World's largest dental show just around the corner

When IDS 2007, the world's largest dental show, opens its doors from March 20-24, 2007, more than 1,550 suppliers from 50 countries will present their products and services covering all aspects of dentistry and dental technology in the exhibition halls of Cologne, Germany.

In excess of 75,000 people from 141 countries are expected to visit the five day event with a total exhibition space of over 110,000 square metres.

During the International Dental Show, Cologne will once again live up to its reputation as a major centre of culture and entertainment. For art lovers, the city with the world-renowned cathedral offers a number of European premieres, and music enthusiasts will be able to listen to Russia's finest performers, among other great musicians. All told, Cologne has an impressive number of famous museums, theatres and other cultural attractions. And those who would rather explore Cologne's nightlife after a long day at the trade show will have lots to choose from: The roughly 4,000 nightclubs, pubs and restaurants in the city tempt their visitors with delicacies ranging from the local "kölsch" beer to caviar.

Whether the subject is painting, photography or archaeology, the exhibits in Cologne's many and diverse museums are of a very high quality. While the Museum Ludwig is prized for its Picasso and pop art collections, the Wallraff-Richartz-Museum exhibits a remarkable range of works that includes paintings by Dürer, Rubens, Gaugin and other masters. And Cologne's Museum of East Asian Art is now the first museum in Europe to present the exhibition "The Gilded Splendor: Treasures of China's Liao Empire." First discovered in the last 20 years during excavations, the artefacts of this nomadic dynasty testify to the empire's wealth and highly developed culture. Another European premiere is the photographic collection of the SK Culture Foundation's exhibition of the works of Henry Wessel. The impressive photographs of the "New Topographics" artist Wessel depict landscapes and urban scenes in California.

On its 20th anniversary this year, the Cologne Philharmonic is offering fans of classical music an unusual programme. On 21st March, for example, the Moscow State Symphony Orchestra will give a guest performance in Cologne as part of the series "Capitals of Classical Music" and present works by Mussorgsky, Rachmaninov and Tchaikovsky. Only three days later, on 24th March, the Russian National Orchestra will appear in the Philharmonic. The Grammy winners of 2004 will play various pieces by Franz Liszt. In addition, Puccini's "La Bohème" will be performed on 22nd March in the Cologne Opera.

Musical highlights of a completely different sort can be heard in the Kölnarena and the Musical Dome. In this case, visitors will be able to enjoy sounds from faraway Asia during the IDS 2007. On 21st March, the arena will host "Bollywood - The Show", a magnificently colourful roundup of Indian film history. And on 19th March, the Musical Dome will tremble: "Tao - The Art of Drumming" is coming to Cologne. The show's Japanese musicians have already sold out concerts in Hamburg and Berlin with their drums, which range up to 1.7 metres in diameter.

Friends of culture will find things to their taste in the near vicinity of Cologne, too. In the Hotel Bristol in Bonn, for example, there will be an "Impro Dinner Party Theatre" on March 23 and 24. In the piece "Hochzeit auf Rheinisch" ("Marriage in Rhenish"), the audience itself get involved and takes part in the wedding feast for the main characters, who couldn't be more different - a born and bred Cologne girl with a modest upbringing and a snooty little upstart from Düsseldorf. There are guaranteed to be some amusing scenes when their families meet.

An IDS admission ticket entitles the holder to ride for free on buses, trams and trains of the Verkehrsbund Rhein-Sieg (VRS) transit system. In addition to Cologne, this covers the surrounding region, from Leverkusen to Bonn and from Düren to the Bergisches Land area. All the events mentioned can therefore be reached quickly and at no cost.

The International Dental Show (IDS), which takes place in Cologne every two years, is organized by the Association of German Dental Manufacturers, Cologne (http://www.vddi.de), represented by its Society for the Promotion of the Dental Industry (GFDI). The trade fair is staged by Koelnmesse GmbH, Cologne.