Peter Potzmann
Master Painter
At Messe Friedrichshafen for 39 years
Exhibition venue: Painting workshop
It all started with a postcard. Peter sent one back in the spring of 1981, just after finishing his painting apprenticeship, as a 19-year-old, to the fair. The message: Can I join you? The answer was ‘yes’. Boom – it was that quick! Forty-two years later, Peter still works here, with just as much passion as he did back then, despite a three-year break. “I always wanted to do something creative,” Peter says. “Back then, I used to hand-paint scenery for the fair, and it was incredibly fun. The illusion was so perfect once that many visitors tried to open the painted door of a stage set,” he recalls with a mischievous smile.
In the painting workshop, large and small signs lean against the walls, countless rolls of wallpaper, paper, and colorful films are sorted into every corner, printed text stretches across the workbench, waiting to be cut, applied, and further processed.out each piece with sparkling eyes: The large-format printers hum softly in the next room. “In the past, letters were painted onto the signs by hand,” Peter explains, showing us old photographs. Today, it’s all much easier. In the workshop, hall suspensions, posters, signs, banners, flags, backdrops, and decorations for all the fair’s events are created. A sea of 1,000 signs is stored here, constantly being reworked, changed, and reused. It’s like a well-organized archive, with old logos, posters, and props waiting to be discovered. And Peter talks about each piece with sparkling eyes: The life-size cutout of a moose or the oversized wooden scissors.
He enjoys the “hustle” of the trade fair business, the fact that there’s always something to do, and, of course, the teamwork with various departments. “You often play the role of firefighter,” he says. “One exhibitor is missing a promotional banner, and another’s stand hasn’t arrived yet. Then we have to quickly work some magic.” Sometimes, that magic has to happen overnight, like when a planned area suddenly needs to be turned into an ice cream café with waffle cones from one day to the next. Or when a party is approaching, and the key decoration idea is still missing. “You can really get involved and let your creativity run wild here,” he beams.
It’s obvious how much Peter values this place. “It’s almost like home to me,” he says, and you can tell he means it. “I can only recommend anyone to come here, experience the fair atmosphere, and see for themselves if this job suits them.” The topic of his impending retirement clearly affects him, as he knows the farewell will be hard: “I hope I’ve left my mark here.” One thing is certain: His hand-painted set featuring “Dreams from 1001 Nights” at the entrance to the workshop office will serve as a lasting reminder of Peter even long after his retirement.