德国会展行业新培训季开启：114名学徒与约40名双元制学生入学，IT人才需求增长

• Number of training places increased

• Two dozen training and study places still unfilled

• Demand for IT specialists in the trade fair industry is growing

Berlin, 30 July 2024 | At least 114 trainees are starting their careers at German trade fair venues these days. Event management assistants, event technology specialists and IT specialists are the most sought-after job profiles. The number of apprenticeships on offer in the German trade fair industry has risen slightly this year. The number of applications received has remained the same as last year. There are still a good dozen unfilled training places at the exhibition centres between Husum and Freiburg. The majority of companies in the trade fair industry offer apprenticeships. This is the result of a recent survey conducted by the Association of the German Trade Fair Industry (AUMA) among its members at the start of training this Thursday.

Companies in the industry are also offering places on dual study programmes these days: Trade fair, congress and event management, marketing communication, business administration, business informatics, software development and data science are the specialisations on offer. Around 40 students will soon be starting their studies alongside their jobs. Here, too, a good dozen of the positions on offer at the exhibition centres between Frankfurt am Main and Leipzig are still vacant.

According to HR managers in the German trade fair industry, it is challenging to fill training and study places in the IT sector. According to another AUMA survey, digitalisation and artificial intelligence are currently creating a number of new job profiles and skills requirements for trade fair organisers, particularly in information technology.

• Jörn Holtmeier, Managing Director of the Association of the German Trade Fair Industry (AUMA):"Artificial intelligence is the technological development that will have the greatest impact on the trade fair industry, alongside robotics and augmented and virtual reality. For our trade fair organisers, the opportunities are paramount: a good 56 percent are already using AI applications. Trade fair teams need new skills. This must have an impact on the training content of the next generation of skilled workers. As in many sectors of the economy, the trade fair industry's need to invest in appropriate technologies and personnel is growing."

The trade fair industry in Germany secures more than 230,000 jobs. In addition to the traditional training occupations of event management assistant and event technology specialist, the trade fair industry also offers entry via dual study programmes and university studies with a specialisation in the trade fair industry. Most companies in the trade fair industry in Germany start training on 1 August or 1 September, while university courses usually begin on 1 October. It is also possible to start a career in the trade fair industry by qualifying through the Chambers of Industry and Commerce as a certified event manager or master craftswoman for event technology.