Initial preparations
The concept had been defined and the individual tour points roughly determined. Messe Nürnberg had been informed, they thought it a very good idea and announced that they would give us support on the marketing front. Now we were ready to embark on the first planning phase of the tour as such. We drew up list after list of all the things we would need for such a lengthy trip. The lists were endless. And pretty soon we were able to see from calculations what "the trip" would entail in terms of costs. One thing was clear: we needed some support here. Whom could we ask and who would enjoy getting involved in a tour of this kind? Some pivotal machine manufacturers with whom we had been working consistently for years and who maintain a constant presence in these regions and whom we know well were sounded out.
The most important list however was the last. On it would depend some of the financing but also the quality contact information on interesting PET bottlers, preform manufacturers, cap manufacturers and recyclers whom we could visit in the various countries. And what about the Editourmobil? This was to be given a complete make – over – with eye-catching graphics, a specially designed tour logo, our company logos and also the logos of potential supporters of the project. We can leave that side of it in the capable hands of our graphic designer, Matthias Gaumann of Exprim. We are not finished yet: we will need spare parts for the van, and we’ll have to go through bureaucratic hurdles to obtain the necessary visas. Who knows what might go wrong on an Editourmobil like this one? There were visas to get for Armenia and Azerbaijan, and what about sickness insurance? I made it a priority to get all the necessary information. For the time being, the other things would have to wait. I started a list.
