The VDR – Germany’s business travel association

We are Germany’s largest network for business mobility covering any form of business travel from rail and air to rental cars. The VDR represents a cross section of the German economy with over 600 member companies including large corporate groups, SMEs, organisations and service providers to the business travel management sector. We provide companies with a network of experts and as the Verband Deutsches Reisemanagement e.V. (German Business Travel Association, VDR), we are active throughout Germany in dealing with issues relating to business travel. Unique, experienced and professional.

Our goal

We help companies and organisations set up and professionalise their mobility management systems. Efficient, modern and sustainable. 

Our role

We maintain a continuous dialogue with our members, business travel service providers, public authorities, the German government and other associations. We focus on acting in the interests of our member companies and represent them nationally and internationally. The VDR is also the sector’s networking platform as well as a knowledge database.

Our range of benefits

We offer a complete range of benefits for our members which are only available in this from the VDR – from discounts on travel services for example, to networking advantages such as exchanging experiences with colleagues, exclusive information from the industry and unique education and training opportunities.

Our mission: first-class travel management

VDR members come in all shapes and sizes

We are the first port of call in Germany for business mobility issues in the public and private sectors. As the Verband Deutsches Reisemanagement e.V. (German business travel association - VDR), we campaign for economic, safe and professional business travel throughout Germany, Europe and the world. We represent German industry on issues affecting the general and competitive conditions for business travel and have been doing so since 1974. Our work in this area benefits from our many years of experience, expertise and up-to-date knowledge of the industry including all aspects of digitalisation. Indeed, the VDR has been the centre of competence in Germany for all issues relating to the optimisation of business travel for more than four decades now. We are the largest network of experts for this purpose in Germany – and maintain a constant dialogue with our members, travel service providers, political representatives and other associations at both a national and an international level. Our aim in every respect is to make mobility management as professional as possible.

Germany’s largest network for business mobility

More than 600 companies of all sizes from all sectors – from corporate groups to established SMEs through to internationally operating start-ups - are members of VDR. And numbers are on the rise because business mobility is becoming increasingly important for companies. The fact that all major airlines, hotel chains, car rental companies, the German Railways and other business travel service providers have joined VDR as providers shows how comprehensive our network is. This means we can work with our members to influence product and process developments and bring about improvements for the benefit of all those concerned.

Practical tips for travel managers in their daily work

An important part of our work is to provide members with active support in their daily work – from strategic procurement of travel services to sales control and process management. We not only focus on the quality and safety of travel services, good service and flexibility in travel processing but also on achieving quantifiable, economic benefits. We help our members to identify where improvements can be made. And our mission is quite clear: we want to improve the professionalism of mobility management and promote innovative methods of handling it. This also involves cost-efficiency and process optimisation, a continuous dialogue with industry colleagues and education and training opportunities. Our association’s own VDR Service GmbH coordinates all these services and is the point of contact for our members.