As your participants test their wits, they will also have the chance to discover the city’s unique character. To make your event even more exotic, add a uniquely Istanbul spin, with a taxi rally, a treasure hunt in which teams of participants travel through the city in Istanbul’s iconic “dolmuş”, vintage Chevrolets, Fords and Plymouths from the 1950s and 1960s, converted into shared taxis. Near Taksim Square, there is a winding street leading down to the picturesque district of Çukurcuma, which is perfect for antiquing.

Browsing through the wares of the antique shops, you will discover Ottoman antiques from jewelry to furniture inlaid with mother-of-pearl and copperware. If your group includes antique enthusiasts, they would enjoy a customized city tour that features stops not just in Çukurcuma but also at the Grand Bazaar, and the vast Hor Hor antique market. One of Turkey’s best-kept secrets is the extraordinary richness of its musical traditions, from the wild dances of the Black Sea coast to the stately processionals of the Ottoman court. These traditions still have a strong infl uence on Turkey’s vibrant, contemporary music scene. Leading pop stars draw on Anatolian folk music and traditions of Türk Sanat Müziği (Turkish Art Music), while fusion artists combine Turkish styles with popular Western styles.

Adding a musical note to your incentive would naturally involve exclusive performances by some of these artists, as well as a performance with traditional Turkish instruments. Make the grand fi nale with a performance of the famous “whirling” ceremony of the Mevlevi Dervishes, which is accompanied by rhythms of great refi nement and spirituality. An exciting way for your guests to experience Anatolian folk music and dance is to organize a private performance of Anatolian Fire, an internationally renowned theatrical extravaganza that dramatizes, through sound and movement, the story of this ancient land from ancient times to the present day. During the show, centuries of history fl ow before your eyes in one evening. Your guests can go back in time to enjoy an evening at the Ottoman court during s “Sultan’s Night”. On arrival, guests will be greeted by a Mehter band in full costume and an actor dressed in the ceremonial robes of a sultan or grand vezir. Later there will be folk music and dancing, but the evening’s piece de resistance is, of course, the food.

Ottoman cuisine, combining Central Asian, Persian, Arab, Anatolian and Aegean culinary traditions, is among the world’s most spectacular cuisines. Your guests will be dining on history, since some of the dishes they will be tasting can be traced back to the Late Roman Empire. Explore the exotic possibilities of Istanbul, where experienced Destination Management professionals will help you to create programs beyond your expectations, off ering you a variety of options and alternatives: Active and adventure-based incentives, culture oriented activities, events designed for special interests, events organized with corporate objectives ranging from motivation and team-building exercises to product launches or post-merger situations.

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