Two numbers decide an ISK-SODEX stand before anything is drawn: the weight of your heaviest unit and the height you need above it. The venue publishes both limits, and they are tighter than people expect — stands at Istanbul Expo Center are capped at 5.8 m, and the halls carry 2,250 kg/m². A chiller, a cooling tower or a four-pass boiler has to be planned inside those figures, not discovered to be outside them on the first setup day.
ISK-SODEX Istanbul 2027 runs 19–22 October 2027 at Istanbul Expo Center (İFM), Yeşilköy. This page is written for exhibitors looking for an ISK-SODEX stand builder: heavy and tall equipment, water and compressed air on the stand, the approval route, customs, and prices.
Contents
ToggleISK-SODEX at a glance
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Dates | 19–22 October 2027 |
| Venue | Istanbul Expo Center (İFM), Yeşilköy, Istanbul |
| Frequency | Every two years |
| Sector | HVAC&R, insulation, pumps, valves, fittings, water treatment, fire, pool and solar thermal |
| Exhibitors (2025) | 1,000 brands from 22 countries, of which 262 international |
| Buyer programme (2025) | 300+ buyers from 61 countries, plus a 100-member delegation from Egypt |
| B2B meetings (2025) | 1,600+ requests, 528 purchasing meetings held |
| Visitors (2023 edition) | 89,694, 15% from abroad |
| Country pavilions (2025) | Germany, China, Uzbekistan |
One point of history worth knowing if you exhibited here before 2023: the fair changed venue. The 2019 and 2021 editions were at Tüyap in Büyükçekmece; from 2023 it has been at Istanbul Expo Center in Yeşilköy, on the other side of the city. Different halls, different limits, different access routes. A stand designed for the old venue does not simply transfer.
The venue’s limits, which are public
ISK-SODEX does not publish an exhibitor service manual on its website — it reaches you with your space contract. Istanbul Expo Center, however, publishes its own technical data, and those figures bind every stand in the building:
| Limit | Figure |
|---|---|
| Maximum stand height | 5.8 m inside the halls |
| Floor load | 2,250 kg/m² in halls; 500 kg/m² in foyer areas |
| Hall clear height | 14 m in Hall 1; 10.4 m in Halls 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8; 9 m in Halls 3, 9, 10 |
| Structural check | Required for stands 4 m and over, and for all two-storey stands |
| Water, drainage, compressed air | Ordered through the venue’s authorised contractor; compressed air to 5 bar |
| Service request deadline | At least two weeks before move-in |
Read the floor-load figure carefully. 2,250 kg/m² is generous for a boiler on a pallet and tight for a point load — a machine resting on four small feet concentrates its whole mass on a fraction of a square metre. Send us the weight and the bearing area, and where the figure is exceeded we put a spreader plate under it and position the display near a structural axis.
What HVAC&R stands actually need
- Height for tall units. Cooling towers, air handling units and vertical boilers eat into the 5.8 m cap fast. If your unit is 4 m tall, the stand structure above and around it has 1.8 m to work in — including any fascia, banner or lighting rig. We check this before the first 3D view, not after.
- Water and drainage. Pumps, water treatment and pool equipment usually need both. At İFM these are ordered through the venue’s authorised contractor with a two-week lead time, and the drain position decides where the equipment can stand — which decides the whole layout. Order before the design is frozen.
- A separate electrical circuit. Machinery and lighting do not share a circuit. Tell us the connected load in kW and the phase.
- Compressed air. Available to 5 bar through the venue. If your demonstration needs more, a compressor sits on the stand and that changes both the noise plan and the floor plan.
- Order of assembly. Heavy units go in before the stand walls close. Get the sequence wrong and a finished wall is dismantled and rebuilt inside the setup window.
Worth knowing about this fair specifically: the organiser runs an ISK-SODEX ARENA where craftsmen install combi boilers, radiators and air conditioners live in front of judges. The audience here is installers and technical buyers who judge a product by how it mounts and how it is serviced. A cutaway unit, a mounted system on a wall section, or a serviceable assembly earns more attention on this floor than a rendering.
