Cooperation with heart: trade fair employees at the inclusion festival

Corporate volunteering as a bridge between companies and society - almost 20 NürnbergMesse employees volunteered at the noris inklusion Kräuterfest.

Written by Stefan Jablonka

“Tante 2 Go” food stall in a park with guests and colorful decorations.

A celebration of togetherness

Every year in May, the noris inklusion nature adventure nursery is transformed into a colorful festival area: This year, the Kräuterfest attracted around 5,000 visitors in perfect weather with creative workshops, a colorful children's program, regional street food and an abundance of herbs and plants. What many guests did not see: Behind the scenes, almost 20 NürnbergMesse employees volunteered their time and energy - organizing parking spaces, serving drinks, working at the barbecue or helping with hands-on activities for children. One of them was Tanja Rätsch. The Head of Corporate Liaison & Sustainability at NürnbergMesse lent a hand with the park cleaning: "For me, it's a matter of course to get involved in society. It's been that way all my life - whether on the parents' council, at handball festivals or now at a social project like the Kräuterfest."

Children play outdoors with buckets and tools in a marked-off area. — Learning and discovering through play: children enthusiastically take part in the hands-on activities at the herb festival.

Corporate volunteering - more than just a good deed

This commitment is part of a concept that more and more companies are discovering for themselves: corporate volunteering. This involves employees volunteering their time and skills for charitable projects - often supported or initiated by their employer. It is a model that not only has a social impact, but also achieves a great deal within the company: it promotes team spirit, identification with the organization - and in this case, one thing above all: active inclusion. "It was a beautiful spring day and a great atmosphere. The aim was to create encounters - and that was wonderfully successful on the day," emphasized Tanja Rätsch.

Cooperation with perspective

The volunteer work at the Kräuterfest marked the start of a new local partnership between NürnbergMesse and noris inklusion - two municipal subsidiaries. The impetus for this came from the 2024 shift change - a nationwide project of the Federal Association of Workshops for People with Disabilities (WfbM), in which managers work for a day in a workshop for people with disabilities and then make a return visit. Trade fair CEO Peter Ottmann also took part - opening up a dialog at eye level.

"As subsidiaries, we wanted to network our resources more closely and also benefit from each other," said Wiebke Goldhammer, responsible for public relations at noris inklusion.

Reliable support, valuable encounters

The campaign was organized jointly: An internal registration form at NürnbergMesse enabled employees to indicate their times and interests. On site, they were briefed on their tasks and worked hand in hand with colleagues from noris inklusion. "It was important to us that the trade fair employees came into contact with our people with disabilities and worked together - this is the only way to experience true inclusion," explains Wiebke Goldhammer from noris inklusion. "Our employees were the experts here - they gave the instructions and demonstrated their knowledge. This is an important experience for everyone involved."

Music group on stage with banners “noris inklusion” and “Inklusion leben”. — Musical highlights on stage: Inclusive bands created a great atmosphere at the herb festival.

Joint future projects firmly in sight

And the cooperation at the Kräuterfest was just the starting signal - further joint projects will follow. There are already concrete plans: NürnbergMesse, for example, could award printing contracts to noris Inklusion's southern workshop and order customer gifts from noris inklusion's ceramics workshop. NürnbergMesse is also planning to place beehives on the exhibition grounds. With its apiary, noris inklusion has the necessary knowledge. Another interesting area for NürnbergMesse is the accessibility of the extensive grounds. People with disabilities from noris inklusion could advise the exhibition company on this.

Conclusion: Commitment that creates lasting bonds

The example of NürnbergMesse shows how corporate volunteering can be much more than an occasional commitment. It can be a door opener - for sustainable cooperation, for personal encounters and for a corporate culture that lives responsibility.

"noris inklusion" is Nuremberg's partner for adults with disabilities. The workshop offers people with disabilities more than 500 jobs in four production facilities and additional external jobs in companies and service providers in the region. At noris inklusion, adults with disabilities find places for vocational training and numerous other measures for individual qualification, support and further training. In the Nuremberg city area, "noris inklusion" is also Bavaria's largest provider of outpatient assisted living and also offers more extensive care in four residential facilities. noris inklusion" also runs two inclusive kindergartens.

Author

Stefan Jablonka

Freelance journalist