Türkiye's First Culture, Arts and Entertainment Trends Survey

URU Group, which owns KüçükÇiftlik Park, has conducted Türkiye's first culture, arts and entertainment trends survey in cooperation with Bahçeşehir University. The survey, which produced data that will contribute to the development of the entertainment industry, is like an X-ray of entertainment life in Türkiye… Here are the results!

• What are the new entertainment trends in the world and in Türkiye?
• How has entertainment life changed over the last 10 years?
• Who in Türkiye has fun and how, and who sets the trends?
• Which districts of Istanbul are in vogue?

The Türkiye Culture, Arts and Entertainment Trends Survey was prepared with the rigor needed to answer all these questions. Commissioned by URU Group to contribute to the entertainment sector, the surveywas carried out by the Bahçeşehir University Creative Industries Center (BAUKEM), directed by Dean of the Bahçeşehir University Faculty of Communication Prof. Dr. Haluk Gürgen . The survey, the first study of its kind in Türkiye, was completed through interviews with leading figures and professionals of the entertainment sector, primarily in Istanbul as well as in İzmir, Çeşme, Bodrum, Eskişehir and Ankara.

INTERACTIVE ENTERTAINMENT: THE "VIRTUAL WORLD" AND "REAL" LIFE MERGE!

The Türkiye Culture, Arts and Entertainment Trends Survey contains important findings on new entertainment trends in the world and in Türkiye. The first of the results shows that our understanding of entertainment has changed significantly. According to the survey, the most important reason for this change is the influence of the diversified and increasingly individualized lifestyles around the world on entertainment trends… Volkan Aytar, Deputy Director of the Bahçeşehir University Creative Industries Center (BAUKEM), explains the situation as follows: "Changing lifestyles are leading to more alternatives for different musical preferences and understandings of entertainment. The results show that people are turning to venues where they feel more 'special' and 'unique', and that they want to have special experiences. It is claimed that the virtual world and social media, which have become part of today's life, draw people 'indoors'. However, the survey shows that entertainment venues and formats that put 'interactivity' and the 'experience economy' in the foreground are achieving success."

The survey reveals that these findings also apply in Türkiye. Volkan Aytar says: "People communicate in the virtual world, but they still need real places and people to have fun. Entertainment venues are successful to the extent that they try to provide that virtuality, the feeling of a different experience and interactivity," and adds: "We found that people combine the virtual world with their entertainment life on the street. Consumers want to have a different and complete experience and to see themselves taking part in the entertainment interactively."

A CITY BLENDING GLOBAL TRENDS AND LOCAL ELEMENTS: ISTANBUL

Stating that Istanbul is very successful at following world trends, Aytar says: "Istanbul both follows global trends very successfully and blends these trends with Turkish locality in very interesting and hybrid styles. In this sense, it has its own unique entertainment model." However, he also points out an important issue: "In Istanbul, what is new tends to be overhyped, but people also get bored with it very quickly. We have a huge hunger for the new, but we consume it very quickly and can give it up just as quickly. This makes it difficult to last."

ENTERTAINMENT LIFE HAS CHANGED OVER THE LAST 10 YEARS

According to the survey, the understanding of entertainment in Türkiye has changed over the last 10 years. The study shows that consumer groups are becoming increasingly diverse in terms of socio-economic position, income level, status, and ethnic, religious and lifestyle differences. According to BAUKEM Deputy Director Volkan Aytar, "While there used to be sharp polarization, people now try harder to understand each other's lifestyles." On the other hand, the results also show that economic differences continue to be an important dividing line. Ticket prices, entrance fees and the "selective" attitude of security staff at the doors of entertainment venues show that some groups are left out. Women, young people and conservatives entering entertainment life more frequently and with more self-confidence are counted among the important transformations.

WHO HAS FUN IN TÜRKİYE?

According to the results of the survey, people from every socio-economic income and status group and from every ethnic, religious and regional background have fun in Türkiye. Entertainment trends are also set by these groups. In summary:

• People in the upper-income group known as the "jet set",
• Members of the business world in the middle of this group who prefer Western forms of entertainment,
• Those with more local and traditional entertainment preferences,
• Groups at various levels of the upper-middle class working in sectors such as finance and banking or in creative industries such as media, advertising and the arts,
• Those in the middle class who, despite relatively lower income levels, have what is known as a "bohemian-bourgeois" lifestyle,
• Young people,
• Conservative groups who do not shy away from consumption and are approaching modern lifestyles,
• Ethnic and religious groups that create their own styles of entertainment.

RISING ENTERTAINMENT SPOTS IN ISTANBUL

The survey also maps entertainment in Istanbul. According to the study, which shows entertainment models district by district:

• The Galata–Karaköy–Tünel triangle forms an important entertainment axis at the forefront of Istanbul's nightlife. Newly opened venues in Karaköy are seen as an important sign of this. As the Galataport–Salıpazarı project progresses, this trend is expected to spread as far as the Karaköy–Kabataş line. Volkan Aytar says: "It is not very difficult to predict that the Dolmabahçe–Maçka line will connect to the entertainment hub in Nişantaşı–Teşvikiye, which has historically been strong." According to Aytar:
• “"On the Anatolian side, Kadıköy Çarşı and Bağdat Avenue are existing entertainment axes."
• “"Beyoğlu maintains its long-standing importance, and after the Talimhane Project, the Tarlabaşı project seems set to expand Beyoğlu considerably."
• “"The coastline on both sides of the Bosphorus is very likely to come even more to the fore than it is now…"
• “"The Bakırköy–Florya line may expand and spread even further."
• "In other districts that show more 'peripheral' characteristics in terms of socio-economic income, very interesting and local venues are opening. In districts such as Gaziosmanpaşa, we see formations such as dance clubs for high school youth open from daytime until evening and folk music bars favored by migrant groups."
• Hookah cafés exist in almost every district and offer important socializing and entertainment opportunities to more conservative customers who do not drink alcohol.