Kind + Jugend
Children's Outfitting Trade Show
September 11-14, 2008
Kind + Jugend 2008: Prepare your trip and visa now
Get to Kind + Jugend quickly and conveniently
Plan your visit to the fair in good time and make optimum use of the advantages of the Rhine-Ruhr transport hub
Special conditions offered by Deutsche Bahn (German Railways), bargainrate flights, a broad selection of accommodation: any exhibitor or visitor who decides as early as possible to attend Kind + Jugend in Cologne (11th to 14th September 2008), can optimally plan their trip and in many cases also save costs. Visa applications should also be submitted in good time in order to guarantee quick and smooth entry into Germany.
Jetting in from all over the world
With Cologne/Bonn Airport, the central hub of the so-called “Low-Cost Carriers” is located right on Koelnmesse’s doorstep. The transfer using S-Bahn (suburban train) between the Airport and Exhibition Centre takes only 15 minutes. A whole host of airlines service Cologne at very attractive fares – 100 “Low-cost routes” alone are listed on the current flight timetable. As a result, visitors to Kind + Jugend can cost-effectively combine their trip to Cologne with additional business appointments in other European countries. And the earlier the flights are booked, the greater the opportunity to often secure a particularly attractive rate. By clicking on the “Flights and travel packages” link on the Kind + Jugend website (www.kindundjugend.com), you can book value-for-money fares using the Koelnmesse reservation system.
Special conditions when travelling to the fair using German Railways (Deutsche Bahn –DB)
In cooperation with Deutsche Bahn, Koelnmesse is offering rail travellers a nationwide ticket service for travel to Cologne Messe/Deutz at special rates. Exhibitors and visitors at Kind + Jugend 2008 only pay 79 Euro within Germany for a ticket to Cologne and back in 2nd class if the route is no longer than 350 kilometres (1st Class: 109 Euro). Tickets for a route exceeding 350 kilometres to Cologne and back cost 119 Euro in 2nd and 169 Euro in 1st Class respectively. These tickets are valid for the period 9th to 16th September 2008. Seat reservation is not included in the price. Further offers are also available for selected routes from Switzerland (Zurich), the Netherlands (Amsterdam) and Belgium (Brussels), you can obtain details at http://www.koelnmesse.de/wDeutsch/global/ausstellerservices/hotels/deutsche_bahn.shtml.The ticket is only valid when presented in conjunction with the print-out of the online registration as a trade visitor, an admission ticket, an exhibitor pass or a journalist’s accreditation at Kind + Jugend. Bookings and reservations can be made by phone via the Deutsche Bahn GmbH hotline ticket office (DB Dialogue): 01805 / 31 11 53 (EUR 0.14 per minute from the German landline network) stating the key word “Kind + Jugend”.
All-in-one: complete travel packages
Anyone who finds the separate booking of travel, accommodation and departure arrangements too complicated and time-consuming can make use of another attractive service provided by Koelnmesse. Travel to the fair and accommodation can now be conveniently booked as a travel package via the Kind + Jugend Internet pages. Within the framework of its hotel services, Koelnmesse is cooperating with around 120 partner hotels in Cologne and the surrounding area, offering the best possible conditions. Koelnmesse, in cooperation with one of the world’s largest online tour operators, is offering the combined booking of hotel rooms, flights and hire cars with considerable price advantages compared to individual bookings.
Get to the exhibition halls quicker in the “Fast Lane”
An early decision to travel to Cologne is definitely recommended. Visitors can get to the halls quickest when they register in advance on the Internet and order their admission tickets. Access to the visitor registration system and EShop has now been activated. Visitors receive their admission tickets immediately by e-mail. They can then get to the halls using the “Fast Lane” and when travelling to the fair can already use buses, trams and trains in and around Cologne free of charge. Because with their admission ticket, visitors, exhibitors and journalists can enjoy free travel on the local public transport network within the area covered by the Rhine-Sieg Transport Authority (VRS). This also includes free travel on the S-Bahn (suburban train) connection, which provides a fast transfer several times an hour from the Airport to the Koelnmesse Exhibition Centre rail station in just a quarter of an hour, and also on buses and trams operated by the Cologne Municipal Transport Authority (KVB). All the city’s key destinations are accessible using public transport in 10 minutes at the most.
Environmental zone in force since January
Since 1st January 2008 Cologne city centre has been an environmental zone which may only be entered by vehicles in Emissions Groups 2 to 4 bearing the corresponding stickers (www.stadt-koeln.de). Access to Koelnmesse is guaranteed for all vehicles, even those without a sticker. Direct travel beyond these routes, for example into Cologne city centre, is however only permitted for those vehicles with the corresponding stickers. Trade fair participants from Germany and abroad with correspondingly marked vehicles can obtain the sticker for authorized access to the environmental zone at www.umweltplakette.de. Other measures such as corresponding services at Cologne’s hotels and the Exhibition Centre are in the planning stage.
Submit your visa applications in good time
In so far as necessary, visa applications should be submitted to the corresponding consulate in good time in order to ensure that you enter Germany perfectly smoothly and without problems. You can obtain information about entry requirements along with the necessary application forms from the respective Koelnmesse foreign representative or also by visiting the Foreign Office’s website at (http://www.auswaertigesamt.de/diplo/de/WillkommeninD/EinreiseUndAufenthalt/Visabestimmungen.html).
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