At a press conference in Istanbul on March 2nd SMG were officially announced as project partners in the exciting Ora development. The fist mixed-use real estate development in Turkey this unique destination venue will bring together an arena, convention centre, hotels, theme park and an outlet mall on a 70,000 square meter site in Bayrampasa scheduled for completion on October 29 2010.

Ora Arena - managed by SMG Europe, will be the first purpose built, multi-functional venue of its kind in Istanbul with a capacity of 6,500 and easily accessible to a population of 13 million. Flexible seating arrangements will enable the programming of a wide range of events with an all inclusive appeal such as: family entertainment; musical and theatrical; local, national and international pop and rock concerts, and last but not least sports. The backstage, load-in and production facilities will be incomparable to any other venues in the area surpassing international touring operational requirements. The Arena will feature another first for entertainment venues in Turkey with a dedicated VIP function room and 10 executive hospitality suites. Businesses will now have a credible alternative to sporting venues in which to entertain clients.

John Sutherland, Managing Director / Senior Vice President SMG Europe said, “we are delighted to be part of this exciting project and look forward to developing Ora Arena into a world class venue for the community of Istanbul to enjoy.”

Ora Convention Centre – managed and marketed by SMG’ s convention centre division, will be a multi-purpose, 10,500 square meter centre capable of hosting a wide range of events including: national and international congresses and conferences, medium sized consumer exhibitions; and trade and business to business exhibitions. The venue will be able to offer attendees hospitality services in the 3-star Holiday Inn Express and 4-star Crowne Plaza hotels on site plus the opportunity to enjoy the unique experiences before and after events at the theme park, outlet mall and arena.  The 6,500 seat arena will also serve to host general sessions for congresses in a setting ready-made for large meetings.

Gregg Caren, Senior Vice President of Strategic Business Development for SMG said, “Istanbul provides a unique setting that blends one of the richest cultures in history with a thriving contemporary city that must be experienced to be appreciated. We look forward to working with our local partners and event planners in the region and international community.”