2011 Forum Venue

The two-day Black Sea Energy and Economic Forum was hosted at the Swissôtel the Bosphorus in Istanbul. Swissôtel the Bosphorus is a 5-star luxury hotel located in the center of Istanbul, on the European banks of the Bosphorus, with 65 acres of historical gardens.
 

The highly anticipated Forum off-site banquet was held at the Esma Sultan Palace, in the Ortaköy region of Istanbul, in close vicinity of Swissôtel. The palace, which also looks out onto the Bosphorus, was built approximately 200 years ago for Esma Sultan, an Ottoman Sultan’s wife, as a summer palace. Destroyed by fire over a century ago, the exterior brick walls are all that remain of the building. Commissioned to renovate and redesign the space, Gokhan Avcioglu and GAD architects designed a strong stainless steel and glass restaurant within the brick structure that provides a constant reminder of the multiple histories innate in the new design.