A Network That Never Stands Still
"Simple. Simple. Simple."
Three words. But they say everything about what the BVBBusinessNetzwerk of Borussia Dortmund has been looking for from the very beginning: a solution that works without getting in the way.
The Network Behind the Club
Borussia Dortmund is more than a football club. Over the years, a dense web of companies has formed around the club: partners, sponsors, VIP season ticket holders. Organisations that have long been part of the BVB universe, but for a long time had no shared home.
Nearly four years ago, that changed. The BVBBusinessNetzwerk was founded with a clear idea: to strengthen the ties between companies already connected to Borussia Dortmund and give them a space for genuine exchange. Not a loose collection of contacts. A real network.
Today it counts 500 member companies. Kevin Batmanghelej, Team Lead BVBBusinessNetzwerk at Borussia Dortmund, and Annika Haaks, Manager BVBBusinessNetzwerk, have built, professionalised and continuously developed this network.
Finding the Right Foundation
As the network grew, so did the question: how do you truly hold 500 companies together? How do you create a home for a network that needs connection but cannot afford complexity?
The team spoke with various providers. The answer came through BVB's marketing partner Sportfive: Bundeling. A community platform that helps organisations bring their members, partners and stakeholders together in one central app. Fully branded in the organisation's own corporate design. Intuitive enough for a heterogeneous network to get started immediately, without extensive onboarding.
The first impression was immediately convincing. And that first impression turned into three and a half years of active use.
What Holds the Network Together
The BVBBusinessNetzwerk is not a one-way street. Members benefit from the reach and opportunities of Borussia Dortmund. But the network itself also benefits from its members: from their ideas, their energy, their engagement.
For that exchange to truly work, you need more than a list of contacts. You need a platform where members can make themselves visible, discover events, build connections and find the right person at the right moment. The Bundeling app fulfils exactly that role: as the digital heart of the network, bringing together communication, event management and community in one place.
What regularly causes surprise: events with more than 150 attendees sell out within minutes. The network is alive.
The Day at SIGNAL IDUNA PARK
Professionalisation is not a final destination. It is a standard that has to be met anew every day.
The BVBBusinessNetzwerk demonstrated that standard on a particular day: the joint launch of Bundeling Next at SIGNAL IDUNA PARK. Not as an internal system update, but as a moment that shows where the journey is heading.
Bundeling Next is the consistent evolution of the platform: completely rebuilt under the hood, immediately noticeable in everyday use. The app feels calmer and more stable, content loads faster, interactions run more smoothly. The chat function has been deliberately enhanced, the design modernised without losing its familiar character. No radical change of direction, but a platform that gets better without losing what users already know.
For the BVBBusinessNetzwerk, this is not a luxury. It is a commitment. Anyone who wants to offer their members a first-class experience must stay at the same level digitally.
What a Network Is Really Made Of
Clear communication. Reliable structure. And the feeling of being part of something bigger than your own business card.
The BVBBusinessNetzwerk thrives on exactly that combination. 500 companies, one shared roof, and a platform that turns contacts into real connections.
We are proud to be part of this journey. And we look forward to what comes next.
