M3B

What M3B does

M3B GmbH is a municipal event, exhibition, and market management company wholly owned by the City of Bremen (Stadt Bremen), operating a portfolio of five brands: MESSE BREMEN (a 40,000 sqm exhibition venue across seven halls hosting trade fairs such as Bremen Classic Motorshow, fish international, and jazzahead!), CONGRESS BREMEN (congress and conference operations at the Congress Centrum Bremen and Messehallen), ÖVB-Arena (a multi-purpose arena with up to 14,000 visitor capacity hosting concerts, sports, and shows), Großmarkt Bremen (a 16.3-hectare wholesale fresh-food center in Bremer Überseestadt housing ~100 dealers and organizing ~4,900 weekly, specialty, and annual markets), and Bremer Ratskeller (a historic wine merchant established in 1405 holding the world's largest selection of German wines at ~1,200 varieties, operating retail stores and mail-order shipping worldwide). The company employs approximately 240 people and stages roughly 110 own and guest events annually across its venues.

The business operates a hybrid B2B/B2B2C revenue model built on four streams: venue rental and event management (professional services income from hosting third-party trade fairs, congresses, and concerts), market operations (transaction-based revenue from Großmarkt wholesale food activity), wine trading (one-time license-style sales of German wines through retail and shipping), and ticket sales (transaction fees on consumer ticket purchases via messe-ticket.de and partners Eventim and Nordwest-Ticket). Pricing is unit-based and varies per event (e.g., handball tickets from €15, Holiday on Ice from €34.90, SIXDAYS Bremen early-bird from €19.65). Distribution runs through direct venue operations for B2B clients and an e-commerce ticket shop plus physical storefronts for consumers. Technology stack is operationally lightweight — physical venue infrastructure augmented by third-party integrations with Mailchimp (email), vege.net (hosting), Onlyfy/XING (recruiting), and Eventim (ticketing). A cashless payment system is being rolled out at ÖVB-Arena effective April 2026.

Customer segments are split between enterprise event organizers/promoters (e.g., Event & Sport Nord GmbH, Holiday on Ice, German Handball Federation, Trans-Global Events for the Hydrogen Technology Conference & Expo Europe), wholesale food dealers and retailers at Großmarkt, and end-consumer event attendees. The company is a German private limited company (GmbH) under full public ownership, with Hans Peter Schneider as CEO and Felix Böhme as Managing Director; Kai Stührenberg chairs the Supervisory Board. Revenue is not publicly disclosed, and no external funding rounds have been recorded.

Name

M3B

Legal name

M3B GmbH

Website

https://m3b-bremen.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1964

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

M3B GmbH is the City of Bremen's municipal event and market management company, operating MESSE BREMEN, CONGRESS BREMEN, ÖVB-Arena (14,000 capacity), Großmarkt Bremen (wholesale food market), and Bremer Ratskeller (wine merchant since 1405) under a single platform serving event organizers and consumers in Northwest Germany.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Event Management and Venue Services

akta.pro primary industry

Music Venues & Venue Operators (Clubs, Theaters, Arenas) (MPAIAFAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Food, Wine & Beverage Festivals/Expos (MPAGAFAE)

Keywords

• Event venue management
• Trade fair operations
• Congress services
• Arena event hosting
• Wholesale food market

Headquarters

HQ city

Bremen

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Venue Rental and Event Management: Revenue generated from hosting trade fairs, congresses, concerts, sports events, and shows at Messe Bremen, Congress Bremen, and ÖVB-Arena venues
2. Market Operations: Revenue from Großmarkt Bremen wholesale food market operations and organizing approximately 4,900 weekly, special, and annual markets
3. Wine Trading: Revenue from Bremer Ratskeller wine sales through retail stores and shipping, with over 1,200 German wine varieties
4. Ticket Sales: Revenue from ticket sales through their own ticket shop and partner platforms

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

M3B GmbH operates physical event and market infrastructure for the City of Bremen across five brands: MESSE BREMEN provides 40,000 sqm of exhibition hall space across seven halls for trade fairs; CONGRESS BREMEN organizes conferences and rents the Congress Centrum Bremen; ÖVB-Arena hosts concerts, sports, and shows for up to 14,000 visitors; Großmarkt Bremen operates a 16.3-hectare wholesale fresh food center with ~100 traders and ~4,900 weekly/specialty markets annually; Bremer Ratskeller has traded German wine since 1405, holding the world's largest selection of ~1,200 German wines. The company stages ~110 own and guest events per year.

