Traineeship at Koelnmesse – the inspector

From candidate to examiner: Our trainee Florian Mahnke checks in the Event Technology and Approval department whether all the regulations are met at the exhibition stands.

Florian Mahnke has been a trainee event manager at Koelnmesse since August 2016. Before the 24-year-old began his training, he graduated from a technical college and spent a voluntary social year with the Samaritan Workers' Federation.

With which areas of Koelnmesse have you already become familiar?

As I am already in my third year of training, I have been through several departments already. In addition to various trade fair management departments, I also worked in Procurement and in Stand Construction Services. Because Koelnmesse is also active abroad, we have a large department that takes care of our international events and relationships. I learned a lot about Koelnmesse's international activities there.

I am currently in the Event Technology and Approval department. There I support the exhibitors with technical questions and coordinate inquiries to service providers. I also support my colleagues in the planning and implementation of construction approvals prior to the trade fair and act as a contact person on-site. At first I was amazed at how many regulations and laws have to be observed and checked when it comes to organizing events. If the technical guidelines are not observed, we advise exhibitors and stand constructors on the technical implementation of the stand concept. In doing so, we have to reconcile the customer's ideas with the local conditions. This is often a great challenge − but one to which we have always found a solution so far.

Why did you decide on a traineeship at Koelnmesse?

I have always enjoying planning and organizing events. I also like being in close contact with customers and service providers. Koelnmesse's good reputation convinced me to apply at the time. During my training, I can learn everything I need to know about event planning and execution, which I consider the perfect start to my career.

What should applicants be able to offer?

As I often have contact with customers and service providers, a friendly and confident appearance is important. During trade fairs, weekend work is sometimes on the agenda. That's why an applicant should be flexible and be able to maintain an overview even when things get stressful.

What opportunities does the traineeship at Koelnmesse offer you?

The large portfolio of trade fairs and events is not only interesting and varied, it also prepares me perfectly for my future career. Koelnmesse offers extremely fair working conditions as well as high-level educational content.