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I’ve been attending trade shows since I was just a little baby editor on a wonderful business-to-business (B2B) magazine called Food in Canada and some of my fondest memories are of Koelnmesse in Cologne, Germany.
My first international tradeshow experience came at Anuga, one of the largest food trade fairs, held at Koelnmesse. I stayed on a ‘hotel ship’…otherwise known as a barge docked along the Rhine during these monster exhibitions. My cabin was on the lower level. It had a shower stall just wider than my hips and a bunk bed a little wider than my shoulders. I threw open the porthole curtain to reveal the Rhine river slapping up against the glass. I don’t swim. Curtain remained closed the remaining three days.
On my second visit to Anuga I was travelling with another editor,older, wiser, more worldly than I. Surely this time I would experience real German cuisine, atmosphere and culture. My first meal was at Pizza Hut.
Imagine my surprise when I joined Oral Health Journal 11 years ago, finding out that the major international dental fair is held at the same Cologne exhibition halls.
IDS is truly a monster show with tremendous international flavor. Eight months prior to the start of the 2011 version, preparations are in full swing for this 34th edition. As we speak, 1,300 companies from 51 countries are registered. The IDS takes place March 22-26, 2011. For information, check out www.ids-cologne.com
I can’t promise you an experience like mine…as a green-eyed blond, people approach me for directions…I send them to Pizza Hut!
