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- Prominence for Charity
- lifestyle media at photokina
- Meet the Professionals
- Academy meets photokina - Higher education center
- Young Faces model contest 2006
- Young Imaging Days
- fotocommunity
- Princess for one day
- The Wider View - Look and See - focusing on birds of prey
- BDFA cinema
- "Tief in Afrika" - Africa Inside
- Lomography activity stage
- Scrapbooking event area
- An unforgettable visual experience from "die Maske"

With all of its technical novelties, products and services, photokina is much more than a simple presentation of the international imaging sector. True to the motto "Imaging is more," the organizers have also conceived a top-quality supporting program for this year - a program that offers genuine added value to international trade dealers and imaging professionals as well as private visitors with a passion for photography. To cite just one example, exciting events for the general public will offer interested consumers an insight into innovations in the world of digital imaging.

Prominence for Charity
For the first time, the benefit project PROMINENCE FOR CHARITY will be presenting a large selection of its unique works of art to the public, thanks to a collaboration with the official partner Epson. On 280 square meters of exhibition space in Hall 2.2, photokina visitors will be able to admire more than 80 large-format photographs of German celebrities, including Barbara Schöneberger, Oliver Kalkofe, Claudia Pechstein and Axel Schulz. More than 100 celebrities and prominent personalities have already posed for PROMINENCE FOR CHARITY, serving a good cause with their turns before the camera of the renowned photographers Mike Kuhlmey and Kay Zimmermann. The permanent exhibition at photokina will open with a gala vernissage featuring many well-known faces. During photokina, the images will be auctioned to the highest bidder, to the benefit of a worthy cause: The net proceeds will go directly to the UNICEF aid project "Schools for Africa," which gives children in Africa an opportunity to acquire an education. (The photography exhibition will be open daily, in Hall 2.2, A21-31.)

lifestyle media at photokina
In Hall 9, the special area "lifestyle media at photokina" will complement the section of the fair devoted to image presentation. Divided into different living spaces (such as the living room, bedroom, study and kitchen), "lifestyle media" will present realistic multimedia applications that can be networked in the home. Professional presenters will guide visitors through these areas and demonstrate the systems in a lively, interactive way, and visitors will also be able to try out the systems for themselves. The space will be devoted to all aspects of the image as a visual interface so that visitors can find out just what possibilities are opened up by the networking of today's building technology with state-of-the-art communication, information and entertainment technology. The products on display will be accompanied by an extensive series of presentations. On stage in the activity area, exhibitors and expert guests will be offering insights into lifestyle media during presentations for professional users, traders and end-consumers. Under discussion will be subjects of interest to architects and planners ("A holistic approach to convenience, safety and flexibility") and specialist traders ("Digital content networks using HomePlug devices"). There will also be presentations addressing the needs of end-consumers, with the focus on issues such as how modern technology can help to save money ("Investing to save money: Today's intelligent homes"). Other presentations will reveal the secrets behind successful projection and the maximum sound volume for home cinemas, for example. (Daily in Hall 9)

Meet the Professionals
This year at photokina, "Meet the Professionals" will again serve as a contact forum for the creative scene in the fields of photography, advertising, journalism, content services and electronic media. User associations and organizations, as well as specialist publishing houses, will hold information events and workshops on the latest sector topics here. (Daily in Hall 1)

Academy meets photokina - Higher education center
The inclusion of the Academy Meets photokina higher education platform in Hall 1 will serve as a source of inspiration for all. Here, colleges and academies from Germany and abroad will be presenting their latest photographic and imaging projects, exhibitions and degree projects. These will offer an interesting glimpse into the creative possibilities of digital imaging. Organized by Koelnmesse in cooperation with the German Society for Photography (DGPh), the academy offers established photographers and dedicated young talents the opportunity to exchange creative ideas, make new contacts and establish a basis for new business partnerships. (Daily in Hall 1)

Young Faces model contest 2006
The final selection round in this year's "Young Faces" model contest, which is organized by the Advertising, Fashion and Industrial Photography Working Group (AWI), will take place during photokina at the Cologne exhibition center. On each of the first four days of photokina, ten young models selected in advance will be demonstrating their talent during photo shoots before a large audience. The winners, young men and women between the ages of 16 and 22, will be rewarded with modeling contracts from Most Wanted Models, a renowned Munich modeling agency, and a head start for successful careers on the catwalk and in front of the camera. (Daily in Hall 1 / awards ceremony on September 29, 5:00 p.m.)

