Located in Harbiye, Istanbul Sports and Exhibition Hall was opened with the 1949 European Wrestling Championship and it was also the venue for Istanbul International Fair of Commerce and Industry the same year. Indoor sports competitions such as basketball, volleyball, handball, wrestling and boxing matches were held and dance and circus shows were staged in the big hall in the ensuing years. As Istanbul’s only indoor sports and exhibition center for many years, the Istanbul Sports and Exhibition Hall also hosted concerts and festivals organized by revolutionary associations between 1975 and 1980.

The building was renamed as Istanbul Lütfi Kırdar Sports and Exhibition Hall in 1988 and converted into an international conference center in 1996 and today it continues the same function under the name of Istanbul Lütfi Kırdar International Conference and Exhibition Hall.