Dear Colleagues,  

We wish you all a very merry and prosperous new year. Here at ODS, we have greeted the new year with a major change in the appearance of our logo. After completing our seventh year, we have decided to give it a fresh new look. It was not easy saying goodbye to the old one but we hope you will like this one as much as we do. We have also branded our company name under  ODS Turkey. Here is our Winter Newsletter for more updates on the New Year. We are always excited to hear your comments and your suggestions about our newsletters. We wish you a good reading.

Sadik, Hasan and ODS Team

Upcoming Events

Picasso in Istanbul

Major Picasso exhibition opened to the public at the Sakip Sabanci Museum located in Istanbul. The museum is

known for its collection of highly stylized Islamic calligraphy. After months of preparation, Sabanci family and other Turks hope the

exhibit will help narrow the cultural divide as Turkey advances on its path to the European Union. The exhibition including rarely seen works can be visited until March.

In the News

Patara Journal

"It blew my mind to find out that the parliament building of the first federation in history, which served as an inspiration for the framers our own Constitution, was being excavated 15 minutes from my house on the Mediterranean coast of Turkey," said Stephen J. Solarz, former congressman from Brooklyn. Read more…

Wonders of the World

The historic museum of Hagia Sophia, considered one of Istanbul's most outstanding historical assets, is on the list for the New Seven Wonders of the World.

Istanbul Music Festival

One of the most prominent cultural events of Istanbul as well as one of the foremost musical events in Europe; the International Istanbul Music Festival is a summer extravaganza of opera, ballet, classical and traditional music. Over the years the festival has hosted world renowned philharmonic orchestras, distinguished chamber ensembles and soloists, dance and ballet performances and Whirling Dervishes.

Concerts are held in various locations, including some of the historical buildings in Istanbul. Istanbul Music festival dates are: 8 – 25 June 2006.

For more information, please visit http://www.iksv.org/muzik/english/

European Capital of Culture

Istanbul will be competing with Germany and Hungary for The European Capital of Culture for the year 2010. European Culture Capitols are decided each year by the European Union Council on a commission recommendation, which takes into account the views of a jury comprising seven prominent independent members, each of them experts in the culture sector.

For more information please visit  www.istanbul2010.org/

EXCel-ebrate

Click to enlarge

ODS Turkey Team completed another successful season. Between Christmas, New Year and new site inspections ahead, we all flew to Bodrum for the week-end of 16 – 18 December, stayed at The Marmara Hotel, harvested the bars and had a great time.

2006 Grand Prix Istanbul

Following Istanbul’s successful organization of the 2005 Grand Prix the city is once again getting ready for this summers anticipated event. Tickets have gone on sale and the hotel properties are already filling up, most of them requiring minimum 3 nights stay.

Grand Prix Istanbul dates are: 25 - 27 August 2006.
So mark your  calendars and send in your requests.

Woody Allen in Istanbul

The long awaited Woody Allen and his New Orleans Jazz Band concert was held on 29 December at Lütfi Kırdar Convention and Exhibition Center.
 

Bill Gates in Istanbul

Bill Gates announces partnership to boost computer use across Turkey. Gates’ campaign, called “My First Computer” will make possible to sell computers at extremely affordable prices that could be paid in monthly installments. First time users of computers in Turkey will use Windows XP Starter Edition in Turkish.

Mitsubishi on the road

Mitsubishi Motors Europe is holding its L200 Pan-European product launch in Antalya. Over 500 journalists

from 36 countries will be flown into this beautiful city where the turquoise Mediterranean waters meet the magnificent Taurus mountains. Joined together with professional drivers, they will test drive these pick-up trucks on a challenging 200km course. The event begins 20 January and ends 27 February 2006.

L'Odyssée Cannes-Istanbul

A new race for the Figaro Beneteau class has been scheduled to start in Cannes on 25 June and finish in Istanbul on 8 July 2006. 30 boats and 60 sailors will depart from Cannes, and sail around Stromboli island, through the strait of Messina, past Syracuse, Ithaca and South of Greece. They will then cross the Aegean sea before passing through the Dardanelles into the Sea of Marmara.

Radisson SAS

Radisson Bosphorus is located in the charming district of Ortaköy by the shores of the Bosphorus. rooms, 20 business class rooms, 11 junior Suites and two rooms for the physically challenged, the majority offering views of the Bosphorus.

Upcoming Congresses

Upcoming Congresses in Istanbul

03-06 May 2006 / ESC Congress
European Society of Contraception

02-06 June 2006 / EMAS Congress
European Menopause &  Andropause Society

12-16 June 2006 / IEEE Conference
Intl. Conference on Communications

24-29 June 2006 / FEBS Congress
Federation of European Biochemical Societies

02-08 July 2006 / ICNMD Congress
11th International Neuromuscular

Disease Congress

12-15 July 2006 / WPA
World Psychiatric Association Intl. Congress

23-30 July 2006 / Transactional Analysis Congress

12-16 September 2006 / EFIC Congress
European Federation of the International Association for the Study of Pain Chapters

19-24 September 2006 / EUROSPINE Congress

28 September - 03 October 2006 / ESMO European Society of Oncology Congress

12-16 November 2006 / WCOA
World Congress of Accountants