Young Imaging Days
Organized by the Children's and Young People's Film Center in Germany (KJF), Young Imaging Days will enable photokina visitors to discover the latest photography trends for young artists. The focus is on workshops that will teach the professional photographers of tomorrow about photography basics, trendy low-tech approaches and high-tech experiments. The workshops are intended to inspire the young talents to express their creativity with photography and imaging media. In keeping with photokina tradition, the German Young Photographer Prize awards ceremony will be held on the last day of the fair. The presenters of this year's prizes will include State Secretary Gerd Hoofe (Federal Ministry of Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth) and Armin Laschet (North Rhine-Westphalia's Minister of Family Affairs). Radio presenter Michael Imhof of WDR Eins Live will host the event. (Daily in Hall 5.1 - J29 / I30; the awards ceremony will be held on October1, 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.)

fotocommunity
fotocommunity - Europe's largest online platform for amateur photographers, with more than 280,000 registered members and a database of over two million photos - will be staging a diverse program of events for ambitious amateur photographers in Hall 6. Here, visitors will be able to view the database at Internet terminals and to add their own photos. And there will be plenty of information as well: Every half hour on the stage, experts will give fascinating presentations focusing on current areas of interest in photography, and panel discussions will address topics including portrait photography, architectural photography and color management. What's more, trade fair visitors will have an opportunity to try out fotocommunity's fine art production. (Daily in Hall 6, D081 / E080)

Princess for one day
This year, the "Princess for one day" event will once again be an unforgettable experience. The faces behind the successful show, star photographer Guido Karp and top make-up artist Ullrich Remus, will demonstrate to the trade fair visitors how amateur photographers can create outstanding portrait photos, even without professional equipment, if they have the right tricks and a creative approach. Each day, female visitors will have the chance to become a "princess for one day" with the help of a glamorous makeover and a professional photo shoot. This year's event will concentrate even more than in the past on the photographic aspect of the process and practical knowledge that visitors can apply themselves. Guido Karp will explain to the photography-focused visitors how achieving good results depends on location, lighting equipment and techniques, and subsequent image processing. (Daily in Hall 6, B079)

The Wider View - Look and See - focusing on birds of prey
This year at the Piazza - an outdoor area adjacent to the Boulevard - impressive birds of prey from the Hellenthal game preserve will be circling majestically overhead. "The Wider View - Look and See" event will give photokina visitors the chance to watch this amazing aerial act through the latest binoculars from leading optics manufacturers, and to capture images of the graceful flights with a digital camera. What's special is that the digital cameras are directly connected to the long-distance optical equipment. In other words, the visitors will become enthusiastic users of "digiscopes." (Daily at the Piazza)

BDFA cinema
At photokina 2006, the Federal Association of German Film Writers (BDFA) will be presenting a series of short films on a wide variety of themes. In addition, brief presentations will also be offered to interested trade fair visitors, covering topics such as image design, the advantages of the Bluebox, DVD menu options and the various methods used in video editing. The BDFA is the umbrella organization for non-professional film-makers in Germany. (Daily in Hall 4.1 / G050)

"Tief in Afrika" - Africa Inside
At photokina 2006, the magic of photography will be brought to life at the grenzgang agency's stand in Hall 5.1. In an exotic lounge atmosphere, grenzgang founder Hartmut Fiebig will present an extraordinary exhibition of photography. In addition, previews of his new documentary project "Tief in Afrika" will be offered several times daily. "Tief in Afrika" is a compilation of photographs and stories gathered from 16 years of experience in photojournalism and expeditions in Africa. (Daily in Hall 5.1, I002)
The world premiere of the multimedia show "Tief in Afrika" will take place on Saturday, September 30 in the Konrad Adenauer-Saal / CC North.

Lomography activity stage
Analog photography is far from dead. This will be clear to all who visit the Lomography activity area at photokina 2006. And just a few weeks ago, production of the legendary Lomo LCA was resumed. The new Lomo LCA+ has been enhanced with several new additional features and will be presented to the public at photokina 2006. On an enormous (4 x 17 meters) "Lomo screen" at the activity area, the Lomography Society will be showing images from lomographers from around the world. The event focusing on this camera with a cult following will be rounded off by a workshop program. A special highlight: Lomo owners will be able to have their treasured cameras repaired, modified, styled and tuned by a specialist from Russia. (Daily in Hall 5.1)