Pool group

What Pool group does

POOLgroup GmbH is a privately held, full-service event production company headquartered in Emsdetten, Germany, operating since 1978 across four German offices (Emsdetten, Berlin, Stuttgart, Munich) with a worldwide partner network. The company delivers end-to-end event production — conception, project planning, and implementation — for three primary segments: Corporate Events (trade fair stands, product launches, brand activations, shareholder meetings), Touring & Entertainment (festivals, shows, tours, concerts, TV broadcasts), and Politics, Unions & Conferences (international summits, government events, and conferences). Its underlying technology stack consists of in-house audio, lighting, LED, and video systems anchored by what the company describes as Europe's largest event equipment warehouse, supplemented by internally developed lighting technology (the 2003 LED Stick) and modern hybrid event capabilities combining in-person and virtual/XR production. Service methodologies include the THREESIXTY full-service framework, a Safety capability for security-sensitive political events, an EMAS-certified POOLsustainability offering, and The Zone service concept introduced in 2025.

The company monetizes through professional services engagement models, offering both full-service packages and modular services for agencies, with pricing determined by quote rather than published rates. Go-to-market is enterprise field sales, with dedicated account managers for each segment including New Business, Touring & Entertainment, Corporate Events, and Politics/Unions/Conferences. Approximately 200 full-time POOLcrew professionals deliver in-house rather than relying on freelance labor, which the company positions as a quality and capacity differentiator. Notable historical engagements span decades: Deutsche Telekom AGMs since 1996, G8 Cologne 1999 and G7 Elmau 2022 summits, the 2017 G20 Hamburg summit, and international tours for artists such as Rod Stewart, Diana Ross, and Supertramp. Ownership rests with founders Carl Cordier (CEO) and Jürgen Schürmann (CEO) under the POOL Management Holding GmbH parent, with third-generation family member Joel Schürmann joining the leadership team in 2018. The firm holds EMAS environmental certification and GDPR-compliant operations, with no external funding or public listing.

Name

Pool group

Legal name

POOLgroup GmbH

Website

https://pool.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1978

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

POOLgroup GmbH is a privately held German full-service event production company founded in 1978, serving corporate, entertainment, and government clients across four German offices and a worldwide partner network with 200+ in-house professionals and Europe's largest event equipment warehouse.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Event Production Services

NAICS

Convention and Trade Show Organizers (56192)

SIC

Services-Facilities Support Management Services (8744)

akta.pro primary industry

Customer/User Conferences & Client Advisory Boards (THAHAMAD)

akta.pro secondary industry

Association & Society Conference Management (Nonprofit, Professional Bodies) (THAHACAA)

Keywords

• Event production services
• Corporate event planning
• Live entertainment production
• Trade show services
• Concert touring logistics

Headquarters

HQ city

Emsdetten

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Event Production Services: Full-service event production including conception, planning, and implementation. Services offered as complete packages or modular components for agencies. Covers corporate events, touring & entertainment, and political/conference events.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

POOLgroup is a European full-service event production company that plans and executes large-scale corporate events, trade shows, brand activations, concerts, tours, festivals, and political summits. It provides end-to-end services from conception and project planning to on-site implementation using its THREESIXTY methodology, delivered by 200+ in-house POOLcrew professionals and supported by Europe's largest event equipment warehouse.

Product overview

POOLgroup is a full-service event production company offering a unified portfolio of services under three main segments: Corporate Events (trade fair stands, product & brand events, AGMs), Touring & Entertainment (festivals, shows, tours, concerts), and Politics, Unions & Conferences (summits, conferences, public sector events). Their core offering is Full Service Event Production utilizing the THREESIXTY methodology for conception, project planning, and implementation, supplemented by service features including POOLsustainability (EMAS-based environmental management), Safety, Hybrid events, and The Zone. They operate with approximately 200 professionals across four locations (Emsdetten, Berlin, Munich, Stuttgart) with one of Europe's largest event equipment warehouses.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• THREESIXTY: Full-service and modular service offering for event planning and execution
• POOLsustainability
• elakustik
• ONEofUS
• The Zone

Products and services

• Corporate Events Full-service production for trade fair stands, product and brand events, and annual general meetings (Hauptversammlungen) for enterprises. Delivered end-to-end from conception through on-site implementation, serving corporate brand marketers, communications teams, and event managers.
• Touring & Entertainment Technical production for festivals, shows, tours, concerts, and TV broadcasts. Provides end-to-end production services for international artists, bands, and entertainment promoters, including audio, lighting, video, and logistics.
• Politics, Unions & Conferences

