The 16th AGN World Congress took place this year in the beautiful city of Istanbul.  A total of 151 attendees from all four corners of the world came together at the Ceylan Intercontinental Hotel to attend this landmark event.

As Istanbul is a city with so much to see, the Congress kicked off with an early start on Sunday 18 September for a city tour to give everyone a chance to see as much as possible of the city’s highlights.  The whole group visited the Blue Mosque in the morning and then stopped for a light lunch on the roof top of the Armada hotel overlooking the minarets of the Blue Mosque and the Sea of Marmara. In the afternoon the group was given a guided tour of spectacular grounds of Topkapi Palace.

The Welcome Cocktail was held the same evening in the Bosphorus Foyer of the hotel.  Delegates and companions took the opportunity to greet old friends and meet new faces whilst enjoying some modern Turkish food overlooking the Bosphorus and the Asian side of the city.

On Monday 19 September delegates began their first day of technical sessions with a welcome from the Chair, Jim Carulas, which was followed by a presentation by a former Turkish Minister, Mr. Kürşad Tüzmen about politics and economics in Turkey.  For the remainder of the day, the delegates were given a presentation by Peter Lisney, business development specialist at the UK based company  Business Pathfinder, about marketing in the digital world.  Delegates were also updated on AGN’s recent developments and future plans on social media.

Meanwhile, the companions set off on a tour to the Rushtem Pasha Mosque, which is famous for it being covered with large quantities of Iznik tiles which was followed by an orientation tour of the Golden Horn.  They had lunch at the Pierre Lotti Café from where they enjoyed magnificent views of the city.  In the afternoon the companions also visited the grand bazaar and a short visit to the Chora Museum.

In the evening the whole group gathered for an informal meal at a traditional kebab restaurant at the edge of the Bosphorus where they tasted the delights of traditional Turkish mezze.

On Tuesday 20 September, whilst companions were taken on a tour to the Asian side of the city, delegates began the second day of technical sessions with a presentation by Prof. Dr. A Vedat Akgiray, the Chairman of the Capital Markets Board of Turkey on the future trends in accounting.  This session was followed by the presentation on the Chair’s report and also regional reports were given by the Regional Chairs or representatives present at the Congress.  The 16th Annual General Meeting then took place at which three directors were re-elected. 

The final session of the day focussed on the ‘Vision of the Future’ of AGN International.  This began with a presentation by Jim Carulas and Horst Schaffer which was followed by a round table session in which all delegates could participate. 

The technical sessions were concluded with the introduction of the incoming Chair, Mr. François Martin and Vice Chair, Mr. Randy Redwitz.  Representatives of the Turkish member firms then handed the AGN International flag over to North American representatives to announce the location of next year’s AGN World Congress:  New Orleans, USA.

The World Congress was concluded in true style.  All attendees were taken by boat to the Gala Dinner venue, located right on the waterfront of the Bosphorus.  Delegates enjoyed some welcome drinks whilst admiring the glistening lights of the city, the boats passing by and the AGN fountain.  After a sumptuous meal, delegates didn’t wait long to hit both dance floors (indoors and outdoors) and danced late into the night.

In the city where east meets west, AGN delegates had a wonderful time and look forward to next year’s Congress in the ‘Big Easy’.