Approval, and the named constructor
If you have booked raw space in Turkey you cannot simply arrive and build. Turkish fair organisers review custom stand designs in advance and require you to declare which company is constructing your stand. Deadlines differ by fair — at Automechanika Istanbul the published terms require drawings two months ahead and state that designs without written approval cannot be constructed in the fairground. ISK-SODEX does not publish its deadline, so request the service manual from the organiser as soon as your contract is signed, and plan backwards from the date it gives.
What is not in doubt is the structural requirement: at İFM, any stand 4 m or higher, or with two storeys, needs a structural check. We prepare the dimensioned drawings and the technical file, arrange the static report where one is required, and submit and follow the approval.
Bringing equipment into Turkey
Units you will take home again normally travel under an ATA carnet as temporary admission. Consumables, refrigerant, giveaway samples and anything that stays in Turkey are not covered and need a full export declaration. Refrigerants and pressure equipment can carry their own documentation requirements — confirm your category with your freight forwarder in writing before shipping rather than assuming. A chiller held at the border during a four-day fair cannot be recovered.
In-hall lifting and handling at İFM are ordered from the venue’s authorised contractor, not from the stand builder. For heavy units, book those slots at the start of the setup period.
Prices
| Included in our price | Paid to the organiser |
|---|---|
| Design and 3D visuals, revised until approved | Floor space rental |
| Technical file and submission for approval | Electricity, water and compressed-air connections |
| Manufacturing in our own workshop | In-hall forklift, lifting and empty-case storage |
| Pre-assembly before shipping | Compulsory service and catalogue fees |
| Transport, installation and dismantling | Stand approval or static control fee, where one is charged |
| A technician on call during the fair |
Our band for a custom stand is 400 – 750 EUR per m², quoted as a fixed price in EUR against an approved design, so the figure you receive is the figure you pay. Island stands add 10–20%; double-decker structures add 40–60%, including the structural report and the longer installation. If the organiser requires a change after approval, we tell you what it costs before we make it.
Send your stand number, size, number of open sides and the weight, footprint and height of what you need to display, and you get a 3D design and a fixed quotation.
Timeline for October 2027
| Stage | When |
|---|---|
| Equipment data: weight, bearing area, height, kW, water, air | June 2027 |
| 3D design, load plan, services layout | June–July 2027 |
| Request the service manual and confirm the submission deadline | As soon as the space contract is signed |
| Submission to the organiser | Per the manual’s deadline |
| Water, drainage, compressed air and electricity orders | At least two weeks before move-in |
| Manufacturing, print, pre-assembly | August–September 2027 |
| Equipment shipping and customs | September 2027 — separate from the stand |
| Installation | Within the organiser’s setup window |
We work to 12–14 weeks for a machinery stand. The binding date is the organiser’s approval deadline, not our production schedule, and equipment shipping is a separate workstream with its own lead time.
Frequently asked questions
When is ISK-SODEX Istanbul 2027?
19–22 October 2027 at Istanbul Expo Center (İFM), Yeşilköy. The fair runs every two years. The 2025 edition hosted 1,000 brands from 22 countries, 262 of them international, with a buyer programme bringing 300+ buyers from 61 countries.
How tall can my stand be?
Istanbul Expo Center caps stands at 5.8 m inside the halls, and any stand 4 m or higher needs a structural check. If your equipment is tall, tell us its height first — it sets what the structure above it can do.
Can I put a chiller or a cooling tower on my stand?
Yes, with the weight and bearing area confirmed in advance. The halls carry 2,250 kg/m², but a heavy unit on small feet can exceed that locally, so we check the point load and add a spreader plate where needed. Lifting is booked from the venue’s authorised contractor and should be ordered early.
Can I have water and drainage on my stand?
Yes. At İFM water supply, wastewater and compressed air up to 5 bar are ordered through the venue’s authorised contractor, with requests submitted at least two weeks before move-in. Order before the design is finalised — the drain position decides where the equipment can stand.
Where can I find the stand rules?
ISK-SODEX does not publish its exhibitor service manual online; it comes with your space contract. Request it from the organiser as soon as you sign, or send it to us and we will read it and tell you in writing what applies to your stand before you commit to a design.
Creostand is an exhibition stand builder in Istanbul: we design, manufacture in our own workshop in Esenyurt — about 35 minutes from Istanbul Expo Center — and install on site. For other fairs and dates, see our Istanbul exhibition calendar.
Request a free 3D design and quotation for ISK-SODEX Istanbul 2027 →