Stadtmarketing Mannheim

What Stadtmarketing Mannheim does

Stadtmarketing Mannheim GmbH (legally registered as "Veranstaltungen – Tourismus – Marketing: Mannheim erleben GmbH" and trading as "Visit Mannheim" and "VTM Mannheim GmbH") is a Public-Private Partnership founded in 2001 that promotes Mannheim as a tourism, business, education, and lifestyle destination. The organization is 49% owned by the City of Mannheim and 51% by Mannheim-based private companies, with the Mayor of Mannheim serving as Chairman of the Supervisory Board. It serves three primary audiences: domestic and international tourists and day visitors (free information services, event calendar, brochure distribution), Mannheim businesses and city departments (cooperative marketing, sponsorship, brand management), and travel trade professionals (press trips, familiarization tours, group travel coordination).

The company operates a portfolio of digital and physical products. Its core digital offering is the visit-mannheim.de tourism portal, built on the eZ Publish Community Edition CMS and developed in partnership with land in sicht AG. The proprietary Marketing-Tool (marketingtool-mannheim.de) enables city administration staff to produce on-brand print and digital materials without graphic design expertise, while the Bilddatenbank provides a centralized image library for non-commercial use. Supporting products include a monthly newsletter (delivered via Inxmail under GDPR-compliant double opt-in), branded merchandise sold through the Tourist Information office at Mannheim Hauptbahnhof, and a set of campaign initiatives including the Mannheim-Menü culinary campaign, the Marketing Café networking series, and the innomake! Innovationsfestival. Physical touchpoints include the Tourist Information office and a container location at Paradeplatz.

The revenue model is subsidy-driven rather than transactional: annual shareholder contributions from the City of Mannheim and private companies form the core income stream, supplemented by earmarked sponsorship funds managed under compliance guidelines and modest merchandise sales through the Tourist Information. Most marketing services are provided free of charge, consistent with the organization's PPP mandate to strengthen Mannheim's competitiveness as a tourism and economic destination. Operations are led by Managing Director Martina Braun (appointed 1 November 2024), supported by a core team of approximately eight staff covering executive assistance, accounting, project management, online marketing, and press/PR.

Name

Stadtmarketing Mannheim

Legal name

Veranstaltungen – Tourismus – Marketing: Mannheim erleben GmbH

Website

https://visit-mannheim.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

2001

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Stadtmarketing Mannheim is a Public-Private Partnership that promotes Mannheim, Germany as a tourism, business, and lifestyle destination through its Visit Mannheim portal, marketing services, and Tourist Information offices. Founded in 2001, it serves tourists, local businesses, and travel trade professionals.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Destination Marketing and Tourism Promotion Services

NAICS

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

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Exhibitions, Trade Shows & Booth Management (HSACADAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Event Marketing, Sponsorship Sales & Promotion (MPAGAAAE), Trade Shows & Industry Expos (B2B) (MPAGAHAB)

Keywords

• Destination marketing services
• Tourism marketing campaigns
• City branding management
• Visitor information services
• Public-private partnership marketing

Headquarters

HQ city

Mannheim

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Annual Shareholder Subsidies: Annual subsidies from shareholders - 49% from City of Mannheim and 51% from Mannheim companies - as a Public-Private Partnership established in 2001.
2. Sponsorship Funds: Sponsorship funds provided for specific purposes and projects, managed in accordance with compliance guidelines.
3. Merchandise Sales: Sale of Mannheim-branded merchandise including cycling bells, umbrellas, mugs, and other promotional items through the Tourist Information office.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Stadtmarketing Mannheim operates the official city marketing and tourism promotion for Mannheim as a Public-Private Partnership between the City of Mannheim (49%) and local private companies (51%). It runs the Visit Mannheim tourism portal, Tourist Information offices, brand management for "die Quadratestadt," destination marketing campaigns, events such as innomake! Innovationsfestival, the Marketing-Tool for city employees, the Mannheim Bilddatenbank image repository, and merchandise sales.

