German Multimedia Association
As the predecessor of the Bundesverband für Digitale Wirtschaft e.V. (BVDW), the German Multimedia Association functioned as an interest group for companies in the marketing and digital content sectors. The members came from many multimedia industries such as Internet agencies, e-commerce or social media. The tasks of the old and new organization have basically remained the same, with various specialist groups and forums taking on the representation of interests and ensuring increasing transparency with regard to multimedia content and the use of digital data.
German Multimedia Association becomes the Federal Association for the Digital Economy
The association was founded in 1995 and quickly became the most important and influential interest group for the multimedia industry, both in the online and offline sectors. At times, the association had more than 1,000 members. As a neutral base, the association offers a sustainable platform with far-reaching competencies. As a task and goal, the DMMV has set itself points such as quality assurance, the creation of training criteria, guidelines for offers and calculation or also the clarification of legal aspects. The association saw itself as a contact in multimedia matters for the authorities, industry representatives, politics as well as the press. Times changed, and from 2004 the association no longer called itself Deutscher Multimedia-Verband e.V., but changed its name to Bundesverband für Digitale Wirtschaft.
The tasks of the BVDW
Like the German Multimedia Association, the BVDW also performs numerous tasks as an interest group for companies in the multimedia industry. The association itself sees its major advantage in its interdisciplinary approach, which enables an open and thus holistic view of the areas and mechanisms of the digital economy. With its current membership of around 600, the federal association sees its main task in promoting the use of digital media and making it transparently comprehensible and thus accessible to all sectors of society as well as the economy.
The structure of the BVDW
For an effective and efficient working method, the Federal Association for the Digital Economy has a structure that combines thematic as well as cross-thematic work in specialist groups and forums. The specialist groups work on specific topics from the various areas of the digital economy. Priorities here include the creation of transparency, information exchange and networking. Smaller units within the specialist groups are the so-called “units”; implementation takes place in interdisciplinary “labs”. Here, offers or publications are developed, and the results are communicated through public relations and press work. The forums are superordinate to the specialist groups and deal with topics that are important for all members.
