School Goes Business - Part 1-4

Pupils and students from the Ferrari School and the Innsbruck Media College accompanied the 2023 Alpinmesse on social media. A field report.

Part 1 - In the starting blocks

A room full of voices, several boxes full of material and an excitement that gets under your skin. This is how the latest project by pupils and students from the Ferrari School and the Innsbruck Media College begins. They were given the task of putting the Alpine Fair in the media spotlight and demonstrating their talent.

The young media experts have already been working on TikTok and Instagram posts for a month now, bringing a breath of fresh air to the Alpinmesse universe. But the excitement increases with today's set-up of the show editorial office, which is open to visitors and interested parties at the Alpinmesse. The young people's work is thus transparent and testifies to the professionalism that the training provided by the Innsbruck Media College and the Ferrari School stands for.

The meeting point for the busy bees is the school. In addition to the individual contribution orders, the construction of the exhibition stand is also planned there. At least ten contributions per day are standard for the young media experts. In addition to filming, interviewing and editing, this also includes post-production and detailed pre-planning of the individual contributions. This requires an appropriate space to work in, which is provided by the show editorial office in the exhibition hall. While some of the pupils and students set this up, the first ones begin to explore the exhibition centre and record it on film. The way into the exhibition hall will also be described on film for visitors.  You can tell that the pupils and students are media-savvy and looking forward to their task by the smiles that appear during the planning and filming. Jasmin from 3EHW at Ferrari School is most looking forward to making cool videos and conducting interviews. ‘I want to try out and consolidate new techniques at the Alpine Fair and of course have some great experiences. And I hope that we'll be so convincing that we'll be back next year,’ says the dedicated pupil.

For the Media College students, the Alpine Fair is above all an opportunity to connect with various companies and pass on the expertise they have already gained at the Kirchentag in Nuremberg to the younger students. ‘I believe that we can learn a lot from lighting difficulties and challenging shots, such as helicopter landings, but also teach a lot. But most of all, I'm hoping that the Alpinmesse will be an opportunity to meet new people,’ says Ana, a student at the Media College, explaining her expectations for the Alpinmesse. Despite all the work, there is also plenty of fun to be had. The young media professionals meet up again and again in the showroom and exchange ideas. ‘It's sure to be a fun and enriching time!’ says Jonas, a 3EHW pupil, enthusiastically.  Of course, the young media specialists are not left to their own devices. They are accompanied by dedicated teachers who also shine with their expertise. Barbara Huber and Christina Schmölz are video teachers and artists and have an eye for beautiful editing and technical subtleties. Martin Wieser heads up the editorial team and, as a former athlete, knows which topics need to be focussed on at the alpine fair. Together with the pupils and students, they form a dream team for everyday life at the trade fair.

Part 2 - A warm welcome 

Rested or excited? After an exciting and energetic first day, nothing stands in the way of the start of the fair and the media work of the students of the Medienkolleg Innsbruck and the pupils of the Ferrari School. The doors are open and the talents are now challenged to show their best and produce content that does justice to the exciting hustle and bustle at the fair.

Right at the beginning, the young media experts were able to listen to the introductory and sometimes fiery words of ÖKAS President Peter Paal and expert member Günter Auferbauer. While Paal drew attention to the trade fair topic of “personal responsibility”, Auferbauer reported on experiences that saved his life and opened his eyes to personal responsibility. “The prevention of alpine accidents is of great importance, because not only the often fatal injuries directly during and after the fall should be prevented, but also the psychological stress resulting from these accidents. For this reason, our trade fair offers numerous ways to take responsibility yourself and find out about safety in the alpine world, whether it's about good equipment or what to do in an emergency,” reports ÖKAS President Peter Paal with conviction. 

Günter Auferbauer also believes in personal responsibility in the Alps. “I want to learn until my penultimate breath,” says Auferbauer, emphasizing his determination to continue doing everything he can to ensure his own safety and the safety of other alpinists. He also explains the need for a political authority for the alpine sector in order to raise awareness of the importance of this knowledge, especially in a country like Austria. The students of the Medienkolleg capture these great words in an Instagram Live and thus also offer the younger generation to think about their mountain undertakings. The relevance of this work is rewarded with participation in the press breakfast and the press tour. Together with other film, web and newspaper professionals, the dedicated media experts will receive an exclusive introduction to the exhibitors' work and innovations. 