Product overview

M3B is a multi-brand event and market management company operating under a platform structure comprising five distinct brands. MESSE BREMEN provides exhibition hall space (40,000 sqm across seven halls) for trade shows and events, while CONGRESS BREMEN manages conference venues and organizes its own congress programs. The ÖVB-Arena serves as a major concert and sports venue (up to 14,000 capacity). Bremer Ratskeller, the historic wine business since 1405, operates retail and wholesale wine trade with the world's largest German wine selection. Großmarkt Bremen operates a 16.3-hectare wholesale fresh food market with approximately 100 traders and organizes around 4,900 weekly and specialty markets annually. Together these brands stage approximately 110 events per year, serving the city of Bremen's trade, experience, and lifestyle sectors. M3B is owned by the City of Bremen and employs approximately 240 people.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• MESSE BREMEN Trade show and exhibition venue with seven halls spanning 40,000 square meters, hosting events such as Bremen Classic Motorshow, fish international, and jazzahead!. Provides space for business, exchange, and networking for trade fair organizers and exhibitors.
• CONGRESS BREMEN Congress and conference management services utilizing the Congress Centrum Bremen (CCB) and Messehallen. Organizes own congresses including Symposium Intensivmedizin + Intensivpflege and LogisticsConect, while also renting venues to external organizers.
• ÖVB-Arena Multi-purpose event arena in Northwest Germany with capacity for up to 14,000 visitors. Hosts music concerts, sports events, comedy shows, and events featuring international artists. Provides arena venue services to event organizers, artists, and ticket-buying consumers.
• Bremer Ratskeller wine trading Wine merchant operating from beneath Bremen City Hall since 1405, housing the world's largest selection of German wines with approximately 1,200 varieties and the oldest German barrel wine dating to 1653. Serves customers through retail stores and mail-order shipping in Germany and internationally.
• Großmarkt Bremen wholesale fresh food market Fresh-produce wholesale center spanning 16.3 hectares in Bremer Überseestadt, with approximately 100 traders serving around 3,000 regular wholesale customers who in turn supply approximately 1.5 million people within a 100-kilometer radius. Operates approximately 4,900 weekly, specialty, and annual markets annually, making it one of the largest market organizers in North Germany.

Quantifiable outcome

• Supplies approximately 1.5 million people within 100km radius with fresh food
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• ÖVB Versicherungen (Öffentliche Versicherungen Bremen)coreGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2012Naming rights partnership for ÖVB-Arena since January 2012. The sponsorship contract was initially extended in 2020 and negotiations are ongoing for further extension beyond the current term ending December 2025. ÖVB Versicherungen is a major regional insurance provider supporting the venue's marketing and brand visibility.
• GeschmackslaborcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGastronomy partner for ÖVB-Arena responsible for food and beverage operations. Collaboration includes implementation of cashless payment systems across all gastronomic offerings and coat check services starting April 2026.
• Event & Sport Nord GmbH (ESN)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEvent organizer and operator of SIXDAYS BREMEN cycling event, a major annual sports entertainment event held at ÖVB-Arena since 1965 (with COVID-related interruptions 2021-2023). Hans Peter Schneider serves as managing director.
• AVM Event GmbHminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerShareholder in SIXDAYS BREMEN through Jens Wiegandt. Contributes to the organizational structure and planning of the cycling event.
• Trans-Global EventsminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorEvent organizer for Hydrogen Technology Conference & Expo Europe hosted at MESSE BREMEN, bringing over 128 exhibitors and 2,000+ visitors to the venue.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• Deutsche Messe AG (Hannover): One of the world's largest trade fair and congress operators, running the Hannover exhibition complex alongside its own congress and event business. Directly comparable to M3B's Messe Bremen and Congress Bremen portfolio in venue rental, trade fair organization, and congress management.
• Messe Düsseldorf: Operates one of Germany's leading trade fair and congress venues. Overlaps directly with M3B's MESSE BREMEN and CONGRESS BREMEN in hosting major trade shows, consumer exhibitions, and conferencing events for B2B organizers.
• Messe München (Messe München GmbH): Runs Munich's exhibition and congress campus including ICM and MOC. Comparable venue-rental and event-management model serving consumer, capital-goods, and trade-show organizers, similar in GTM to MESSE BREMEN.
• Lanxess Arena (Köln): Cologne's multi-purpose arena with capacity above 18,000, hosting concerts, sports, and shows. Direct arena competitor to ÖVB-Arena — both were nominated for the same PRG LEA Hall/Arena of the Year 2019 — making them head-to-head in German arena event programming.
• Mercedes-Benz Arena Berlin: Berlin's flagship ~17,000-capacity multi-purpose arena for concerts and sports. Direct competitor to ÖVB-Arena for touring artists and event bookings — both were co-nominees at the 2019 PRG LEA Hall/Arena of the Year award.
• Wiener Stadthalle: Vienna's major arena and event complex hosting concerts, shows, and sports. Direct comparable to ÖVB-Arena as a multi-purpose arena, having been co-nominated alongside ÖVB-Arena for the 2019 PRG LEA Hall/Arena of the Year.
• St. Jakobshalle Basel: Basel's multi-purpose event hall hosting concerts, sports, and shows at sub-15,000 capacity. Direct peer to ÖVB-Arena for arena-format live entertainment — also a 2019 PRG LEA Hall/Arena of the Year co-nominee with ÖVB-Arena.
• Münchner Großmarkt (Munich Wholesale Market): Munich's large-scale wholesale fresh-food market and event organizer. Comparable in core activity to M3B's Großmarkt Bremen — operating dealer-occupied wholesale halls, weekly markets, and specialty markets serving a metropolitan and regional catchment.

Regional players

• Hamburg Messe und Congress: Operates Hamburg's exhibition halls and congress facilities, competing with M3B for trade fair and congress bookings in Northern Germany. Adjacent geography (rather than overlapping Bremen footprint) makes it a regional peer rather than a head-to-head Bremen competitor.

Broad incumbents

• Messe Frankfurt (Messe Frankfurt GmbH): One of the world's largest event and congress operators, with a broader international portfolio than M3B. Overlaps in trade-fair venue rental and consumer exhibitions but at materially greater scale, positioning it as a broad incumbent rather than a niche direct peer.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/m3b-gmbh

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 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 M3B