Press Release 4
THINK BIG! – A future-oriented project with many facets
September 2019: As a major event showcasing the raw materials and building materials industry, the 11th steinexpo in the quarry of the Mitteldeutsche Hartstein-Industrie AG (MHI) in Homberg/Nieder-Ofleiden from 26 to 29 August 2020 brings together representatives from the application industry presenting their technical expertise in the field. At the same time, this exhibition with its emphasis on live demonstrations is a platform that offers young prospective jobseekers a unique insight into this potential professional world. The initiative launched to support this venture has become known under the label THINK BIG!
The initiator is the German Mechanical Engineering Industry Association (VDMA) and their appeal is: Join THINK BIG!. With this campaign, the VDMA supports companies in attracting young trainees. Merely handing out a flyer alone no longer suffices. This is why activity-oriented ways are chosen to educate young people about training and study opportunities outside the mainstream – which tends not to focus on technical occupations.
Special industry fairs offer perfect docking points for such individual experiences. This is all the more true for a practical demonstration exhibition such as the steinexpo, that will provide the THINK BIG! student initiative its fourth platform at the eleventh occasion of the event.
Fun with technology is conveyed first hand
At the career guidance events on the mornings of 27 and 28 August 2020 in the trade fair quarry, young people are given the opportunity to experience how fascinating and exciting technology and the corresponding professions can be at suppliers to the industry or the users of their products and services. The trade fair organiser Geoplan GmbH and the VDMA professional association for construction equipment and building material machinery expect around 600 students in grades 8 to 12 with their teachers to take part in the steinexpo THINK BIG! events.
They are shown around the entire trade fair in small groups and get exclusive inside information from exhibiting companies who have entered their names in the THINK-BIG! host list of steinexpo on which technical career opportunities they can choose from, provided that they opt for relevant training or study. This next generation of potential technicians and professionals will be accompanied, informed and coached by trainee guides from the participating companies. These companions, who are only a few years older but already knowledgeable in their fields, like to chat with the guests from the (vocational) school entrusted to them and tell them of their personal practical experience as well as how their path to their chosen career progressed. They encourage their guests to climb into the cab of one of the construction machinery on exhibit, to marvel at the technical operating concepts in the simulator using the joystick, to try out the simple controls of a modern treatment plant, to take part in the quiz and to take part in the quiz and to experience the adventure of small technical tasks such as soldering, bending, turning, etc.
The feasibility of other highlights in the THINK BIG! concept envisaged in the current plan is being investigated, because in the quarry "safety first!" is even more important than at other more classic trade fair venues.
Exhibiting companies of steinexpo 2020, who in the past were engaged as "THINK BIG!" partners, will again assume this active role. As a premium conceptual partner of the trade fair, the Federal Association of Mineral Raw Materials, MIRO, is also a supporter of the campaign. MIRO will take on an important role as a mediator between users and equipment suppliers. Important knowledge is conveyed via an interactive quiz in an informal light-hearted way , at the end of which attractive prizes are awarded. Other exhibitors are invited to also get involved in order to better reflect the breadth of career opportunities in the raw and building materials industry.
In addition to this large joint campaign to reach the next generation of technicians and professionals, the long-standing trade fair initiative to invite kindergarten groups and school classes from the region remains an integral part of the outreach activities of the trade fair organiser Geoplan GmbH.
Pleasing interim status
It is still one year before the next trade fair starts and about 75 per cent of the available exhibition space has already been booked. According to the organisers, all market leaders are represented, both in the construction machinery sector and in the processing sector. But apart from that, not only is the filling up of the outdoor spaces at an early high level, but the status of the large pavilion bookings is also very promising. Of course, when you visit the steinexpo.de website, you can get an overview of the list of registered exhibitors.
www.steinexpo.eu
steinexpo: As the biggest and most significant stone quarry demonstration exhibition on the European continent, the steinexpo had its premiere in the Nieder-Ofleiden stone quarry in September 1990. The trade fair is held in a three-year cycle. By means of impressive live demonstrations against the backdrop of a magnificent stone quarry, manufacturers and dealers of building and processing machinery, utility vehicles and heavy vehicles as well as plants for reclamation and treatment of materials put their performance capabilities on display. The recycling of mineral building materials represents another focus point. The steinexpo is organised by Geoplan GMBH, Iffezheim.
Captions
steinexpo2020_PI4_1) THINK BIG! The live action of the VDMA "for next generation technicians and professionals" will be supported for the fourth time by the hands-on steinexpo demonstration exhibition. Photos: jis/gsz
steinexpo2020_PI4_2a-c) Mixed programme: The reception, catering and film screenings will be followed by a tour of the exhibition and visits to exhibitors in groups.
steinexpo2020_PI4_3) Crowd at the MIRO training stand. The "Quiz Machine" awards correct answers with nice-to-have small gifts. One of the 2017 trainee guides can be seen on the right in the photo.
steinexpo2020_PI4_4a-f) Great experiences for little people: Day-care and student groups from surrounding communities have been welcome visitors to the trade fair for many years.
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