Svendborg Event & Turisme

What Svendborg Event & Turisme does

Svendborg Event & Turisme is a non-profit destination management organization (DMO) headquartered at Havnepladsen 2 in Svendborg, Denmark. Established as SvendborgEvent in 2014 and operational from 2015, the organization rebranded to its current name on January 1, 2025 to elevate tourism as a city growth engine. It is governed by a multi-stakeholder board comprising seven founding partners: Svendborg Kommune (municipality, primary public funder), Erhvervsforum Svendborg (business forum), Svendborg Turistforening (tourist association), Shopping Svendborg, Hotelgruppen, Kulinarisk Sydfyn (culinary association), and Beværterforeningen (restaurant association). Martin Larsen (representing Shopping Svendborg) serves as Chairman, and Søren Brønserud is the daily manager (Turist & Eventchef). Headcount stands at approximately 11 staff.

The organization operates a multi-platform destination marketing ecosystem centered on the VisitSvendborg.dk website (available in Danish, English, and German), integrating a Kultunaut-powered event calendar with content sections covering culture, nature, dining, shopping, accommodation, and trip planning. Sub-brands include Shopping Svendborg (retail promotion under the 'Danmarks flotteste handelsby' brand), Svendborg Bycenter, SVEND Filmdage (annual film festival), and Eventlocation Svendborg (a dedicated meeting and conference venue portal). Supporting modules include Eventpuljen (an event funding scheme), Arrangørguide (organizer guide), team-building activity curation, and the physical tourist office, which also houses Pakhusbutikken, a retail outlet curating products from 20+ local food producers.

Revenue is derived primarily from Svendborg Kommune municipal grants, membership fees from the seven stakeholder organizations, service fees for event support and venue management, retail sales at Pakhusbutikken, and sales of logo packages and promotional materials. The organization holds Green Tourism Organization certification, and the destination has been featured positively by Forbes and Lonely Planet. The Danmarks Forsorgsmuseum (a key Svendborg attraction) won the Havfrueprisen 2025 from Danske Rejse- og Flyjournalister. Distribution is domestic/regional with international reach via digital channels, and the organization sits at the hub of the UNESCO Global Geopark Det Sydfynske Øhav (55 islands and islets).

Name

Svendborg Event & Turisme

Legal name

Svendborg Event & Turisme

Website

https://visitsvendborg.dk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Svendborg Event & Turisme is a non-profit Danish destination management organization operating VisitSvendborg.dk, a physical tourist office, and Pakhusbutikken retail outlet to promote tourism, events, and meetings across Svendborg and the UNESCO South Funen Archipelago, serving leisure tourists, event organizers, and local food producers under a multi-stakeholder municipal-funded model.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Destination Management Services

NAICS

Convention and Visitors Bureaus (561591), Convention and Trade Show Organizers (56192), Convention and Trade Show Organizers (561920)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900), Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Event Logistics & Transportation Coordination (HSACAAAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

Venue Sourcing & Site Coordination (HSACAAAD), Local Tours, Activities & Attractions Metasearch (THALAEAI)

Keywords

• Destination management services
• Tourism marketing
• Event coordination
• Local food retail
• Meeting venue booking

Headquarters

HQ city

Svendborg

HQ country

Denmark

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Tourism Services & Destination Management: Svendborg Event & Turisme operates as a publicly funded destination management organization (DMO). Revenue is derived from municipal grants (Svendborg Kommune), membership fees from stakeholder organizations (Erhvervsforum Svendborg, Shopping Svendborg, Hotelgruppen, Beværterforeningen, Svendborg Turistforening, Kulinarisk Sydfyn), and service fees for event support, venue management, and tourism coordination. The organization also generates revenue through retail sales at Pakhusbutikken and through sales of logo packages, event guides, and promotional materials to supported event organizers.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Svendborg Event & Turisme is a destination management organization that promotes Svendborg and the South Funen Archipelago as a tourism destination through the VisitSvendborg digital platform, coordinates event support services including the Eventpuljen funding program, and operates a physical tourist office and the Pakhusbutikken retail outlet featuring products from 20+ local food producers. The organization also manages sub-brands for shopping promotion, an annual film festival, and a venue booking platform for meetings and conferences.

