Fair organisers and calendars
In Türkiye the licence to organise a fair comes from TOBB, and national pavilions abroad are run by organisers appointed by the Ministry of Trade. Where the official calendars and lists are, how to read them, and what to ask an organiser.
The organiser owns the fair: it rents the hall, sells the plots, writes the technical regulations, opens the build window and appoints the contracted power, rigging and freight suppliers. The exhibitor's relationship with the organiser begins with the contract signature and ends with the dismantling record. The venue (Tüyap, CNR Expo, Messe Düsseldorf and so on) owns the hall; at some fairs venue and organiser are the same company, at others they differ.
This section is about organisers and official lists. Hall sizes and rules of venues are on the venue pages, dated fairs on the fair calendar.
01
Domestic: the TOBB licence and fair calendar
Domestic fairs are organised under the Procedures and Principles for Organising Fairs in Türkiye, based on Law No. 5174. The organising company obtains a licence from TOBB, valid for five years. Each fair also needs a separate TOBB permit, and permitted fairs are published in the annual calendar. A "fair" not in the calendar is not an official fair and cannot be covered by support.
The TOBB Fairs Directorate publishes the calendar for the following year each September; the 2026 calendar was announced in September 2025 and the 2027 main calendar in September 2026. It lists fair name, dates, city, venue, organiser and subject, and can be downloaded as a spreadsheet.
Documents to ask the organiser for: the participation contract, the exhibitor manual (technical regulations), the hall layout plan, the build and dismantling schedule, the list and price list of contracted service suppliers, and the audited exhibitor and visitor report of the previous edition.
- 27 bodies
- organisers authorised by the Ministry of Trade for fairs abroad
- 266 pavilions
- national pavilions abroad covered by support in 2026
02
Abroad: authorised organisers and national pavilions
There are two ways to a fair abroad. National pavilion: an organiser authorised by the Ministry of Trade (exporters' associations, chambers of commerce and private fair companies) rents a block of space, builds the Türkiye pavilion and offers exhibitors a stand, freight and promotion package. Which organiser is appointed for which fair is stated in the Ministry's list of "fair organisations abroad covered by support". Individual participation: the contract is signed directly with the fair's main organiser; for support, the fair must be on the list of "sectoral international fairs with supported individual participation".
A national pavilion is a practical route for a first fair abroad: customs, freight and correspondence with the organiser are inside the package. Individual participation gives freedom in location, plot size and stand design; growing exporters usually switch to it at their second or third fair.
If you want a custom stand inside a national pavilion, you can agree "space only" with the organiser and have your own builder make the stand; documentation is the same as for individual participation. How we run freight and customs abroad is on our stands abroad page.
03
Where the official lists are and how to read them
| List | Publisher | What it is for | Last update |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annual fair calendar | TOBB | Licensed fairs in Türkiye with organiser and venue | 2026 and 2027 calendars published |
| Supported domestic fairs | Ministry of Trade | Domestic fairs eligible for participation support (2026: 78 fairs, all with prestige status) | 30 September 2026 |
| Fairs abroad with supported individual participation | Ministry of Trade | Support condition for direct participation (2026: 1,853 fairs) | 25 September 2026 |
| National pavilion organisations | Ministry of Trade | Which authorised organiser builds the pavilion at which fair (2026: 266) | 25 September 2026 |
| Prestigious fairs | Ministry of Trade | Fairs supported with the higher ceiling (2026: 149 fairs) | 19 August 2026 |
| Authorised organisers for fairs abroad | Ministry of Trade | Contact details of the 27 bodies that may run national pavilions | 11 May 2026 |
The lists are updated during the year; check twice, before choosing the fair and before signing. If the fair you want is not on the individual participation list, a request to add it can be filed in DYS at least one month before the fair starts (Circular art. 5); the fair must be sectoral and international, have an assessable past performance and a corporate website (art. 6).
One contract and one responsible party for a fair abroad
Production in our Istanbul workshop, customs and the ATA Carnet handled by us, the build done by our own crew. At German fairs our Aachen office receives the freight and corresponds with the organiser in German. You bring only your products and your team.
04
Frequently asked questions
- What is the difference between the organiser and the venue?
The organiser runs the fair and sells you the plot; the venue owns the hall and sets the infrastructure rules (floor load, power, fire). Some bodies such as Tüyap are both venue and organiser; organisers such as Messe Frankfurt Istanbul rent the hall from a venue.
- How do we know a fair is genuinely "international"?
It is marked international in the TOBB calendar and has independently audited visitor statistics (UFI approved or reported by an independent auditor). When the Ministry of Trade admits a domestic fair to support, it looks at foreign visitor and foreign exhibitor numbers (Circular art. 19).
- Can our own builder make the stand in a national pavilion?
Most organisers offer a space-only option; you state it in the contract and have your custom stand built within the pavilion's common design rules. Get the organiser's approval in writing; height and facade rules inside a pavilion can be stricter than the fair's regulations.
- What happens if we go abroad with an unauthorised organiser?
You attend the fair but cannot receive national pavilion support. For individual participation support, the fair must be on the list and the contract must be with the authorised main organiser or a representative it has authorised in writing (Circular Annex 1).
Sources
- TOBB Fairs Directorate: 2026 and 2027 calendars — TOBB
- Procedures and Principles for Organising Fairs in Türkiye — TOBB
- 2025–2026 supported fairs abroad (national and individual lists) — Turkish Ministry of Trade
- Authorised organisers for fairs abroad — Turkish Ministry of Trade
- 2026 supported domestic fairs — Turkish Ministry of Trade
- Prestigious fairs list — Turkish Ministry of Trade
Still have a question?
Whatever stage you are at, we can point you in the right direction in ten minutes by phone or WhatsApp. You do not have to ask for a quote; answering a first-time exhibitor's question is part of our job too.