VDFU e.V.

What VDFU e.V. does

VDFU e.V. (Verband Deutscher Freizeitparks und Freizeitunternehmen e.V.) is a non-profit registered trade association founded in 1978 and headquartered at Schillstraße 9 in Berlin. It serves as the central interest representative of the German-speaking leisure economy, bundling the voice of more than 140 leisure facilities—including theme parks, zoos, aquariums, indoor attractions, and experience worlds—together with approximately 220 supplier, service, and consulting companies, for a total network of roughly 360 member organizations. The association's stated purpose is to provide political representation, industry-wide standards, professional development, and B2B networking to its members, with the leisure industry collectively welcoming around 78 million guests annually at VDFU member facilities and supporting roughly 150,000 direct and indirect jobs.

VDFU's core 'products' are membership services and a portfolio of community, training, and advocacy programs: the mein VDFU member portal (relaunched 2024 on the mixxt platform), the VDFU AKADEMIE training division offering webinars and workshops, the MENT UP! mentoring program, the VDFU Frauennetzwerk women's network, the FREIZEITGEFLÜSTER podcast, the Partnerguide supplier directory, and two flagship annual events—the VDFU ConnEX trade conference (700+ attendees, 120+ exhibitors in 2026) and the VDFU Sommertreffen summer member gathering. The underlying technology is entirely off-the-shelf: a TYPO3 CMS website, mixxt for community, Cvent for event registration, ClickMeeting for webinars, Podigee for podcast hosting, plus standard web analytics and consent tooling. Strategic technology partners include keeen GmbH (website), mixxt GmbH (portal), Cvent (events), ClickMeeting (webinars), Podigee (podcast), SEWOBE (member/survey management), and Cookiebot (consent).

The business model is a recurring membership-dues model (Beitragsordnung) with two tiers—Freizeiteinrichtungen (ordinary facility members) and Fördermitglieder (supporting supplier/service members)—supplemented by event registration fees, AKADEMIE workshop and webinar fees, and exhibition/sponsorship revenue from the ConnEX Marketplace and the German Pavilion at IAAPA Expo Europe. Pricing is not publicly disclosed; acquisition is primarily sales-led via direct outreach, industry events, and word-of-mouth within the leisure sector. Leadership is provided by an elected honorary board headed by President Friedhelm Freiherr von Landsberg-Velen, with Managing Director Jürgen Gevers running a small professional secretariat of 9 employees in Berlin.

Name

VDFU e.V.

Legal name

Verband Deutscher Freizeitparks und Freizeitunternehmen e.V.

Website

https://vdfu.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1978

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

VDFU e.V. is a Berlin-based, non-profit German leisure industry association founded in 1978, representing 140+ leisure facilities and 220+ supplier companies through membership services, the mein VDFU portal, the VDFU AKADEMIE training programs, the MENT UP! mentoring initiative, and the annual VDFU ConnEX trade fair.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Trade Association Services

NAICS

Professional Organizations (81392), Business Associations (813910), Promoters of Performing Arts, Sports, and Similar Events without Facilities (711320)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Membership Sports & Recreation Clubs (7997), Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990)

akta.pro primary industry

Virtual Event Registration, Ticketing & Access Control (Authentication, Paywalls, Badging) (THAHAOAI)

akta.pro secondary industry

Event Monetization & Sponsorship Tech (Virtual Booth Leads, Ads, Sponsored Sessions) (THAHAOAK)

Keywords

• Leisure industry association
• Trade association services
• Amusement park network
• Industry advocacy services
• Professional development programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Berlin

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel

Revenue model

1. Membership dues: VDFU generates revenue primarily through annual membership fees paid by ordinary members (Freizeiteinrichtungen) and supporting/associate members (Fördermitglieder). Membership fees are determined by a membership fee schedule (Beitragsordnung) which is not publicly disclosed on the website. The association also generates revenue through event registration fees, academy workshop/webinar fees, and potentially sponsorship from the annual ConnEX trade fair.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

VDFU e.V. is a non-profit trade association (eingetragener Verein) representing over 140 leisure facilities (amusement parks, zoos, indoor attractions) and approximately 220 supplier, service, and consulting companies in the German-speaking leisure economy. It delivers membership-based services including political advocacy, industry networking, professional development through the VDFU AKADEMIE, flagship events (VDFU ConnEX, VDFU Sommertreffen), and a members-only portal (mein VDFU).

Product overview

VDFU e.V. operates as a unified member services platform for the German leisure and amusement park industry. The core offerings include the 'mein VDFU' member portal, VDFU AKADEMIE educational programs (webinars, workshops, seminars), and two flagship annual events (VDFU ConnEX conference and VDFU Sommertreffen). Supporting programs include the MENT UP! mentoring program, VDFU Frauennetzwerk women's network, FREIZEITGEFLÜSTER podcast, and the Partnerguide partner directory. The association also runs DIE FAIRE SIEBEN advocacy campaign. These products collectively serve VDFU's 140+ member leisure facilities and 220+ supplier members through a combination of digital platform services, in-person events, educational content, and professional networking.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• VDFU AKADEMIE: Professional development and training programs for leisure industry employees including webinars, workshops, seminars, and the MENT UP! mentoring program
• MENT UP!
• DIE FAIRE SIEBEN
• FREIZEITGEFLÜSTER
• VDFU ConnEX
• VDFU Sommertreffen
• VDFU Marketplace
• VDFU Frauennetzwerk

