The 17th International Fountain Pen Collectors' Meeting, organised by Stefan Wallrafen, was held on 5 March 2005 once again in the clubhouse of the Germania rowing and tennis club in Cologne; the date regularly falls at the beginning of March. Admission was staggered: until 1 p.m. it cost 30 euros, after that only 3 euros. Despite the high morning price the hall was already well filled before 1 p.m., and with the inexpensive afternoon opening hundreds of further collectors then streamed in.
The course of the day follows a fixed pattern. From about 9 a.m. the exhibitors set up their tables, official admission was at 10 a.m., and in fact the first collectors were already pressing into the hall at around 9.45 a.m. Immediately afterwards there was haggling and buying, frequently even before the goods had been fully unpacked; only after the first wave was there time for conversation. From 3 p.m. the first sellers departed, by around 4 p.m. the event was over, and the exhibitors traditionally met afterwards for a meal together in the adjoining restaurant.
The weather has a noticeable effect on such a meeting: in 2005 the clubhouse lay deep in snow, some participants had to fall back on the railway and could therefore bring fewer writing instruments with them than usual.