ESSEN MARKETING

What ESSEN MARKETING does

ESSEN MARKETING (legal entity: EMG - Essen Marketing GmbH) is the official destination marketing organization for the City of Essen, Germany, jointly owned by the municipal government (Stadt Essen) and the association Essen Marketing Service e.V. Founded in 1996 and headquartered at Kennedyplatz 5 in Essen, the company operates the Visit Essen tourism portal (www.visitessen.de) and serves leisure travelers, business/convention visitors, and the City of Essen's municipal marketing function. The organization is led by Managing Director Richard Röhrhoff and runs with a 1-10 employee headcount.

EMG's core offering is an integrated destination marketing ecosystem built around the Visit Essen digital platform, available in German, English, and Dutch. The platform integrates event listings, hotel booking via Booking.com, attraction discovery, and 360-degree virtual tours hosted on 3DVista. Key products include the 'Essen 1887 - Mixed-Reality-Zeitreise' (Mixed Reality Journey), described as a world-first city tour experience blending real actors with VR elements; the Erlebnisrundfahrt bus tour operated with partner RevierTouristik GmbH; four major hiking trails (BaldeneySteig, Kettwiger PanoramaSteig, ZollvereinSteig, DeilbachSteig); and an approximately 260 km cycling network on former railway lines. The Convention Bureau Essen provides B2B services including digital site inspections, conference hotel listings, and team event planning. Marketing channels span a multilingual website, an email newsletter with quarterly Essen Magazin, and active accounts on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, LinkedIn, and Pinterest.

EMG's business model is primarily municipal-funded, with the City of Essen and Essen Marketing Service e.V. providing the core budget as principal shareholders. Commercial revenue streams are supplementary: merchandise sales through the Heimatliebe collection (partnered with Naketano) and the online souvenir shop (essen-netshop.de), Booking.com affiliate commissions on hotel referrals, convention bureau service fees, and the Matomo-anonymized analytics infrastructure. The Tourist Info office at Kettwiger Str. 35 provides in-person visitor assistance free of charge. No public revenue figures, funding rounds, or M&A activity are disclosed.

Name

ESSEN MARKETING

Legal name

EMG - Essen Marketing GmbH

Website

https://visitessen.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1996

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

ESSEN MARKETING (EMG - Essen Marketing GmbH) is the official tourism and city marketing organization for the City of Essen, Germany, operating the Visit Essen portal to serve leisure travelers, convention visitors, and municipal marketing needs through digital platforms, events, and partner networks.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Destination Marketing & Tourism Services

NAICS

Convention and Trade Show Organizers (56192), Advertising Agencies (54181), Tour Operators (56152)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900), Services-Advertising Agencies (7311), Services-Advertising (7310)

akta.pro primary industry

Conferences & Conventions Operations Services (Registration, AV, Logistics) (MPAGAGAM)

akta.pro secondary industries

Event Marketing, Sponsorship Sales & Promotion (MPAGAAAE), Festival & Live Entertainment Brand Partnerships (MPAAAGAF)

Keywords

• Destination marketing services
• Convention bureau services
• City tourism promotion
• Mixed reality tours
• Event management

Headquarters

HQ city

Essen

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Tourism Marketing Services: EMG operates as the official tourism marketing organization for the City of Essen, funded through municipal sources and partners. Services include tourism promotion, convention bureau services, and city marketing activities.
2. Merchandise and Souvenir Sales: Online souvenir shop selling Essen-branded merchandise including the 'Heimatliebe' collection created in partnership with Naketano.
3. Tourism Information Services: Provides tourist information services including booking assistance for hotels (via Booking.com integration), tours, and travel packages.

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

EMG - Essen Marketing GmbH operates the official Visit Essen tourism portal as the city of Essen's destination marketing organization. Its core deliverables are tourism information, event programming, hotel booking integration via Booking.com, themed hiking and cycling routes, virtual and mixed-reality city tours, convention bureau services for corporate clients, and merchandise sales through an online souvenir shop. Revenue is generated primarily through municipal funding, affiliate commissions on hotel referrals, convention bureau service fees, and souvenir/product sales.

