Inaugurating Europe’s biggest trade fair for education and training, Didacta, North Rhine-Westphalia Education Minister Ute Schäfer called on parents, students and teachers to actively work together to ensure the success of the German education reforms. Following the negative ranking Germany received in comparison to other European country's in the international Pisa study on education, the fair is also designed to inform educators and the public about the most important issues facing schools today. This is the third didacta event to be held in Cologne. More than 90,000 people visited the fair the last time it was held in 2002. This year, more than 800 exhibitors are participating in the exhibition.