The same picture everywhere: densely packed visitors surround the lecture stages, the job offer talks, career meet-ups and the stands of the exhibiting companies and service providers in Halls 1 and 2 at the Munich MTC. herCAREER had invited and generated a great response.
Natascha Hoffner, the founder and managing director of the career fair, now knows that she had the right instinct to create a comprehensive career fair for women:
"With herCAREER, we're at the cutting edge. Our completely new concept has received incredible support from employers, service providers, but above all, from the women themselves."
Unlike other job fairs, herCAREER also offers more extensive services to support mothers and parents with better work-life balance, as well as around the topic of starting a business. Hoffner: "The reason for this is quite simple: The fair aims to meet women where they are personally at the moment, whether they are starting out, moving up, re-entering or founding a.” A very special focus is also on how to develop networks.
With almost 2,000 visitors, herCAREER had an incredibly strong appeal. The managing director: "This was, of course, not least due to the fact that we were able to integrate well-known personalities into the fair’s supporting programme.” And so the female visitors – and occasionally a few men too – listened, among others, to the words of the keynote speakers Heidi Stopper and Prof. Susanne Porsche.
Many visitors headed to the Live Training Center, where they met with experts to discuss issues such as the gaps and pitfalls of employment contracts, flexible childcare, franchising systems, and customer acquisition strategies. And at the Career MeetUp, they met founders and HR experts who served as sparring partners in networking, starting a business, and successfully re-entering the workforce.
© Heidi Stopper
herCAREER@Night: one of many highlights
Another highlight of herCAREER for many visitors, including Natascha Hoffner, was herCAREER@Night. This networking event took place on the evening of the first day of the fair. 34 personalities from the business world, including Aynur Boldaz-Özdemir, managing partner of Forever Clean; Freya Oehle of spottster, known from the VOX television show "Die Höhle der Löwen" (The Lion's Den); and Frank Kohl-Boas, HR Director of Google Germany, sponsored tables and encouraged the participants in their career planning in a relaxed atmosphere. The fact that some of the participants also expanded their networks was certainly welcome.
Natascha Hoffner still has a lot planned for herCAREER:
"We want to offer companies an ideal platform to target their offerings with women – whether as employers or as providers of services that support women or parents in balancing family and career. Of course, we are also there for women who want to enter the workforce or return to it – and also for their families."
Her idea is to make a difference together with many other actors and To give women access to personalities from business, politics and culture.
“With the trade fair, I want to support them in making progress in their endeavors, whether in self-employment or in their job.”
The next herCAREER will take place on 13 and 14 October 2016Natascha Hoffner is already looking forward to herCAREER next year because “itwhich is to establish itself as a meeting place for all women who want to follow their own path in their career or in self-employment."