Product overview

ESSEN MARKETING (EMG - Essen Marketing GmbH) operates the Visit Essen tourism portal as its primary digital product, offering a comprehensive tourism and city marketing platform. The portfolio includes the flagship Visit Essen website with event calendars, travel planning tools, and hotel booking integration; virtual experience products like the 'Essen 1887' Mixed Reality tour and 360-degree virtual tours; physical tour offerings such as the Erlebnisrundfahrt bus tour and themed hiking (BaldeneySteig, Kettwiger PanoramaSteig, ZollvereinSteig, DeilbachSteig) and cycling routes; convention and meeting planning services through Convention Bureau Essen; and event programming including the Essen Light Festival, Essener Weihnachtsmarkt, Tag der Steige, and ESSEN ORIGINAL concerts. The company also provides traditional services like the Tourist Info center, newsletter subscriptions, press photo pools, and a souvenir e-commerce shop. The offering functions as an integrated destination marketing ecosystem combining digital platforms, physical experiences, and event management.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Visit Essen Tourism Portal The official multilingual tourism portal of the City of Essen, offering comprehensive travel planning information including events, accommodations, attractions, and city tours in German, English, and Dutch.
• Essen 1887 - Mixed Reality City Tour A world-first Mixed Reality city tour experience where actors and celebrities such as Henning Baum, Tatjana Clasing, and Nelson Müller appear virtually alongside the real environment, allowing visitors to journey through time in Essen's city centre.
• 360-Grad-Erlebnistour (360-degree Experience Tour) An interactive 360-degree virtual experience tour of Essen accessible via web application, allowing users to explore the city's landmarks and attractions immersively.
• Erlebnisrundfahrt Essen (Experience Tour Bus) A city experience tour of Essen via open-top double-decker bus (Cabrio-Doppeldecker), featuring an architecture tour to UNESCO World Heritage Zollverein with spannende und vertiefende Informationen (exciting and in-depth information).
• Convention Bureau Essen Convention and meeting planning services including digital site inspections (via 3DVista cloud), conference hotels and locations directory, team events coordination, and green meeting options for corporate clients.
• Tourist Info Essen Physical in-person tourist information service at Kettwiger Str. 35, 45127 Essen, providing personalized visitor assistance, advice, souvenirs, and trip planning support.
• Hiking Trails (BaldeneySteig, Kettwiger PanoramaSteig, ZollvereinSteig, DeilbachSteig) Four major circular hiking trails offering 26-35 km routes through Essen's green landscapes, connecting urban areas with natural scenery; participants can collect stamps at checkpoints via the Tag der Steige event.
• Cycling Routes Approximately 260 km of cycling paths on former railway lines, including themed routes such as Bahntrassentour, Natur Route, Zechentour, and City Route.
• Visit Essen Newsletter Regular email newsletter providing current events, promotions, and seasonal tips for Essen, with quarterly Essen Magazin PDF included.
• Essen Light Festival Annual light festival held on Kennedyplatz featuring light installations and performances by artists and DJs.
• Essener Weihnachtsmarkt (International Christmas Market Essen) International Christmas Market Essen featuring the iconic Lichtkrone (crown of lights) over Kennedyplatz.
• Tag der Steige (Annual Hiking Stamp Event) Annual hiking event featuring the major hiking trails (BaldeneySteig, Kettwiger PanoramaSteig, ZollvereinSteig, DeilbachSteig) where participants collect stamps on a hiking map.
• ESSEN ORIGINAL Concert Series Concert series featuring performances by artists like Tom Gregory, Peter Schilling, and YouNotUs at venues throughout Essen including Kennedyplatz.
• ESSEN ON ICE (Ice Skating Event) Winter sports / ice skating event held in Essen, offering public ice skating experiences.
• Online-Fotopool (Press Photo Pool) Online photo pool providing access to professional photos of Essen for press and promotional use.
• Essen Marketing Souvenir Shop Online shop for souvenirs, merchandise, and the Heimatliebe (Homeland Love) collection created in collaboration with Naketano, featuring apparel inspired by Essen's landmarks.

Quantifiable outcome

• Tourism arrivals increased significantly during European Football Championship

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration10 records

AI capability3 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• RevierTouristik GmbHcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026RevierTouristik GmbH operates the 'Erlebnisrundfahrt Essen' (Experience Tour) using open-top double-decker buses. EMG collaborates on promoting this city tour which includes the UNESCO World Heritage Site Zollverein and architecture tours available in German and English.
• NaketanominorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2025EMG partnered with clothing brand Naketano to release the 'Heimatliebe' (Love for Home) merchandise collection, featuring apparel inspired by Essens landmarks including Schurenbachhalde. The collaboration launched in 2025 as a city branding and merchandise initiative.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Düsseldorf Tourismus GmbH: Official DMO for Düsseldorf, the nearest major competitor city to Essen in NRW. Comparable as a city-level tourism and convention marketing organization competing for the same regional visitor pool and corporate event budgets.
• visitBerlin: Berlin's official city tourism marketing organization operating the visitBerlin portal, convention bureau, and tourist information services. Directly comparable as a German municipal DMO delivering destination marketing, convention sales, and event promotion at city level.
• Ruhr Tourismus GmbH (RTG): Regional tourism organization for the entire Ruhr area, of which Essen is a core city. Comparable as a tourism marketing organization promoting industrial-heritage destinations, UNESCO sites, cycling and hiking networks, and major events in the same geography EMG serves.
• Köln Tourismus GmbH: Cologne's official tourism marketing organization. Comparable as a large NRW city DMO with similar portfolio: tourism portal, convention bureau, events, merchandise, and tourist info centers competing with EMG for leisure and MICE demand.

Regional players

• VisitFlanders: Official tourism organization for the Flanders region in Belgium. Comparable as a European regional DMO with similar structure: destination marketing, events, cycling/hiking routes, and multilingual digital platform — though operating in a different geography.
• Duisburg Kontor GmbH: Tourism and city marketing entity for neighboring Duisburg, also in the Ruhr region. Comparable as a peer municipal DMO focused on industrial heritage, events, and convention services in the same regional market.

Broad incumbents

• Tourismus NRW e.V. State-level tourism marketing organization for North Rhine-Westphalia. Comparable as a destination marketing organization operating above EMG's city level, running campaigns, partnerships, and event promotion across the same state.
• München Tourismus: Munich's official city tourism bureau, a much larger and globally recognized DMO. Comparable in structure (municipal DMO, convention bureau, event promotion) but operates at significantly larger scale and budget than EMG.
• Hamburg Tourismus GmbH: Official tourism marketing organization for Hamburg. Comparable as a major German city DMO operating destination marketing, convention sales, and event programming at a scale that benchmarks against EMG's city-level model.

Others

• European Cities Marketing: Industry association for city DMOs and convention bureaus across Europe. Comparable not as a direct competitor but as an ecosystem participant — EMG's operating model aligns with the member profile of this association, useful for benchmarking and partnership.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCAVG_CkaVhVSSAlygbjFqUg
• Facebookfacebook.com/VisitEssen
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/emg-essen
• Instagraminstagram.com/visit.essen
• Pinterestpinterest.de/VisitEssen

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 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 ESSEN MARKETING