Product overview

Svendborg Event & Turisme operates a multi-platform destination marketing ecosystem centered around VisitSvendborg as the primary tourism website. The organization also manages Shopping Svendborg, Svendborg Bycenter, SVEND Filmdage, and Eventlocation Svendborg as sub-brands. Supporting modules include Eventpuljen (event funding), Arrangørguide (organizer resources), tourist office services, meeting/conference venue facilitation, and teambuilding activity coordination. The portfolio was unified under the name Svendborg Event & Turisme in January 2025, previously operating as SvendborgEvent since 2015.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• VisitSvendborg: Official tourism website and brand for Svendborg
• Shopping Svendborg
• Svendborg Bycenter
• SVEND Filmdage
• Eventlocation Svendborg

Products and services

• VisitSvendborg Main digital destination portal providing information about Svendborg as a tourism destination, including attractions, accommodations, events, activities, trip planning tools, and travel guides for the South Funen Archipelago area. Serves leisure tourists and day-trippers seeking nature, culture, culinary experiences, and shopping.
• Shopping Svendborg Shopping promotion portal and brand for Svendborg, supporting retail businesses and shopping experiences in the city center. Promotes Svendborg as 'Danmarks flotteste handelsby' (Denmark's finest trading city) and coordinates events such as Jul på Torvet.
• Svendborg Bycenter Shopping center management and promotion platform for Svendborg city center, supporting retail businesses and urban shopping experiences.
• SVEND Filmdage Annual film festival in Svendborg organized by Svendborg Event & Turisme, showcasing film culture and serving as a cultural tourism draw for the destination.
• Eventlocation Svendborg Dedicated venue discovery and booking portal for unique meeting and conference venues in Svendborg, featuring 20+ venues including Det Maritime Pakhus, Rundbuehallen, Hotel Svendborg, Broholm Slot, Flintholm Gods, and Hvidkilde Gods. Serves corporate event planners and meeting organizers.
• Tourist Office Services (Svendborg Turistkontor) Physical and digital tourism services including inspiration for experiences, city maps, attraction recommendations, restaurant and accommodation guidance. Located at Havnepladsen 2, Svendborg with seasonal operating hours. Serves walk-in visitors, email inquiries, and telephone inquiries.
• Pakhusbutikken Physical retail outlet at the tourist office that curates and sells products from approximately 20+ local food producers in the South Funen Archipelago, including Skarø Is, Svendborg Sennepsfabrik, Ullemose Frugt, Annas Gourmet, Svendborg Kafferisteri, Havsmag, and others. Serves visitors and tourists seeking local food products.
• Eventpuljen Financial support scheme (event fund) providing grant support to qualifying events in Svendborg based on criteria including tourism economy impact, branding contribution, local collaboration, and sustainability. Serves event organizers seeking funding for festivals, sports events, and cultural events.

Quantifiable outcome

• Danmarks Forsorgsmuseum won the Havfrueprisen 2025 award from Danske Rejse- og Flyjournalister as a tourist experience showing the way for future tourism.

