A record 2,600 guests from around the world gathered in Istanbul last week to attend the International Shipbrokers’ Dinner in Turkey’s commercial capital.

Hosted by the Shipbrokers Association of Turkey, it was the fourth edition of the biennial event that began in 2012. The association itself, headed by Pelin Gezicioglu, was founded in 2010, and the event quickly outgrew organisers’ initial expectations.