Product overview

Stadtmarketing Mannheim operates a platform-plus-services portfolio centered on promoting Mannheim as a tourism, business, and lifestyle destination. The core digital products include the Visit Mannheim tourism portal (visit-mannheim.de) providing comprehensive visitor information, and the Marketing-Tool (marketingtool-mannheim.de) enabling city staff to create branded materials. Supporting offerings include the Mannheim Bilddatenbank image library, a monthly newsletter, and various campaigns such as the Mannheim-Menü culinary initiative, Marketing Café networking events, and the innomake! innovation festival. The organization also offers merchandise products and specialized resources like the children's city map, all serving to strengthen Mannheim's brand positioning across tourism, economic development, and community engagement.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Visit Mannheim (visit-mannheim.de) Official tourism and city marketing portal for Mannheim, providing visitors and residents with comprehensive information about attractions, events, accommodations, dining, shopping, and city tours. Features an event calendar, booking partnerships, and visitor guides.
• Marketing-Tool (marketingtool-mannheim.de) Web-based design tool enabling city administration staff to create print materials (flyers, posters, brochures, presentations, job postings) in the Mannheim corporate design without prior graphic design knowledge. Provides access to templates, business stationery, and branded merchandise.
• Bilddatenbank Mannheim (Image Database) Digital image library containing high-quality photographs of Mannheim for media use. Images reflect the city's messaging, emotion, authenticity, and lifestyle. Available for non-commercial use in connection with Mannheim city representation with proper photographer attribution.
• Mannheim Newsletter Monthly email newsletter delivering exclusive tips on events, offers, and Mannheim news to subscribers. Features personalization through usage behavior tracking with opt-out capability.
• Touristische Kampagnen (Tourism Campaigns) Marketing campaigns promoting Mannheim as a tourism destination, including participation in trade fairs (e.g., CMT Stuttgart), press trips, and collaborative marketing initiatives.
• Mannheim-Menü Culinary campaign featuring a four-course menu created by local Michelin-starred chefs interpreting Mannheim's identity through food. Includes video recipes and social media engagement campaign.
• Marketing Café Networking event series bringing together marketing professionals in Mannheim for knowledge exchange and industry connections.
• innomake! Innovationsfestival Annual innovation festival celebrating Mannheim's startup and innovation ecosystem. Part of the Allee der Innovationen and Galerie der Innovationen initiatives showcasing local innovations.
• Kinderstadtplan Mannheim (Children's City Map) Specialized city map for children featuring symbols highlighting family-friendly locations including ice cream shops and playgrounds. Available free at Tourist Information, hotels, cultural venues, kindergartens, and schools.
• Mannheim-Branded Merchandise Products Branded merchandise including coffee cups with skyline design, umbrellas, square bicycle bells, USB sticks, lanyards, and books about Mannheim. Available at Tourist Information and via the Marketing-Tool for partners.

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration11 records

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• City of MannheimcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMunicipal shareholder holding 49% stake in the PPP. Provides annual subsidies and strategic direction for city marketing activities.
• Mannheim Companies (Private Shareholders)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrivate sector shareholders holding 51% stake, contributing annual subsidies and commercial expertise to city marketing initiatives.
• German Cities Association (Deutscher Städtetag)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerParticipation in annual Tourism Conference, positioning Mannheim in national city marketing discourse.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Köln Tourismus GmbH: Cologne's city tourism organization, comparable in city-portal operations, event marketing, and group-travel sales function. Direct German city DMO peer.
• Düsseldorf Marketing & Tourismus GmbH: Düsseldorf's DMO with comparable destination marketing, tourist information, and trade-show presence. Similar PPP-influenced structure and mid-sized German city context.
• Frankfurt Tourismus + Congress GmbH: Frankfurt's official tourism and congress board, with a comparable mandate covering leisure tourism, MICE/convention sales, and trade marketing. Highly comparable in service mix.
• Stuttgart-Marketing GmbH: Stuttgart's city marketing organization, particularly relevant given Stadtmarketing Mannheim's regional trade-show participation at CMT Stuttgart. Closely comparable regional peer in Baden-Württemberg.
• Leipzig Tourismus und Marketing GmbH: Leipzig's DMO with comparable destination marketing mandate and regional positioning. Useful comparable for understanding mid-sized German city DMO economics.
• Hamburg Tourismus GmbH: Hamburg's city marketing and tourism organization, with comparable functions including destination portal, trade-show presence, and press-trip programming. Directly comparable German city DMO.
• München Tourismus (Stadt München): Munich's official tourism board, comparable in city-DMO mandate, marketing-campaign function, trade-fair participation, and group-travel services. Operates at much larger scale but the same business model.
• visitBerlin GmbH: Berlin's official destination marketing organization, operating tourism portal, trade-show presence, and group-travel sales. Most directly comparable peer as a German city DMO with a public-law ownership and trade focus.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Ansprechpersonen&url=https://www.visit-mannheim.de/stadtmarketing/ueber-uns/ansprechpersonen
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/MannheimMedia
• Facebookfacebook.com/mannheim.quadratestadt
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/stadtmarketing-mannheim-gmbh
• Instagraminstagram.com/visit.mannheim

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 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 Stadtmarketing Mannheim