Get active as an exhibitor: Outdoor & Fitness at f.re.e

Why do you exhibit at f.re.e?

Yes, f.re.e is always a great opportunity for us to present ourselves or our association, the Munich section of the German Alpine Club, to a wide audience. And we are always happy to be there. It's fun for us. We often experience people coming to our stand and saying: "You're the ones who hike. What do you do anyway? I've been a member for umpteen years, but I don't really know." And for us, f.re.e is a great place, indeed a great time, to simply be able to present the whole range of the Munich Oberland section. We're glad to be back again.

What is special about f.re.e for you?

Well, f.re.e 2024 in particular has a special flair this year. We've always been here, we're a permanent fixture. And I think that this year in particular, with the vacations still on, people are very relaxed. Yes, you can really tell that they are interested. But unlike at other trade fairs, they're also not quick-tempered. So that a feeling arises: "Help! I'd better stay behind my stand." That's really nice. And you can see that people enjoy all the beautiful, great offerings here and are also there for the purpose. And yes, that is something very special that makes the trade fair special and gives the whole thing a relaxed character.

How would you describe the cooperation between the DAV and f.re.e?

The partnership with f.re.e is going very well, always on an equal footing. We are represented with many stands, so once here with the climbing tower and we also have the service stand and avalanche transceiver and slackline and in the bicycle hall still Trans Alp advice. We have large areas that have to be set up together with f.re.e. And we are always happy about that, we always have good contacts and it always runs smoothly for us. You can simply take out your cell phone, report a problem and it is solved immediately. Thank you very much for that, really cool!

What challenges do you face as the DAV?

We are represented here as the Munich section of the DAV. Of course, as a section, we also have a commitment to nature conservation and sustainability. This is a very important issue for us. Of course, there are sometimes differences, for example in the next hall we have large-scale tourism, while we are more regionally oriented. It is simply important to us that we are able to provide advice here and give people something to take with them, so that they can also travel here in our beautiful Bavarian Alps in an environmentally friendly way. And that is our task here.

How do you solve the challenges of preserving nature conservation and behaving in an environmentally friendly way?

I don't think we can get any further by imposing bans or the like. It's educational work, it's working together instead of against each other. There are many conversations that need to be held. And a certain "awareness" needs to be created for the topic. And we can do that here at f.re.e. Of course, we can also do this in our core work, in the association.

What trends are currently emerging from your experience in the DAV?

The mountains are clearly always in vogue and have of course become even more attractive to people from the surrounding area over the last few years during the corona period. They say: "Yes, you can't travel that far anymore, it's not that easy, so where do we go?". To the Alps, of course, and that's an unbroken trend. I can also see that the pressure will continue to increase in the coming years. We have to face up to this, also as an association, and steer these tourism flows as sensibly as possible. Climbing, mountaineering, skiing - they don't get "old".

f.re.e is for me:

For me, f.re.e is versatile, sport and fun.