City of Cities
City of Cities is the location-marketing campaign of Regionalverband Ruhr (RVR), a German public regional association headquartered in Essen. It promotes the 53-city, 5-million-resident Ruhr metropolitan region to residents, businesses, investors, and researchers via the ruhrgebiet.de portal and social channels.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded-
- HeadquartersEssen, Germany
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingServices
What City of Cities does
City of Cities is the public-facing location marketing campaign run by Regionalverband Ruhr (RVR), a German public law corporation (Körperschaft des öffentlichen Rechts) headquartered in Essen that holds statutory coordinating authority for the 53-city Ruhr metropolitan region serving roughly 5 million residents. The campaign, delivered through the ruhrgebiet.de portal and the "Das Ruhrgebiet – Hier bleibt alles anders" (The Ruhr Area – Here everything stays different) brand, positions the region for three primary audiences: residents and prospective relocators (segmented under Willkommenskultur / welcome culture), businesses and investors evaluating expansion or investment, and researchers and academics affiliated with the area's 22 universities and colleges. Core content is organized into four pillars — Arbeiten (Working), Forschen (Research), Wirtschaft (Economy), and Leben (Living) — and is distributed via the central website plus active accounts on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube.
The underlying platform is a conventional content portal (ruhrgebiet.de / TYPO3-based on stack indicators, though no formal stack disclosure) without commercial products, APIs, or proprietary software offerings; the input explicitly states "no commercial products, software services, or technology offerings are provided." Thematic priorities include the narrative of industrial-to-green transformation, new green jobs, hydrogen (Wasserstoff), cybersecurity, and the region's startup ecosystem, with flagship visibility tied to the 2027 International Garden Exhibition (IGA 2027).
City of Cities / RVR does not operate a commercial revenue model. It is publicly funded through its member municipalities and the state of North Rhine-Westphalia; pricing is "not applicable," select_customers is empty, and revenue is "not available — not a commercial company." Distribution is non-commercial: information delivery through ruhrgebiet.de and social channels, plus in-person event participation (conferences, IGA 2027). The business model is therefore place-marketing and regional coordination, paid for by public-law membership contributions, with success measured by talent attraction, investment pipeline, and quality-of-life perception rather than by top-line revenue.
City of Cities firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- City of Cities
- Legal name
- Regionalverband Ruhr
- Website
- https://metropole.ruhr
- Company type
- Private
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- City of Cities is the location-marketing campaign of Regionalverband Ruhr (RVR), a German public regional association headquartered in Essen. It promotes the 53-city, 5-million-resident Ruhr metropolitan region to residents, businesses, investors, and researchers via the ruhrgebiet.de portal and social channels.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
City of Cities industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Public Sector Regional Marketing
- akta.pro primary industry
- Local Search & Business Directories (BPAMAAAE)
Keywords
Where City of Cities is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Essen
- HQ country
- Germany
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
City of Cities business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Technology or R&D
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels6 records
City of Cities product offering
Product offeringCore offering
City of Cities is a location marketing campaign operated by the Regionalverband Ruhr (Ruhr Regional Association) to promote the Ruhr metropolitan region in Germany. The campaign runs the ruhrgebiet.de portal, which showcases the region — comprising 53 cities, 5 million residents, and 22 universities — across four content themes (Work, Research, Economy, Life) to attract residents, businesses, researchers, and investors.
Product overview
This is not a product or software company. City of Cities / Regionalverband Ruhr operates a regional marketing and information portal (ruhrgebiet.de) for the Ruhr metropolitan region in Germany. The website serves as an informational resource covering four thematic areas: Arbeiten (Working), Forschen (Research), Wirtschaft (Economy), and Leben (Living). These sections aggregate content about employment, higher education, business sectors, and lifestyle in the 53 cities comprising the Ruhrgebiet. No commercial products, software services, or technology offerings are provided.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- ruhrgebiet.de Regional Marketing Portal Centralized online portal operated by the Regionalverband Ruhr that promotes the Ruhr metropolitan region to multiple audiences (residents, businesses, researchers, investors) through four thematic content pillars: work opportunities, research and academic environment, economic location advantages, and quality of life.
