Was eine kurze Kloschlange mit Digitalisierung zu tun hat

Noisy machines, lots of people and the smell of plastic. That was the K trade fair (the leading trade fair for the plastics and rubber industry) in Düsseldorf. Once again, I was surprised by the huge role plastic actually plays in our lives and where it is used everywhere. It was exciting to see the manufacturing machines live and in action and to go home with some nice goodies. One thing also struck me immediately. The toilets. Sounds trivial, but it's not about the toilets themselves, it's about the queue for the toilets. The K trade fair was probably the first major event I've been to recently where men had to queue longer than women. What a luxury, when I'm often used to the opposite.  

It was a small situation that once again made me aware of how male-dominated the industry still is. And please don't get me wrong. I mean this in a completely neutral way and I just want to draw attention to my experiences in this blog article. 

I have been working as a junior marketing expert at tetys for over a year now and have visited a few trade fairs during this time. And every time, I find it a bit overwhelming. The crowds and many impressions are sometimes overwhelming, but with each trade fair, I learn to deal with it better and to extract the important and interesting things for myself.  

The enrichment of diversity

There are many men working in the industry we operate in. In recent years, this trend has become a little more balanced, but there is still a big difference. There is nothing wrong with that, because you can see that things are changing, albeit in small steps. What's more, as a woman, you can perhaps choose a different role for yourself. At least, that's the approach I'm taking. I want to bring new ideas to the table, perhaps a new way of communicating and new perspectives. I see this every day in our managing directors, how each of them has their own style and brings different ways of working and new ideas to the table. In the same way, I am trying to find my role and combine the technical aspects of the working world with humanity. I don't shy away from technical complexity, but I certainly still have a lot to learn and am doing so in small steps every day. On the other hand, it is important to me to be perceived as an equal in conversations and exchanges with others and not to be labelled based on prejudices. I am convinced that this is also one of the things the industry needs: new ideas and fresh perspectives. Being open to new things, no matter in which direction. This includes being open to passing on knowledge, but also to accepting it. 

Comparison to convention in Japan

Since I had already been to a plastics trade fair in Japan at the beginning of this year, it was also very exciting for me to make a direct comparison. Apart from the fact that the K trade fair is, of course, the largest trade fair in the industry and therefore had more visitors, I was also surprised at how much more ‘bustling’ the trade fair in Düsseldorf was. I wasn't entirely surprised that a trade fair in Japan is much more orderly, but the direct comparison was still noticeable. I have already made a more in-depth comparison in another blog post, but I wanted to emphasise this point once again

Conclusion

The short queue outside the ladies' toilet at the K trade fair was a luxury. But for me, the real luxury is the opportunity to find my own place in this exciting industry, with the firm conviction that we as women can enrich this sector in a different way. The future of the industry is focused on digitalisation, and this is definitely diverse. I am excited to see what changes will take place in the coming years.