PennWell Acquires 50% Interest in Turkey Energy Conference & Exhibition

PennWell International, a diversified global media and conferences and exhibitions company, announced today that it has acquired 50% of Sektörel Fuarcilik, owner of ICCI, the largest power generation conference and exhibition held annually in Istanbul, Turkey.  ICCI, which is the International Energy & Environment Fair & Conference of Istanbul, will next take place 3-5 May 2017.  Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

PennWell International, a subsidiary of U.S.-based PennWell Corporation, purchased the 50% ownership share from Hannover Fairs Turkey, a subsidiary of German trade show organizer Deutsche Messe.  As a result of the purchase, ICCI will be promoted as “ICCI Powered by POWER-GEN.”  PennWell’s POWER-GEN brand is widely known for serving the energy industry with multiple worldwide events. 

In conjunction with the joint venture, Feraye Gurel has been named General Manager of Sektörel and will oversee all operations of ICCI, reporting to Alexander Kühnel, general manager of Hannover Fairs Turkey and Glenn Ensor, Managing Director of PennWell International. 

Founded in 1994, ICCI Powered by POWER-GEN will celebrate its 23rd year at the Istanbul Expo Center in May 2017.  The 2016 ICCI had 14,000 visitors including participants from 21 countries to address the opportunities in the Turkish electricity, natural gas and renewables markets.  Its 285 exhibitors occupied over 7,000 net square meters to showcase products, equipment and services for all energy sectors including wind, solar, biomass, cogeneration, and energy efficiency, as well as the technology developments across those sectors.

According to Glenn Ensor, “ICCI offers the perfect opportunity to partner with Deutsche Messe and Hannover Fairs Turkey on the largest and most respected energy fair in Turkey.  We look forward to adding this event to the PennWell portfolio, as our customers have long been asking for access to the substantial and growing Turkish market.  The established and highly professional operations of our new partner in Turkey mean we will be able to provide exceptional service to the international energy sector interested in Turkey and neighboring countries.”

Alexander Kühnel said, “We welcome PennWell as a prestigious international partner and are most pleased to have Feraye Gurel return to manage ICCI, as she was instrumental in its growth and development over several years.”  Ms. Gurel is based in Istanbul and will manage the Sektörel team and also coordinate the joint efforts of parent companies Hannover Fairs Turkey and PennWell, which have sizeable teams in Istanbul and London, respectively.

ICCI Powered by POWER-GEN will join the family of PennWell’s POWER-GEN events led by POWER-GEN International, the world’s largest power generation conference and exhibition held annually in North America with 1,300 exhibitors and sponsors, 27,000 net square meters, and 20,000 attendees.  The annual POWER-GEN Europe rotates across strategic locations in Europe co-located with its Renewable Energy World Europe to serve 340 exhibitors and 14,000 attendees.  Its sister events include POWER-GEN Asia, POWER-GEN India & Central Asia, and POWER-GEN Africa.  PennWell also owns DistribuTECH, which serves the growing international transmission and distribution segment of electric power.