CPV 923 – Entertainment Services

What does CPV 923 cover?

CPV group 923 covers entertainment services in the broadest sense — that is, services designed to provide leisure, enjoyment, and cultural participation. These include the organisation and delivery of concerts, theatre performances, and dance events, the booking of artists and entertainers, circus and variety shows, city festivals and celebratory events, trade fair entertainment, and interactive entertainment offers such as escape rooms, event experiences, and leisure parks.

Public contracting authorities procure entertainment services as part of municipal cultural programmes, city anniversaries, community festivals, Christmas markets, civic events, and official receptions. Federal authorities and ministries commission entertainment for state receptions, anniversary celebrations, and official ceremonies. Folk festivals and public leisure facilities also fall within this area.

Demand for sustainable event formats is growing: public contracting authorities are increasingly requiring evidence of carbon compensation, low-emission transport, reusable systems for food and beverages, and accessible event design. Digital elements such as hybrid event formats, live streaming, and social media accompaniment are also more frequently integrated into tender specifications. Further information on the CPV system is available from the European Commission (SIMAP) and Regulation (EC) No 213/2008.

Typical Services in CPV 923

Service	Description
Concert events	Classical, pop, jazz, open-air concerts
City festivals / civic events	Organisation, technical equipment, security, catering
Artist / entertainer booking	Presenters, bands, comedians, acrobats
Theatre performances	Touring theatre, guest performance brokerage
Christmas markets	Operation, stall lettings, logistics
Leisure attractions	Escape rooms, event experiences, leisure parks

Examples of Tenders with CPV 923

• City festival for a municipal anniversary: A municipality tenders the organisation and delivery of a three-day city festival for up to 80,000 visitors — with stage programme, catering, safety concept, construction and dismantling, waste management, accessible design, and carbon footprint calculation.
• Christmas market operation on a city square: A large city awards the operation of its Christmas market on two squares for three years — with stall allocation, construction coordination, security service, lighting concept, cleanliness management, and tourism marketing.
• Concert programme for a municipal cultural centre: A municipal cultural centre procures a six-month programme of twelve concerts (classical, jazz, world music) — with artist booking, technical riders, communications, and event management.

Current tenders with CPV 923 are published on TED (Tenders Electronic Daily) and on national procurement platforms.

Who is CPV 923 relevant for?

Public Contracting Authorities

Municipalities, city marketing companies, cultural authorities, and state representative facilities are the most important contracting authorities for entertainment services. City festivals, Christmas markets, and cultural programmes are recurring tender subjects. Federal authorities procure entertainment for state anniversary events and official receptions.

Companies and Bidders

Event agencies, event service providers, artists' agencies, exhibition construction companies, and catering service providers are the typical bidders. References from comparable large-scale events, safety concepts, public liability insurance, and evidence of permit management are required. Sustainability certifications are increasingly required as an eligibility criterion. Further information on eligibility requirements and procurement procedures is available from the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action (BMWK).

How does Bond help with CPV 923?

Tender Match – Automatically Find Tenders (CPV 923)

With tender.match, event agencies and entertainment service providers automatically receive all relevant tenders with CPV 923 directly in their dashboard. BOND indexes tenders from over 1,000 procurement portals in the EU – from TED to national platforms and regional contracting authorities. Instead of manually searching dozens of portals every day, matching entertainment and event contracts are filtered and delivered by industry, competency, region, and company profile. An automated gap analysis immediately shows where the company meets the requirements and where gaps exist. This ensures companies never miss a deadline and can focus on preparing their bids.

Company Match – Find the Right Partners (CPV 923)

For companies looking for suppliers, subcontractors, or consortium partners for event projects, company.match provides direct access to qualified firms from an EU-wide database of over 28 million companies. Especially for larger event contracts that a single company cannot handle alone, company.match automatically identifies suitable partners for bidding consortia and partial services – increasing the chances of winning the contract.

Frequently Asked Questions about CPV 923

Must municipal city festivals be put to competitive tender?

Yes, where the total contract value exceeds the relevant threshold and the contracting authority is a public body. For city festivals with a contract value exceeding €221,000 (services), EU-wide tendering under the VgV is generally required. Below the threshold, the UVgO applies.

Can artist appearances be awarded directly without competition?

For individual artists with a unique market position, a direct award without competition may be considered under certain conditions where an objective uniqueness can be demonstrated. However, this must be applied restrictively and documented in the procurement record. For general entertainment services, a competitive procedure is required.

How do I find tenders with CPV 923?

Tenders are published on TED (Tenders Electronic Daily) for EU-wide procedures for national procedures. Bond automatically aggregates all relevant tenders from over 1,000 portals and delivers them filtered by company profile.