Our Group sets aside funds from various resources and works on these kinds of projects, eyeing to preserve, develop, and promote, both internationally and nationally, our cultural values and the arts for the express purpose of protecting and encouraging artists and preserving our historical and cultural treasures. Koç Holding Group companies and the Vehbi Koç Foundation have continued to make a difference in culture and the arts, particularly through a variety of projects in 2008.

Sizinkiler (Yours), a children’s musical, was staged to assist children – Turkey’s future – in developing their imaginations and in contributing to both their cultural and mental development. Sizinkiler toured throughout Turkey and reached nearly 200,000 children in three years. The characters in their adventures, first seen in the “Sizinkiler” cartoon, published since 1991 and followed passionately by all children, were performed by BKM actors and actresses. With free admission, the musical engaged the children in fantasy, allowing them to partake in a joyful adventure as well as to chase their dreams. In 2008, the musical became a cheerful adventure while at the same time drawing attention to the importance of the environment.

In 2006, in an effort to contribute to the development of the younger generation and to enrich their lives, Koç Holding kicked off Koçfest, an university festival. The 2008 festival turned campuses into parks with games, prize contests, and performances by famous rock stars. Koçfest, covering more than 30,000 kilometres to date, drew more than 1.2 million university students from 11 provinces in 2006; 13, in 2007; and 14, in 2008. In 2009, the festival will come together with the International University Sports Federation (FISU) to combine fun and sports in a single event.  Through the Koçfest Sports Games championships, Turkey will have the chance to represent itself in international organizations.

In line with the importance we attack to international organizations, “Beyond Babylon: Art, Trade, and Diplomacy in the Second Millennium B.C.” was exhibited at the Metropolitan Museum of Arts, one of New York’s premier cultural organizations, from November 19, 2008 to March 15, 2009. The exhibition was primarily sponsored by the Turkish-American Business Council (TAIK) and the Foreign Economic Relations Board (DEIK) with support from the Koç, Doğan, Doğuş and Sabancı Groups. Such exhibitions are crowning opportunities for promoting Turkey as an advantageous place to do business as well as for advancing Turkish businesses and cultural tourism and for developing our country’s brand identity in the U.S.