© bvik

Bundesverband Industrie Kommunikation (bvik)

As an independent association, bvik brings together the expertise and practical experience of more than 3,000 marketing professionals from industry and the creative sector. We show how professional B2B communication can lead to greater awareness, improved perception, higher efficiency and greater value creation.

The association’s guiding principle, “Learning from the best in B2B”, is put into practice throughout its work without a sales agenda: at “bvik meets industry” events, in practical workshops, through extensive white papers on relevant B2B topics and in studies that provide guidance and highlight future trends.

Founded in 1925, UFI has been the voice of the global exhibition industry for over a century. UFI's core mission is to represent, connect, and advance the exhibition community worldwide, serving trade show organisers, exhibition centre operators, major national and international exhibition associations, and selected industry partners.

Today, UFI unites close to 900 member organisations across 90 countries and regions, directly representing over 50,000 exhibition industry employees worldwide. Headquartered in Paris and supported by five regional offices, UFI continues to shape the future of the exhibition industry from every corner of the globe.

UFI, the Global Association of the Exhibition Industry (UFI)

© Messe Dortmund / Wolfgang Helm

bvvs – Bundesverband Veranstaltungssicherheit e.V.

The bvvs is committed to bringing event safety more firmly into focus and ensuring that it is understood as a shared responsibility of everyone involved.

At the heart of our work are professional exchange, networking and a forward-looking approach. Direct dialogue with experts from many different areas of the events industry, together with a nationwide network, enables us to pool experience, address current challenges and generate new ideas. We are interested in innovative, practical and solution-focused ideas and concepts that advance event safety and create real value for the industry.

Together with our members, we work to identify existing barriers, develop solutions and set lasting change in motion. We see ourselves as a platform for knowledge, experience and different perspectives.

Another key focus is vocational training and continuing professional development. We also promote professional dialogue and cooperation with associations, institutions, academia and political bodies. Our goal is to develop our approach to event safety together and actively help shape the conditions for safe events.

Everyone who works in and for the events industry is welcome in the bvvs, from event organisers and venue operators to event agencies, technical service providers, architects, engineers and fire safety experts, as well as educational institutions, lawyers, event technology specialists and managers, and event management professionals.

Because event safety takes shape when knowledge is shared, experience is pooled and solutions are developed together.

© EVVC / Andreas Lander

EVVC Europäischer Verband der Veranstaltungs-Centren e.V.

The EVVC is a strong community and representative body for event venues in German-speaking Europe. The association represents around 600 venues of all sizes, from municipal event halls and convention centres to special event venues, exhibition centres, arenas and stadiums.

Suppliers to event centres broaden this range further, making the EVVC the industry’s most diverse network. It provides its members and partners with a platform for open and trusting communication, essential information and support for their day-to-day work, as well as fresh ideas on trends and innovation.

As a strong voice for the industry, the association represents its members’ interests to policymakers and society. Its guiding principle is a commitment to sustainable practices and the implementation of appropriate measures.

© Christof Mattes

© VPLT

VPLT – Verband für Medien- und Veranstaltungstechnik e.V.

As the association for media and event technology, we have successfully represented the interests of companies in the events industry for decades in the fields of manufacturing, services, trade, operations and distribution. Our approximately 700 members include small and large companies as well as self-employed individuals. People are at the heart of what we do. Guided by this principle, we protect our members’ professional and social interests.

We contribute to the development of norms, standards, regulations and guidelines. In doing so, we help improve quality assurance for event technology products and services, promote professional training and continuing education, and strengthen the rules for fair and open competition. We represent the industry’s interests in dealings with policymakers, trade fairs and the media, and maintain close contact with other associations in Germany and abroad. For example, we are a founding member of the Interessengemeinschaft Veranstaltungswirtschaft (IGVW) and the Entertainment Technology Industry Alliance (ETIA). We share information through various communication channels and strengthen our industry’s reputation through active public relations.

“People, Events, Innovations – the motto of boe international captures exactly what the VPLT stands for: the people who make events possible, and the innovations that drive our industry forward. As a partner of boe international 2027, we can showcase these themes where decision-makers and the next generation of professionals alike will see them. After all, we still need a space for face-to-face encounters that fosters a sense of closeness and evokes emotion, at a central meeting place that continues to raise the profile of media and event technology. The trade fair is therefore a place where we can give our industry a voice, discuss its future together and thus drive it forward in a visible way.”

– Linda Residovic, Managing Director of VPLT

© Oliver Wachenfeld

fwd: stands for “forward”, expressing its commitment to continually advancing the events industry, strengthening its long-term viability and effectively representing its interests.

As a strong community and a home for the industry, fwd: brings together people and companies from the events industry, nationally and regionally, across disciplines and as equals.

As a strong network with more than 60,000 members, we work together to advance the issues that matter to the industry and develop solutions to the challenges of today and tomorrow.

fwd: builds bridges to customers, partners and other representative bodies, helping to raise the profile of Germany’s sixth-largest industry and actively shape the conditions in which it operates.

With a strong voice, fwd: represents the industry’s shared interests to policymakers, society and the wider public. At the same time, it creates space for dialogue, cooperation and new ideas, because progress happens when people take responsibility together and shape the future.

Together, we provide fresh impetus, drive change and secure the future of the events industry.

fwd: Bundesvereinigung Veranstaltungswirtschaft