Companies that use City of Cities
Customer profileSegments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
City of Cities technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
City of Cities partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators2 records
Recent moves4 records
Expansion highlights4 records
City of Cities competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Hamburg Marketing GmbH: Hamburg's city-portfolio marketing organization promoting the Hamburg metropolitan brand to residents, businesses, and tourists. Closely comparable mandate: location marketing for a single German metro, multi-channel content, and stakeholder coordination.
- Berlin Partner für Wirtschaft und Technologie GmbH: Berlin's business and technology development agency, performing essentially the same function as the Ruhr campaign — promoting a German metropolitan region to investors, talent, and researchers — but for the capital region. Direct functional peer in regional economic development marketing.
- Metropolregion Nordwest / Hamburg Metropolitan Region: Cross-state marketing and development association for the Hamburg Metropolitan Region, coordinating multiple cities and counties under one brand. Structurally and functionally the closest analog to the Ruhr's 53-city governance model.
- FrankfurtRheinMain GmbH: Regional marketing company for the Frankfurt/Rhine-Main metropolitan region, pooling cities, counties, and business chambers under a unified 'Metropolregion FrankfurtRheinMain' brand. Direct peer in multi-municipality regional branding.
- Metropolregion München e.V. Association coordinating the marketing and development of the Munich metropolitan region across multiple municipalities. Highly comparable institutional form and multi-city regional brand mandate.
Regional players
- NRW.Global Business GmbH: State-level trade and investment promotion agency for North Rhine-Westphalia, the same state in which the Ruhr sits. Operates one level above the Ruhr campaign (state vs. metro) with a more investment- and export-focused mandate, but shares overlapping stakeholders and target investors.
- München Tourismus (Munich Tourism Board): City-level destination marketing organization for Munich with a heavy tourism and conventions focus. Comparable in the 'Leben/Entdecken' (Living/Discover) content pillars of the Ruhr campaign, though narrower in scope (tourism only) and city rather than metro in scale.
- Hessen Trade & Invest GmbH: Economic development agency for the state of Hesse, performing business location marketing and investment support. Comparable mandate to the Ruhr's 'Wirtschaft' pillar, but state-level rather than metropolitan.
Market position
Competitive moat3 records
Customer concentration
City of Cities social profiles
Digital presenceCity of Cities financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
City of Cities leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
City of Cities funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
City of Cities M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about City of Cities
What does City of Cities do?
City of Cities is a location marketing campaign operated by the Regionalverband Ruhr (Ruhr Regional Association) to promote the Ruhr metropolitan region in Germany. The campaign runs the ruhrgebiet.de portal, which showcases the region — comprising 53 cities, 5 million residents, and 22 universities — across four content themes (Work, Research, Economy, Life) to attract residents, businesses, researchers, and investors.
Is City of Cities a public or private company?
City of Cities is a private company. It is classified as state government owned and is currently operating.
When was City of Cities founded?
City of Cities was founded in -1. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is City of Cities based?
City of Cities is headquartered in Essen, Germany, in the Europe region.
Who are City of Cities's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Hamburg Marketing GmbH, Berlin Partner für Wirtschaft und Technologie GmbH, Metropolregion Nordwest / Hamburg Metropolitan Region, FrankfurtRheinMain GmbH and Metropolregion München e.V.. Regional players are NRW.Global Business GmbH, München Tourismus (Munich Tourism Board) and Hessen Trade & Invest GmbH.
Does City of Cities have an API?
No public API is recorded for City of Cities.
What industry is City of Cities in?
City of Cities's product category is Public Sector Regional Marketing. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAMAAAE, Local Search & Business Directories.