Products and services

• mein VDFU Member Portal Members-only digital portal that provides networking features, event registration, webinar content access, and community tools for member companies, powered by mixxt GmbH.
• MENT UP! Mentoring Program Annual mentoring program that pairs experienced industry professionals with emerging talents in the leisure industry, featuring four in-person meetings and ongoing mentorship support.
• VDFU AKADEMIE Educational division offering webinars, workshops, seminars, and specialized training for leisure industry professionals on topics including F&B, retail, leadership, and digitalization.
• FREIZEITGEFLÜSTER Podcast Industry podcast featuring discussions on topics relevant to leisure facility management including stress management, guest experiences, and professional development.
• VDFU ConnEX Annual flagship conference of the German leisure industry, held in Berlin, featuring political discussions, workshops, marketplace exhibitions, and networking opportunities for over 700 industry professionals.
• VDFU Sommertreffen Annual summer meeting event providing exclusive behind-the-scenes visits to member leisure facilities, trade exhibitions, and business networking for member companies.
• VDFU Frauennetzwerk Women's professional network within VDFU offering webinars, workshops, and networking events focused on career development and leadership for women in the leisure industry.
• Partnerguide der Freizeitwirtschaft Partner directory and guide showcasing supplier, service, and consulting companies within the VDFU business network for leisure facilities.

Quantifiable outcome

• VDFU members collectively serve ~78 million visitors annually (VDFU members alone) and ~200 million branch-wide
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers22 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Deutscher Tourismusverband e.V. (DTV)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe DTV is the only federally structured tourism umbrella association of municipal, regional, and state-level tourism organizations in Germany. VDFU maintains close relations with DTV as a key strategic partner at the intersection of leisure/tourism policy.
• International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions (IAAPA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIAAPA is the global trade association for amusement park operators. VDFU is the German representative and co-organizes the German Pavilion at IAAPA Expo Europe, providing subsidized exhibition space for German suppliers.
• Deutscher Schaustellerbund e.V. (DSB)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe DSB is the professional apex organization for the showmen's trade in Germany, based in Berlin. VDFU maintains close exchange with DSB on shared regulatory and policy concerns.
• Deutscher Reiseverband (DRV)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDRV represents the German travel industry. VDFU collaborates with DRV at the intersection of leisure tourism, short trips, and domestic vacation demand.
• EuroAmusement Professional (EAP)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEuroAmusement Professional is a bilingual trade magazine that regularly covers the European leisure industry. VDFU is listed as a partner on the publication's website.
• keeen GmbHcoreTechnology or Integrationkeeen GmbH (Mörser Str. 78, 38442 Wolfsburg) provides website hosting for vdfu.org. keeen also handles design and technical implementation of the VDFU website (per the impressum).
• mixxt GmbH (tixxt)coreTechnology or Integrationmixxt GmbH (Adenauerallee 134, 53113 Bonn) provides the mein VDFU members portal platform, used for member networking, event registrations, and content management.
• Cvent Deutschland GmbHcoreTechnology or IntegrationCvent (Maximilianstr. 54, 80538 München) provides event registration and management services for VDFU events including the VDFU AKADEMIE and VDFU Sommertreffen.
• ClickMeetingcoreTechnology or IntegrationClickMeeting (ClickMeeting Spółka z o.o., Gdańsk, Poland) provides webinar hosting for VDFU AKADEMIE webinars, enabling online professional development sessions.
• Podigee GmbHcoreTechnology or IntegrationPodigee (Schlesische Straße 20, 10997 Berlin) provides the podcast player and hosting for the FREIZEITGEFLÜSTER podcast series.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Deutscher Schaustellerbund e.V. (DSB): Germany's national apex trade association for showmen and traveling fairs, based in Berlin. VDFU maintains a close exchange with DSB on shared regulatory and policy concerns affecting the German leisure economy.
• EAZA (European Association of Zoos and Aquariums): The pan-European membership association for zoos and aquariums, covering many of VDFU's zoo and aquarium members (e.g., Aquarium Berlin, Allwetterzoo Münster) and serving as the European counterpart for that segment.
• Themed Entertainment Association (TEA): An international non-profit membership association for the themed entertainment industry, including theme parks, museums, and attractions. TEA is a direct category peer focused on design, operations, and storytelling rather than national advocacy.
• International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions (IAAPA): The global trade association for the attractions industry. IAAPA is the most direct functional peer — VDFU is its German national counterpart, and the two collaborate on the German Pavilion at IAAPA Expo Europe.

Regional players

• Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA): The North American accreditation and trade association for zoos and aquariums. AZA is the regional counterpart to EAZA for VDFU's zoo/aquarium members and serves a comparable member-services and accreditation role in a different geography.
• Associazione Italiana Parchi di Divertimento (AIPD): The Italian trade association representing amusement parks and leisure attractions. AIPD is a regional peer with a similar member profile and advocacy mandate but operating exclusively in the Italian market.

Broad incumbents

• Deutscher Tourismusverband e.V. (DTV): The federally structured umbrella tourism association in Germany representing municipal, regional, and state-level tourism organizations. VDFU maintains a strategic partnership with DTV as a peer in the broader German tourism policy space.
• DEHOGA (Deutscher Hotel- und Gaststättenverband): Germany's main trade association for the hotel and restaurant industry. DEHOGA is a broad-incumbent peer covering hospitality-adjacent leisure, with overlapping policy concerns on labor, taxation, and Sunday-trading rules.
• Deutscher Reiseverband (DRV): The leading German travel-industry association representing tour operators, travel agencies, and OTAs. DRV is a broader-incumbent peer at the intersection of leisure tourism, where VDFU's domestic-vacation members overlap.

Others

• EuroAmusement Professional (EAP): A bilingual (English/German) trade magazine covering the European leisure and attractions industry. EAP functions as a media/advertising partner rather than a competing association; listed as a partner of VDFU.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/VDFU_eV
• YouTubevimeo.com/user105597859
• Facebookfacebook.com/freizeitparks.de
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/vdfu
• Instagraminstagram.com/freizeitparks.de

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 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 VDFU e.V.