Welcome to ISDV, the Professional Association of Independent Service Providers in the Event Industry in Germany

Welcome to your professional association. No matter whether you are an event technician, a tour manager, pyrotechnician, stage constructor, production director, driver, technical planner, chef, designer, a catering team, an agent, merchandiser or freelance booker – we offer a voice and a lobby to all who work as service providers in the event industry. We are the “Interessengemeinschaft der selbständigen DienstleisterInnen in der Veranstaltungsbranche e.V.” , in short ISDV. 

 
The creative and cultural industry – a stable industry with a future 
According to the EU study “Creating Growth – Measuring Cultural and Creative Markets in the EU” (12/2014), the creative industry is the third largest industry in Europe based on the number of employees. 

The industry employs 7 million people, above all in the small entrepreneur sector – 2.5 times more than the automotive sector. 

In terms of contribution to gross domestic product, the creative industry accounts for 4.2% of European GDP, likewise above that of the automotive sector.  
Despite the high market share, self-employed people in the event industry have for decades had no organised opportunity to engage in a dialogue with one another, to receive assistance or to enhance their status.  

 
ISDV as representative body 
 
The association offers a face and a voice to the service providers who constitute an economic force that has not been appreciated by politicians and the public in the past. The aim is to move the industry away from the status “miscellaneous services” and to establish it as a profession with a representative body. The members of ISDV e.V. have a forum in which a dialogue takes place on typical problems of the self-employed in the event industry. The association is not only a go-to contact concerning questions related to self-employment, but also advises on dealing with authorities, conflicts with colleagues or clients as well as on administrative uncertainties. 

 
An interest group for young people 
More and more young people are training in the event industry, before being released into self-employment each year at the end of their training. According to "Creating growth" the creative and cultural industry employed more people between the ages of 19 and 25 in 2013 than any other sector of the economy. ISDV offers these career entrants assistance that is frequently not part of their training. It is no longer sufficient just to master one’s trade. It is also necessary to learn and understand the fundaments of self-employment and business management. Here, the association offers its members a broad portfolio of events and seminars. 

 
Public relations work for greater understanding  
We undertake public relations work for the self-employed in the industry. This creates transparency and an enhanced public image. As a result banks, for example, develop greater trust in the structures that are mainly difficult for them to understand, the work of a sole proprietor is given a fundament and the decision to grant a loan is made easier. Residential landlords, leasing companies or even authorities will find it easier to classify event service providers, because ISDV draws up statistical information on the industry. 

Further information is available at www.facebook.com/isdvev.