Especially Eda

How fortunate was I to have my first ever trip to Turkey coincide with starting my role at SITE and having the luxury of Eda, whose family runs a world-class DMC there on our board. With her help I was able to experience Istanbul neighborhoods in a uniquely local way and to see the stunning venues that anchor the events community here with an insider’s perspective. I also learned how one day at a time this city recovered its tourism and events market following a coup effort, and the impacts of an external event and a tough media climate has on our fragile industry. It is a gorgeous city with unimaginable history, that is more than ready for incentive guests to be wowed! On a more personal note, I also rethought how I ate breakfast, adding feta and olives, tomatoes and crusty bread to my great enjoyment.

I also had the opportunity to get to know Eda, who has such a depth and breadth of education and passion for creating meaningful experiences for the guests they work with, and whose incredibly high standards I immensely appreciate. From her days as a SITE Young Leader, to co-chairing the conference, to joining the International Board of Directors and becoming a mentor for Young Leaders, and a leader in our sustainability effots, there is no stone unturned.

When we held our SITE Executive Summit in Istanbul the support of the local chapter created multiple days of wonderful, incentive-level experiences which the many participants can take back to share with their own groups. Since that time, it has been our pleasure to see Eda and John bring baby Jefe into the world, and know their journey as parents will be one of challenge and joy, and one that will teach more than you can imagine ever learning, with more smiles than you can believe and I am excited to watch her continuted trajectory in our world.