Over 700 delegates from the global cotton community gathered from 14-15 October at Istanbul 2026 – our traditional trade event and gala dinner.
Delegates came together in the Hilton Istanbul Bomonti Hotel, Türkiye to take part in the two day event, which saw a variety of top industry speakers take to the stage and share their insights on the event theme, Cotton’s Next Chapter.
Day 1 featured keynote sessions from Joe Nicosia (Louis Dreyfus Company), William “Buddy” Allen (American Cotton Shippers Association) and Dr Murat Ucer (Global Source Partners). Following its successful launch at ICA Dubai 2025, the day concluded with another Navigating Risk in the Textile Value Chain panel session chaired by Jagdish Parihar (Strategic Risk Advisor, Singapore), which was open to all delegates.
Day 2 saw Dr Mehmet Ali Kiliçkaya deliver a keynote session, followed by a panel session The Next Thread: Türkiye, Europe & the Future of Textiles organised by Women in Cotton (WiC) and moderated by Camille Cluzel (WiC Chair).
As usual, there was good opportunity for delegates to network and do business, one of the main event attractions.
At the closing Gala Dinner, Pierre Chehab (Louis Dreyfus Company) passed the Presidency of the ICA to Eimear McDonagh (Hang Tung Resources). Reflecting on key areas of focus during his time as ICA President, Pierre said:
“Coming to Türkiye for our Annual Trade Event for the first time is a significant moment for the ICA. Türkiye has a long and important history in cotton and textiles, and it is wonderful to see our event here.
Over the past year, our engagement in India and Vietnam has also been particularly encouraging. The strong participation in our workshops, the enthusiasm of the younger generation and the interest from major mills in joining the ICA demonstrate the value of working more closely across the
cotton supply chain. These developments reinforce our belief that collaboration with other associations and greater engagement with spinners are essential to promoting sound trading practices and contract sanctity throughout the industry.
At the same time, the ICA must continue to evolve in response to the changing needs of the cotton trade to demonstrate our commitment to ensuring that our rules remain fair, balanced and relevant to all parties”.
Next year’s event will take place in São Paulo, Brazil from 12-14 October. Full details will be posted on the ICA website soon.
