The Association of Educational Media

What The Association of Educational Media does

Verband Bildungsmedien e. V. (operating as The Association of Educational Media) is a Frankfurt am Main-based, member-governed German trade association (eingetragener Verein) representing approximately 70-80 professional educational media publishers, pedagogical specialist publishers, teaching-material publishers, and providers of educational software and online services covering all educational levels from preschool through adult education. Founded around 1955 and now holding its 71st General Assembly in 2026, the association operates with a small staff (1-10 employees) under an elected board (Chairman Maximilian Schulyok; Deputy Chair Martina Fiddrich of Cornelsen Verlag; Treasurer Michaela Hueber of Hueber Verlag; board members Iris Kalvelage of Westermann, Dr. Jacob Kloepfer, and Hendrik Langner of phase-6) and an executive team led by Geschäftsführer Christoph Pienkoß.

The association's central technical asset is BILDUNGSLOGIN, a single sign-on platform launched in 2015 that enables teachers and students to access licensed digital educational media from multiple publishers through a single authentication, integrated with school management and learning management systems such as Univention's UCS@school and the Saarland state platform Online-Schule Saarland. BILDUNGSLOGIN myPortal, introduced for the 2022/23 school year, extends this access to roughly 150 pilot schools and aggregates over 10,000 titles and applications from 8 educational media providers; members collectively publish approximately 60,000 educational-media titles with about 8,000 new titles per year across all 16 German federal states. Supporting digital properties include bildungswelten.info (publisher directory), schulbuchkopie.de (copyright and AI-compliance guidance for schools), bildungsmedien-kongresse.de (event information), and a member-only portal. The association also operates a branded event portfolio: Forum Bildung at Frankfurter Buchmesse, Forum Unterrichtspraxis at Leipziger Buchmesse, Bühne Bildungsmedien at didacta, Norddeutscher Lehrkräftetag (Rostock), edu:regio congresses, and Deutscher Lehrkräftetag.

The association generates revenue predominantly through membership fees from its publisher-members, supplemented by event and congress revenue processed through subsidiary VBM Service GmbH. Its go-to-market motion is event-driven—anchored by participation and convening at Germany's major educational trade shows (didacta, Frankfurter Buchmesse, Leipziger Buchmesse) and proprietary teacher congresses—while its commercial-facing asset, BILDUNGSLOGIN, functions as shared digital infrastructure that connects publishers to schools under standards developed with KMK, state ministries, and technology partners such as Univention GmbH.

Name

The Association of Educational Media

Legal name

Verband Bildungsmedien e. V.

Website

https://bildungsmedien.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1956

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Verband Bildungsmedien e. V. is a Frankfurt-based German trade association representing approximately 70-80 professional educational media publishers, operating the BILDUNGSLOGIN single sign-on platform and running flagship events such as Forum Bildung and Forum Unterrichtspraxis for the German educational publishing sector.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Frankfurt

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Membership Fees: The association generates revenue through membership fees from approximately 70-80 educational media publishers, educational software providers, and other providers of educational media operating in Germany.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels11 records

Core offering

Verband Bildungsmedien e.V. is the leading German trade association representing approximately 70–80 professional educational media publishers, pedagogical specialist publishers, and teaching material providers across all educational levels from preschool through adult education. Its core offerings include industry advocacy on copyright and education policy, the BILDUNGSLOGIN single sign-on platform enabling teachers and students to access licensed digital educational media from multiple publishers via school portals, and a portfolio of branded industry conferences and information websites.

Product overview

The Association of Educational Media (Verband Bildungsmedien e.V.) is a trade association representing approximately 70-80 professional educational media publishers in Germany. Rather than offering a single unified product, it provides a portfolio of services including BILDUNGSLOGIN, a single sign-on platform for accessing licensed digital educational media across multiple publishers, and BILDUNGSLOGIN myPortal, which provides the user interface for schools. Supporting information portals include bildungswelten.info (publisher directory), schulbuchkopie.de (copyright guidance for schools), and bildungsmedien-kongresse.de (event information). The association also organizes branded event series including Forum Unterrichtspraxis at Leipziger Buchmesse, Forum Bildung at Frankfurter Buchmesse, Norddeutscher Lehrkräftetag, edu:regio congresses, Deutscher Lehrkräftetag, and Bühne Bildungsmedien at didacta. A members-only area provides exclusive resources for member companies.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• BILDUNGSLOGIN: A single-login platform operated by the association enabling teachers and students to access licensed digital educational media from multiple providers without re-authentication. Available at info.bildungslogin.de.
• Forum Bildung
• Forum Unterrichtspraxis
• Bühne Bildungsmedien
• Norddeutscher Lehrkräftetag
• edu:regio
• bildungswelten.info
• schulbuchkopie.de
• bildungsmedien-kongresse.de
• Woche der Meinungsfreiheit

Products and services

• BILDUNGSLOGIN
• BILDUNGSLOGIN myPortal
• bildungswelten.info
• schulbuchkopie.de
• Mitgliederbereich (Member Area)

Named customers8 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

AI capability5 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and minor.

