Gesellschaft für Technische Kommunikation - tekom Deutschland e.V.

The Gesellschaft für Technische Kommunikation - tekom Deutschland e.V. (commonly known as tekom) is a German professional and trade association for technical documentation and technical communication, headquartered in Stuttgart. Founded on 24 May 1978 as the Gesellschaft für technische Kommunikation e.V., it is a registered voluntary association (eingetragener Verein) rather than a commercial company, but it operates a substantial service portfolio for its members and the wider industry. According to its own figures it is the largest European association in the field, with around 9,000 individual members and 725 corporate memberships. tekom's purpose is to promote the exchange of information and experience among its members, to support education and further training, and to raise the standing of technical communication within companies and in the public sphere. Technical communication covers internal documentation and a significant part of external documentation, whose typical output is a comprehensible user manual or operating instruction. The association offers publications, a marketplace for job advertisements and service providers, qualification consulting, terminology services, and an expert council (Expertenrat) through which members can obtain confidential, practice-oriented advice on legal matters, standards and guidelines, costing, terminology, and text comprehensibility. It publishes the German-language specialist journal technische kommunikation six times a year with its own editorial team. tekom is closely linked to the European Association for Technical Communication - tekom Europe e.V., which was founded in November 2013 in Wiesbaden by representatives of tekom Deutschland, former tekom country groups, the Italian association COM&TEC, and TECOM Switzerland. tekom Europe is registered as a lobbying organization in the EU Transparency Register and has 15 national associations. The association's flagship event is the annual tekom-Jahrestagung, held each November together with the tekom trade fair. With around 4,000 participants it describes itself as the world's largest industry meeting for technical communication. Since 2014 it has taken place at the International Congresscenter ICS of Messe Stuttgart; previously it was held in the Rhein-Main-Hallen in Wiesbaden. Together with the service company tcworld GmbH, tekom also organizes several international conferences, including NORDIC TechKomm Stockholm in spring, tcworld China in Shanghai, Evolution of TC in Sofia, and NORDIC TechKomm Copenhagen. As a membership organization, tekom is not listed on any stock exchange and does not sell products in the conventional commercial sense; its "offerings" are services, events, training, and publications for technical communicators and the companies that employ them.

The Gesellschaft für Technische Kommunikation was founded on 24 May 1978 under the name 'Gesellschaft für technische Kommunikation e. V.' Its purpose from the outset was to promote the exchange of information and experience among people working in technical documentation, to support their education and further training, and to raise the profile of technical communication in companies and in public life. Technical communication itself spans internal documentation and a major part of external documentation, whose typical result is a comprehensible user manual. Over the following decades the association grew into the largest body of its kind in Europe. On 5 May 2008 it changed its name to 'Gesellschaft für Technische Kommunikation - tekom e. V.', adding the short form 'tekom' that had long been used informally. A further and final name change came on 3 February 2015, when it became 'Gesellschaft für Technische Kommunikation - tekom Deutschland e. V.' to distinguish it from the newly created European umbrella organization. That European body, the European Association for Technical Communication - tekom Europe e. V., was founded in November 2013 in Wiesbaden by representatives of tekom Deutschland, former tekom country groups, the Italian association COM&TEC, and TECOM Switzerland. tekom Europe is registered as a lobbying organization in the European Transparency Register and today has 15 national associations. tekom Deutschland is a member of tekom Europe. The association's best-known activity is its annual conference, the tekom-Jahrestagung, held every November together with the tekom trade fair. According to tekom it is the world's largest industry gathering for technical communication, with around 4,000 participants. Since 2014 the venue has been the International Congresscenter ICS at Messe Stuttgart; before that the event took place in the Rhein-Main-Hallen in Wiesbaden. The conference is organized by tekom e.V. in cooperation with the service company tcworld GmbH. Together with tcworld GmbH, tekom also runs several international conferences: NORDIC TechKomm Stockholm in spring, tcworld China in Shanghai, Evolution of TC in Sofia, and NORDIC TechKomm Copenhagen. Beyond events, tekom publishes the German-language specialist journal 'technische kommunikation' with its own editorial team. The journal appears six times a year and deals primarily with technical communication and with the association itself; it carries ISSN 1436-1809 (print) and ISSN 2942-7908 (online). The association also offers a marketplace for job advertisements, job seekers, and service providers; qualification consulting; terminology services; and an expert council (Expertenrat) through which members can obtain confidential, practice-oriented answers on legal matters, standards and guidelines, costing, terminology, and text comprehensibility. Training is delivered through the TCTrainNet program, which has been expanded with modules such as 'Rule-based Writing - English for non-Native Writers'. Recent online formats include the three-part 'Docs as Code' series, which began in autumn and continued with topics such as Sphinx-Needs and the implementation of complex Docs-as-Code projects. With around 9,000 individual members and 725 corporate memberships, tekom describes itself as the largest European association in the field. It remains a registered voluntary association headquartered in Stuttgart, funded by membership and service activities rather than by commercial product sales.

• 2015

  Final renaming to 'Gesellschaft für Technische Kommunikation - tekom Deutschland e. V.'

• 2014

  tekom annual conference moves to the International Congresscenter ICS at Messe Stuttgart

• 2013

  European Association for Technical Communication - tekom Europe e.V. founded in Wiesbaden

• 2008

  Renamed to 'Gesellschaft für Technische Kommunikation - tekom e. V.'

• 1978

  Founded as 'Gesellschaft für technische Kommunikation e. V.'

Largest European professional and trade association for technical communication, serving individual and corporate members with events, training, publications, and expert advice.

• technische kommunikation (specialist journal)

  German-language specialist journal published six times a year with its own editorial team; ISSN 1436-1809 (print), ISSN 2942-7908 (online).

• tekom-Jahrestagung (annual conference and trade fair)

  Annual November event described as the world's largest industry meeting for technical communication, with around 4,000 participants; organized with tcworld GmbH.

• TCTrainNet

  Training program for technical communicators, including courses by arrangement and modules such as 'Rule-based Writing - English for non-Native Writers'.

• Expertenrat (expert council)

  Exclusive member service providing confidential, practice-oriented advice on legal matters, standards, costing, terminology, and text comprehensibility.

• Marktplatz (marketplace)

  Platform for job advertisements, job seekers, and service providers in technical communication.

1. 1Gesellschaft für Technische Kommunikation - tekom Deutschland e.V.tekom.de
2. 2Die Angebote der tekomtekom.de
3. 3Stellenangebote, Stellengesuche und Dienstleister:innentekom.de
4. 4Antworten und Ratschläge von Experten der Technischen Kommunikationtekom.de
5. 5Gesellschaft für Technische Kommunikationwikidata.org
6. 6Gesellschaft für Technische Kommunikationde.wikipedia.org