Association of German theme parks and leisure companies
The Association of German Leisure Parks and Leisure Companies e. V. ( VDFU ) is a lobbyist for German amusement parks.
history
The VDFU was founded in 1978 in Phantasialand in Brühl near Cologne. The association's headquarters are in Berlin . Klaus-Michael Machens has been president of the association since 2002 .
Members
83 amusement parks and indoor attractions are currently organized as full members in the VDFU. The best known include Europa-Park , Phantasialand , Hansa-Park , Heide Park Resort and the Tripsdrill adventure park . The majority of German amusement parks are family-run. With the exception of Heide Park, this also applies to the companies mentioned.
But also large international groups such as the British Merlin Entertainments Group (e.g. Legoland Germany , SEA LIFE-Aquarien), the Belgian Plopsa Group ( Holiday Park ) and the Spanish Parques Reunidos Group (e.g. Movie Park Germany ) are involved in the association.
In addition, the VDFU integrates those companies as sponsoring members who see at least one of their business focuses in the area of amusement parks and indoor attractions. These include
- Manufacturers of amusement rides such as Mack Rides , Gerstlauer Amusement Rides , Maurer AG ,
- Food and beverage suppliers, e.g. B. Nestlé , Unilever , Coca-Cola ,
- Suppliers of equipment for amusement parks, such as SKIDATA Computer GmbH, Christian Hofmann GmbH & Co. KG and
- Consulting companies such as dan pearlman Erlebnisarchitektur, insurance brokers such as BDJ and Südvers GmbH.
Partnerships
For its part, the VDFU is a member of the German Tourism Association. V. (DTV) and in the Deutscher Schaustellerbund e. V. (DSB) and cooperates closely internationally with the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions (IAAPA).
tasks and goals
The VDFU is the representative and lobbyist of the amusement parks in Germany and in neighboring countries. In the interests of its members, it intervenes in legislative procedures on economic policy issues. The questions include, for example, a reduction in the VAT rate on admission tickets, a reduction in bureaucracy and an agreeable conclusion to the discussion about inheritance tax for family-run companies.
In order to fulfill its tasks, the VDFU also commissions expert reports on industry issues, for example on the legal obligations of the amusement park, safety of rides and existing or planned building regulations.
The association also organizes projects of common economic interest for the amusement and adventure parks. This includes, for example, an annual brochure in which all member companies are presented. He also operates the website freizeitparks.de, which presents the latest news from the parks on a daily basis.