Swarovski Optik is one of the local companies at the trade fair. The employees at the stand will be talking about the advantages of their binoculars, especially for alpine tours and hikes. Airmarker's balloon rescue system, which can be carried by alpinists at all times and marks their location with a helium balloon in the event of an accident, will be presented to students and press professionals as a world first. Ski bindings, a climbing wall for at home, safety hooks for climbing and much more are further stops on this tour. 

Part 3 - Behind the scenes

Between work and pleasure: This is how the trade fair should be for the students of the Medienkolleg and the pupils of the Ferrari School. So why not combine the two?

In their search for great content for their social media channels, the young media professionals also have the opportunity to try out lots of things at the trade fair and win goodies. However, the focus on the work is never lost and so this blog will also provide visitors to the trade fair with excerpts of what they can expect at the fair. In addition to the numerous workshops and presentations, which all revolve around safety in the Alps, the trade fair stands themselves also offer a wide range of experiences. For example, you can test your climbing skills on the Naturfreunde climbing wall, try your hand at a biathlon at the Ski Austria stand or take part in numerous competitions. 

Virtual tobogganing and the virtual avalanche exercise are particularly exciting for students and pupils thanks to the modern use of VR technology. Challenges, such as finger bouldering or testing your strength with friends on ArtRock climbing holds, also arouse great interest. The trade fair also offers plenty of potential for further training, such as at the Geosphäre stand, where employees explained the effects of tunnel systems on Alpine weather to young media professionals. 

Looking for a special hiking trail? This is also catered for at the trade fair. Numerous route maps and catalogs are available for free for hiking enthusiasts. Thanks to the focus on “personal responsibility”, equipment for mountain sports can also be purchased. For the young media professionals, however, the on-site supply is of greater importance. In addition to the typical goodies such as sweets and gummy bears, there are also country snacks and bread at some stands. Just right for the hard work in the editorial office, where the impressions of the day are filmed and put online.

The finished projects can be admired and shared on Instagram and TikTok so that as many interested people as possible can find out about everyday life at the fair. Information about the work of the students and pupils and their training will also be provided at the trade fair, on social media channels and on this blog. Visitors will also be able to see the projects being created live through the show editorial team and feel the passion of the young media professionals up close. 

Part 4 - In the spotlight

It cannot be denied that the Alpine Trade Fair provides many new impressions and offers exhibitors an opportunity to present their work and innovations. Full of admiration and interest, visitors set off on a voyage of discovery through the exhibition hall.

You will inevitably pass the main stage, where you can listen to exciting and informative presentations and which offers exhibitors and associations another opportunity to exchange ideas. After all the work that is done in the showroom of the Alpinmesse, the young media professionals from the Ferrari School and the Innsbruck Media College also have the opportunity to present themselves there.

Together with the initiators Riki Daurer (alpinonline) and Nina Gigele, the eager pupils and students will present the School Goes Business project by talking about their experiences at work and how the idea came about. It was the idea of offering young media professionals practical experience in their future careers that brought School Goes Business to life. An idea that also appeals to the director of the Ferrari School. “We would of course like to try to promote such an opportunity in the new school year as well. The pupils and students have done a great job and proved that they are worthy of this opportunity,” Michael Griesser proudly summarized. 

The young adults have been working on the concept of social media work for the trade fair since 2022 and this is now bearing fruit on the trade fair weekend. Riki Daurer informs the audience about the hard facts of the work in the show editorial team: the young media experts reach 90,000 Instagram channels with over 30 posts per trade fair day. Figures that are really impressive. The busy bees not only take over the Instagram account of the Alpine Trade Fair, but also create stories for Alpine Safety. The applause from trade fair visitors is correspondingly loud and approving. Approval that is also expressed at the trade fair stand and the show editorial team.

“There's a real buzz here. The young people are very motivated and you can see that in the results,” said one visitor enthusiastically. The pride that comes from such praise can be seen in the pupils and students both on stage and later in the editorial office. Broad smiles wherever you look. “I had so much fun letting off steam creatively and learning so much,” said one of the Ferrari students. You can read about who is guiding the pupils and students and overseeing the project in the next blog. You can get an insight into the work of the young media professionals on Instagram at @alpinmesse. 

Author: Alicia Martin Gomez