• Bündnis für BildungcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 5 May 2026Coalition partner in advocating for educational policy reform. Jointly with Didacta Verband, EdTech-Verband, and Verband Bildungsmedien, the coalition called for revision of the BMI (Bildungsmedieninfrastruktur) contract, expressing concerns about market-dominating structures.
• Didacta VerbandcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 5 May 2026Coalition partner in the Verbändebündnis calling for reform of the Bildungsmedieninfrastruktur (BMI) contract between federal states. Represents the interests of the didacta education trade show association.
• EdTech-VerbandcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 5 May 2026Coalition partner representing EdTech companies, jointly advocating for revision of the Bildungsmedieninfrastruktur (BMI) contract with concerns about monopoly structures and public gatekeeper roles.
• Zentralrat der Juden in DeutschlandflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 13 December 2024Joint signatory of the landmark declaration on the presentation of Judaism in educational media, developed together with KMK and Verband Bildungsmedien. The partnership aims to eliminate prejudice, stereotypes, and distortions in teaching Jewish history, culture, and religion.
• Kultusministerkonferenz (KMK)flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 13 December 2024Joint signatory of the declaration on the presentation of Judaism in educational media, developed in cooperation with Zentralrat der Juden and Verband Bildungsmedien. KMK coordinates education policy across all 16 German federal states.
• Verband Bildung und Erziehung (VBE) - NordverbändeflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 9 September 2024Long-standing co-organizer of the Norddeutscher Lehrkräftetag (North German Teachers' Day) held annually in Rostock. The joint event provides professional development, workshops, and educational media exhibition for teachers.
• DIRECTIONS Project ConsortiumminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 31 January 2022Associated partner in the BMBF-funded DIRECTIONS research project on data protection certification for educational information systems. The six-year project involves KIT, University of Kassel, and datenschutz cert GmbH, with approximately €6.4 million in funding.
• Karlsruher Institut für Technologie (KIT)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 31 January 2022Lead research institution in the DIRECTIONS project, working on data protection certification for educational information systems.
• Universität KasselminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 31 January 2022Research partner in the DIRECTIONS project on data protection certification for educational platforms and apps.
• Saarland (State of Germany)flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 27 January 2022Strategic cooperation to provide all students and teachers in Saarland with seamless digital access to educational media through integration of BILDUNGSLOGIN with 'Online-Schule Saarland' (OSS). The state invested in interoperable IT infrastructure as part of the 'Landesweite Systematische Medienausleihe Saar' (LSMS) project.
• Frankfurter BuchmesseflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 20 October 2021Co-organizer of Forum Bildung on the Frankfurter Buchmesse since 2021, bringing together educational policy discussions, panels, and presentations in Hall 3.1. The partnership was expanded in subsequent years.
• LitCam (Liturgie, Medien, Cam)flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 20 October 2021Co-organizer of Forum Bildung with Frankfurter Buchmesse and Verband Bildungsmedien. LitCam focuses on educational equity and integration, contributing expertise on reading promotion and social inclusion in education.
• Univention GmbHcoreTechnology or Integration · 5 May 2021Technology partner for pilot project integrating BILDUNGSLOGIN with UCS@school identity management system, enabling teachers and students simple, GDPR-compliant access to digital educational media. The partnership aims to connect BILDUNGSLOGIN with all major public and private school administration and LMS systems.
• VBM Service GmbHminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerSubsidiary company of Verband Bildungsmedien responsible for congress management and event organization. Handles the technical processing of congress registrations using 'VbmCongressManager' software.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Others

• Deutscher Hochschulverband (DHV): German university professors' association. Adjacent education-sector membership organization; comparable structurally as a German Verband advocating for a specific segment of the education ecosystem, though focused on academia rather than publishing.
• Verband Bildung und Erziehung (VBE): German teacher and educator association, long-standing co-organizer of the Norddeutscher Lehrkräftetag and Deutscher Lehrkräftetag with Verband Bildungsmedien. Comparable as a German education sector membership organization, though focused on the teacher profession rather than publishers.
• Verband Deutscher Freilichtbühnen und Naturbühnen: Not a relevant peer - excluded.

Broad incumbents

• Börsenverein des Deutschen Buchhandels: The leading German book trade association representing publishers, booksellers, and intermediaries. Broader in scope (entire book industry) than Verband Bildungsmedien (which focuses on educational media); both operate policy advocacy and co-organize the Frankfurter Buchmesse Forum Bildung.

Direct peers

• EdTech-Verband: German trade association representing EdTech companies in the education sector. Coalition partner with Verband Bildungsmedien; directly comparable as a membership organization advocating for digital education interests and competing for influence over BMI and related policy frameworks.
• Bündnis für Bildung: German coalition advocating for education policy reform. Direct coalition partner with Verband Bildungsmedien on BMI contract revision and other education policy initiatives; comparable as a multi-stakeholder advocacy coalition operating in the German education sector.
• Bundesverband Digitaler Publisher (BVDP): German trade association for digital publishers. Directly comparable as a German membership organization representing publishers in the digital transformation of content distribution, with overlapping policy interests in copyright, digital infrastructure, and member services.
• Didacta Verband: German trade association for the education industry and organizer of the leading didacta education trade fair. Coalition partner with Verband Bildungsmedien on BMI contract reform advocacy; directly comparable in mission (representing education sector interests) and overlapping membership base.

Regional players

• British Educational Suppliers Association (BESA): UK trade association for educational suppliers and EdTech providers. Comparable as a national membership organization representing educational content and technology providers, but operating in the UK rather than Germany - useful structural benchmark for the German association's role and services.
• European Educational Publishers Group (EEPG): European federation of national educational publishers' associations. Verband Bildungsmedien is the German member; the EEPG operates at the pan-European level - comparable as an umbrella for educational publishing trade associations and a forum for cross-border policy coordination.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@verbandbildungsmedien
• Facebookfacebook.com/verbandbildungsmedien
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/verband-bildungsmedien-e-v
• Instagraminstagram.com/verbandbildungsmedien
• Xx.com/bildungsmedien

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about The Association of Educational Media