Quantifiable outcome

• 2,300 productions delivered in 2021 alone
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Hetzner Online GmbHcoreTechnology or IntegrationWebsite hosting provider - POOLgroup hosts their website at Hetzner Online GmbH, Industriestr. 25, 91710 Gunzenhausen. A data processing agreement (AVV) per Art. 28 GDPR is in place.
• Borlabs GmbHcoreTechnology or IntegrationCookie consent management - POOLgroup uses Borlabs Cookie plugin for WordPress to obtain and manage website user consent for data processing. The service is used for GDPR compliance.
• Google Ireland LimitedcoreTechnology or IntegrationWeb analytics and advertising - POOLgroup uses Google Analytics 4 (GA4) for web analytics and Google Ads with Conversion-Tracking for advertising. Google Tag Manager is also used for tag management.
• Maxime Media GmbHcoreTechnology or IntegrationApplicant management platform - POOLgroup uses Maxime Media's recruitment platform for managing the application process. Maxime Media acts as a data processor per Art. 28 GDPR.
• Meta Platforms Ireland Ltd. (Facebook/Instagram)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerSocial media presence - POOLgroup maintains company pages on Facebook and Instagram. Meta and POOLgroup are joint controllers (Art. 26 GDPR) for processing triggered by visiting these pages.
• LinkedIn Ireland Unlimited CompanyminorGTM or Marketing PartnerProfessional networking - POOLgroup maintains a company presence on LinkedIn for B2B engagement and recruitment.
• audatis GmbHminorOthersData protection services - audatis provides the data protection officer ([email protected]) and privacy management software (audatis MANAGER) used by POOLgroup.
• BikeleasingminorGTM or Marketing PartnerEmployee benefit - POOLgroup offers bicycle leasing through Bikeleasing as an employee benefit (Company Bicycle Leasing).
• EGYM WellpassminorGTM or Marketing PartnerEmployee fitness benefit - POOLgroup offers EGYM Wellpass (POOLfitness) allowing employees to use fitness facilities across Germany for €29.75/month.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• PRG (Production Resource Group): PRG is the world's largest full-service live event production company, providing audio, video, lighting and staging for tours, corporate events, and sports. Like POOLgroup, PRG serves as a turnkey general contractor for major touring productions and high-profile broadcast events, directly competing for the same multinational clients.
• GL Events: GL Events is a major French-headquartered full-service event management and venue operator providing event production services for trade shows, congresses, and corporate events globally. Both companies position themselves as integrated event production providers from conception to execution across corporate and public-sector clients.
• MCI Group: MCI Group is a Swiss-based global event management and association conference organizer that operates an integrated meetings, events, and association management business. It competes directly with POOLgroup's PCO-style politics, unions and conferences practice and corporate events segments.
• Jack Morton Worldwide: Jack Morton is an established brand experience agency producing corporate events, product launches, trade shows, and immersive brand activations for global enterprises. It directly overlaps with POOLgroup's corporate events segment on multinational brand and AGM work.
• Solotech: Solotech is a Canadian-owned live event production company providing audio, video, lighting, and rigging for touring and corporate events across North America and Europe. It is a direct competitor on the technical-production side of POOLgroup's touring and corporate practice.
• Marbet: Marbet is a German full-service live communication agency offering event conception, planning, and execution for corporate clients. It is a direct domestic competitor to POOLgroup's corporate events segment within the DACH market.
• Vok Dams: Vok Dams is a long-established German full-service event agency specializing in corporate events, conferences, and live marketing for global brands. It competes head-to-head with POOLgroup in the German corporate and congress market.
• Uniplan: Uniplan is a German full-service live communications and event agency serving enterprise clients with corporate events, trade shows, and brand experiences. It directly parallels POOLgroup's corporate events segment within the DACH region.

Broad incumbents

• Messe Frankfurt: Messe Frankfurt is Germany's largest trade fair organizer with its own venue portfolio and global exhibition operations. While it focuses on owned exhibition halls rather than turnkey event production, it is an adjacent incumbent in the same trade-show and corporate events ecosystem where POOLgroup competes.
• CTS Eventim: CTS Eventim is Europe's largest live entertainment ticketing and touring operator with vertically integrated concert promotion and venue services. It overlaps with POOLgroup's touring and entertainment segment via tour production for major artists, though its core business is ticketing and promotion rather than technical production.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/POOLgroup
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/poolgroup
• Instagraminstagram.com/poolgroup

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Subsidiaries5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Pool group