Developed under the EU’s Leonardo da Vinci project, the International Event Organiser (AUMA) – IEO – will kick off on 7 May 2004 at m:con Congress College in Mannheim. During the one-year part-time course 20 students will learn all about event marketing and dialectics, budgeting and finance, law and insurance. “Theoretical knowledge is conveyed by e-learning and trained in attendance seminars,” explains Klaus Beckmann, head of the Institute for Learning Organisation (ILO) and director of the course. There is a focus on developing social and methodological skills. Projects and case studies encourage hands-on learning. The teaching venues will include Mannheim, Basel, Strasbourg and London. “We are thinking about inviting the Czech Republic to work with us, as the target group isn’t large enough there,” reports Beckmann. The conceptual sponsor in Germany is AUMA. Although it has been reticent with certifications so far, “we expressly said that we want AUMA to be part of the name, because we identify with this basic and further training measure as the umbrella association of the fair and meetings industry,” confirms AUMA boss Dr. Peter Neven. Places are still available. Visit www.ilo-beckmann.de for registrations and information.