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<H2>HAM RADIO 2008: Meeting place and ‘superstore’ for radio operators around
the globe</H2><FONT face=Verdana><STRONG>For three days Friedrichshafen was the
meeting place for amateur radio operators around the globe: 18,100 visitors from
as far away as Australia and California came to the HAM RADIO, which finished on
Sunday. “That represents a slight increase compared to the previous year. The
HAM RADIO has once again confirmed that it is the meeting point of the industry
and an important purchasing market“, said Klaus Wellmann, General Manager of the
trade fair in conclusion. The programme for the younger generation also met with
a good response. 93 young people were able to experience lots of action in the
trade fair rally, which was all to do with the hobby of amateur
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number of international visitors has slightly risen” established project manager
Thomas Grunewald. About one third of the trade fair guests journeyed from
abroad; amateur radio operators came, amongst others, from Australia, Japan,
California and Norway. “In order to continue this development, we will work even
more closely with the numerous international associations which were present in
the coming years.”<BR><BR>It was important for visitors to be able to speak to
like-minded people, exchange call signs and finally meet other amateur radio
operators face to face, who were otherwise only contacts by radio, as well as to
get information about the latest trends and products. <BR><BR>The HAM RADIO is
also an important purchasing market: Just about three quarters of visitors
bought or ordered something at the trade fair, as the visitor survey confirmed.
>From 22nd to 24th June 2007, 207 exhibitors and associations from 36 countries
offered a cross-section of goods for amateur radio enthusiasts and introduced
the industry’s new products. There were also about 300 traders at the HAM flea
market where visitors could find spare parts, accessories and many a rarity. “I
am satisfied with the presence at the fair. The accessories segment went
particularly well”, according to Volkmar Junge, WiMo Antennen und Elektronik
GmbH. Cor Hazeu, Sales Manager Europe for the company Yaesu also summed up
positively: “The HAM RADIO is an important platform for us to maintain direct
contact with customers.” Michael Bürck, Product Manager at Kenwood Electronics,
also confirmed: “The trade fair presence was worth the effort for us. Our new
products in particular were very well received.”<BR><BR>Positive signals for the
future were set at the two-day young peoples fair. Overall, the number of
visitors under 20-years of age has risen slightly. 93 young people took part at
the trade fair rally itself. Eileen Göres (16) from Bad Saulgau was convinced
about the programme: “The rally was lots of fun and was highly diversified. I
particularly liked the soldering and the geographic questions. The HAM rally
made the trade fair even more interesting.” Similarly, there was great interest
in the new advanced training programme for instructors on the first day of the
trade fair with 62 participants.<BR><BR>“The young peoples’ fair was a big
success and the DARC lecture programme was also very well received, in
particular the topics on digitalisation. We have received a lot of positive
feedback from our members for whom the trade fair is also important for
networking”, explained Stephanie Schmidt, press spokeswoman of the German
Amateur Radio Club (DARC).<BR><BR>In total, 93 percent of visitors gave the
trade fair an overall “very good” or “good” rating. The HAM RADIO will be
“transmitting” the next time from Friedrichshafen from between 27th and 29th
June 2008.<BR></FONT></BODY></HTML>