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Svendborg Kommune (Svendborg Municipality)coreOthersSvendborg Municipality is the primary public stakeholder and financial backer of Svendborg Event & Turisme. The municipality provides core funding, strategic alignment, and regulatory support. Søren Bach-Hansen serves as the municipality's representative on the board. The municipality's climate action plan (Klimahandleplan) and Natura 2000 commitments inform the organization's sustainability direction.
• Erhvervsforum Svendborg (Svendborg Business Forum)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerErhvervsforum Svendborg represents the local business community and is a founding stakeholder of Svendborg Event & Turisme. Christian Thuesen serves as the representative on the board. The partnership ensures business community input into tourism strategy and destination marketing.
• Svendborg Turistforening (Svendborg Tourist Association)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSvendborg Turistforening is a founding stakeholder organization representing the local tourism sector. Anders Ulrich serves as the board representative. The association contributes expertise in tourism promotion and visitor services.
• Shopping SvendborgcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerShopping Svendborg is a brand and organization representing Svendborg's retail sector, managed by Svendborg Event & Turisme staff. Martin Larsen serves as Chairman of Svendborg Event & Turisme and representative for Shopping Svendborg. The partnership drives the 'Danmarks flotteste handelsby' brand and retail event programming including Jul på Torvet.
• Hotelgruppen (Hotel Group)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHotelgruppen is a collective of Svendborg-area hotels and accommodation providers that is a founding stakeholder. Tom Pelle Jensen (Managing Director of Halberg Hotels) represents the group on the board. The partnership ensures accommodation sector alignment with destination marketing and event support services.
• Kulinarisk Sydfyn (Culinary South Funen)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKulinarisk Sydfyn is a culinary association of local food producers and experiences in the South Funen Archipelago. Camilla Flensborg serves as board representative. Svendborg Event & Turisme operates the Pakhusbutikken retail outlet in partnership with Kulinarisk Sydfyn and promotes Kulinarisk events including the annual Kulinarisk Fødevaremarked at Frederiksø.
• Beværterforeningen for Svendborg og omegn (Restaurant Association for Svendborg and Area)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBeværterforeningen represents the restaurant and hospitality sector in Svendborg and surrounding area. Lars S. Aagaard serves as board representative. The partnership ensures the dining/hospitality sector is represented in tourism strategy and receives promotion through VisitSvendborg and event programming.
• UNESCO Global Geopark Det Sydfynske ØhavcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSvendborg is a key hub within UNESCO Global Geopark Det Sydfynske Øhav, a network spanning Svendborg, Faaborg-Midtfyn, Langeland, and Ærø municipalities. The geopark covers 55 islands and islets and was formed over 10,000 years ago. Svendborg Event & Turisme promotes geopark experiences and commits to geotourism and regenerative tourism principles as part of the designation.
• FGU Syd- og Midtfyn (Vocational Training Partnership)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSvendborg Event & Turisme has entered a new partnership with FGU Syd- og Midtfyn (Forberedende Grunduddannelse) to provide young people with practical experience in the event and tourism industry and strengthen recruitment into the sector. This youth engagement initiative supports future workforce development for tourism and events.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• VisitAarhus: DMO for Aarhus, Denmark's second-largest city. Comparable structure and mandate: destination marketing, convention bureau services, event coordination, and multi-stakeholder governance. Competes with Svendborg for Danish leisure and conference demand.
• Wonderful Copenhagen: Denmark's largest DMO and convention bureau, serving the Capital Region. Directly comparable as a publicly funded DMO performing destination marketing, MICE/convention sales, and event support, but at much greater scale and with international brand recognition that smaller regional DMOs benchmark against.
• VisitAalborg: Destination management organization for Aalborg in northern Denmark. Comparable in function as a regional DMO performing tourism marketing, event coordination, and convention bureau activities with municipal and stakeholder backing.
• Destination Vadehavskysten: Regional Danish destination organization for the Wadden Sea coast. Comparable as a multi-stakeholder, publicly funded DMO with event coordination, nature-based tourism promotion, and stakeholder association governance — similar scale and structure to Svendborg Event & Turisme.
• VisitOdense: Destination management organization for Odense, Denmark — the most directly comparable Danish municipal DMO. Operates with a similar structure: municipal funding, multi-stakeholder governance, event coordination, convention marketing, and a multi-language destination website serving leisure tourists and conference planners.
• Kystlandet: Danish regional destination organization focused on coastal and island tourism. Comparable as a publicly funded DMO promoting nature-based, island-hopping, and coastal experiences to leisure tourists — a similar product offering to the South Funen Archipelago proposition.

Broad incumbents

• MeetDenmark: Denmark's national MICE (meetings, incentives, conferences, exhibitions) bureau operating under VisitDenmark. Directly comparable on the convention bureau and meetings-marketing function served by Eventlocation Svendborg, but at a national scale and with broader portfolio.
• VisitDenmark: Denmark's national tourism board, a broad incumbent that sets national tourism strategy and markets Denmark internationally. VisitSvendborg feeds into VisitDenmark's promotional efforts and benefits from its international campaigns, while operating as a sub-national layer.

Emerging players

• Geopark Odsherred: Another Danish UNESCO Global Geopark. Highly comparable on the geotourism dimension: shares UNESCO status, nature-based tourism focus, and the need to convert geological heritage into a visitor proposition — but is an emerging player with less developed marketing infrastructure than Svendborg.

Regional players

• Toppen af Danmark: Regional tourism organization for North Jutland, Denmark. Comparable in structure as a publicly funded, multi-stakeholder DMO with event coordination and destination marketing, but operating in a different geography from Svendborg.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/kulinarisksydfyn
• Instagraminstagram.com/kulinarisksydfyn
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/svendborgevent

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles15 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 Svendborg Event & Turisme