International Lake Constance Fair
The International Bodenseemesse (short: IBO ) is a trade fair for consumer and investment goods that has been held annually at Messe Friedrichshafen since 1950 . It is the first fair in Friedrichshafen and is very important for the region and the further development of the city.
history
The first International Lake Constance Fair was organized by a citizens' initiative, which was initiated in 1949 by the Swiss Albert Scheuermann, a tradesman with trade fair experience. It should give the war-torn Friedrichshafen a new economic impetus. In order to realize his plan, he sought support from bookseller Franz Gessler and businessman Max Sedlmeier, Vice-President of the Chamber of Commerce in Lake Constance-Oberschwaben, two residents of Friedrichshafen. The Friedrichshafen location was chosen because of its technical history and its convenient location to Austria and Switzerland. Together with nine other residents, a company was founded on December 16, 1949, which wanted to contribute to the ideal and material reconstruction of the city with the fair. The initiator Albert Scheuermann was not accepted because he could not bring in any capital. The managing director became Dr. Paul Muller. The first fair, which took place in 1950 in the school yard of the Pestalozzi School, was a complete success with a profit of 30,000 DM.
So the second IBO a year later was the logical next step. However, due to the overlap with the Hanover Fair, the number of visitors decreased, the duration was shortened from 16 to 12 days and in the following year the fair was postponed to the week in which the feast of Ascension takes place . Since the IBO was supported by the Stuttgart State Trade Office in 1953, the number of exhibitors rose quickly. The lack of space that arose was remedied by relocating the exhibition center to a site leased by the city on the Riedlewald, where it remained until 1967. Finally, under Managing Director Otto Hüni + Co, the desire for permanent exhibition halls arose. Since the area was used by other events such as the Interboot , the area at Riedlewald had to be expanded and permanent halls built. As the number of halls grew, so did the size of the IBO, which is still one of the most important craft fairs in southern Germany. In 2006 it was visited by 87,000 people.
Supporting program
In addition to the actual exhibition, there is a diverse supporting program that attracts additional people. The radio station SWR3 initiates concerts for young audiences. The "Bildungsoffensive" project has been taking place since 2006, an internship exchange designed to support young people in their career orientation. Another crowd puller in 2006 was the Europapark ice show .
literature
- Friedrichshafen - Heimatbuch Volume 3, Friedrichshafen 2002 ISBN 3-86136-085-3
- Ernst Haller: A Swiss had the idea: Twelve citizens found the IBO - Fifty Years of the Fair in Friedrichshafen . In: Bodenseekreis and Stadt Friedrichshafen (ed.): Life on the lake - The yearbook of the Bodenseekreis . tape XVII . Verlag Senn, Tettnang 2000, ISBN 3-88812-518-9 , p. 224-248 .