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European
Taxi Fair 2008 with
14,000 visitors and 91 exhibitors in Cologne!
Cologne,
November 2008
The federal association BZP and the European Taxi Fair are successfully
charting a new course together! The BZP has a new structure and a new
generation in its leadership, and the world’s largest taxi
fair is now
presented in completely new surroundings, in
the large hall 4.1 of Cologne Trade Fair!
The link between the autumn meeting of the
German
Taxi and Hire-Car Association (BZP) and the biennial European Taxi Fair
this
year made once
again the capital city of the taxi trade for a few days. The BZP
underwent a
major reform of its constitution and structure for the first time in
decades,
and the rejuvenation of the presidium and executive board continued at
the
regular elections.
On
7.11 and 8.11.2008 the
European Taxi Fair with 91 exhibitors from 10 countries in
the large
trade fair
hall 4.1, with the unambiguous motto “EVERYTHING
UNDER ONE
ROOF”, pointed the
way. 14,000 visitors were able to admire everything
that interests the
taxi
trade at elaborate stands on a surface greater than that of the three
halls
that were used in previous years. For example Kienzle Argo Taxi
International and
the Salzburg company HALE presented the taximeters of
tomorrow,
equipped with the brand new CIA 447 interface. With vehicles the focus
was on
widespread special solutions for transporting disabled persons, on the
latest
models such as the newly launched Opel Insignia in taxi look, and on
alternative power systems. In addition to its basic range of taxi
models and a
gas-powered version of the
B Class, Mercedes
also presented a little bit of future with a hybrid S Class and an A
Class with
a fuel cell. VW showed a Passat with a 150-horsepower turbo gas engine
which aims
to make its mark by high energy efficiency.
Thousands
of interested
visitors came to the brand new BZP stand and ensured that the taxi
owners and
trade representatives from all over Germany, who were here to answer
questions, were truly
kept
on their toes. Almost 20,000 flyers and brochures and 10,000 stickers
were
handed out here, and 6,500 euros were raised for the
TAXIstiftung
foundation
with the model cars donated by our colleagues from the Taxi-Zentrale
Nürnberg
eG, which brought in almost 4,000 euros on their own, and from other
contributions, including a donation from Volkswagen.
The
European Taxi Fair
lived up to its claim of being European in several ways, as not only
the
visitors were more international than ever. The second
International Taxi Forum
of the International
Road Transport
Union (IRU) on 7.11. was fully booked with 150 participants
for the subject
“Government and Trade Measures for Quality Assurance of Taxi
Services”. Quality
assurance was also a focus of the addresses at the BZP final
meeting,
where the political situation of the taxi trade was examined by BZP
president Fred
Buchholz from the German and by Hubert Andela
(president of the taxi
section of the IRU from the Netherlands) from the international point
of view
in the presence of an audience of over 4,000 (!).
This was also an appropriate
setting for the German national association to make its official
farewell to
its Dortmund vice-president Dieter Zillmann with
the
presentation of the golden BZP badge of honour with two diamonds.
This was
the only fitting occasion for the award of a second honour: to Holger
Goldberg,
managing director of the Fachvereinigung Personenverkehr Nordrhein
Taxi-Mietwagen e.V., for his exceptional commitment, for example in the
BZP
committee on labour and social issues, and last but not least of course
in the
European Taxi Fair, with the golden BZP
badge of honour. There was a distinctly European flavour,
too, to the name
of the lucky winner of the main tombola prize, a
brand new Mercedes
E 200
cdi taxi: Ola Franz Johan Elf,
who
immediately cancelled the return flight to Helsinki
booked for the
Sunday and insisted on driving
his
new, ivory-coloured treasure back to Finland in person. The journey
home was not quite so
long
for Ulrich Raabe, a taxi owner from Chemnitz, who
celebrated winning
a new Touran taxi donated by Volkswagen on the
Friday in the presence
of 2,500
participants.
The
new, spacious and imposing hall, and the as always perfect organisation
of the
European Taxi Fair through the untiring work of the Fachvereinigung
Personenverkehr Nordrhein Taxi-Mietwagen e.V. team, created a special
experience for exhibitors and visitors, and the reactions accordingly
ranged
from favourable to enthusiastic. It was once more clear that everyone
who wants to achieve something in the world of
taxis has to come to Cologne. And
what would a fair of this kind be without an accompanying framework of
events?
We would therefore like to express warm thanks to the numerous sponsors
of
delegates’ meetings, events and tombolas – without
your generous support, the
fair and meetings in Cologne would
have been only half as enjoyable.
Please note: European Taxi Fair
2010 on november 5 and 6, 2010 again in Cologne.
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