About us and how it all started
The company history of Poppe & Co began in 1965 with the first charter flight for fans of the Mainz 05 football club to the cup match in Munich. Two years later, the first incentives were organized for large commercial enterprises. Both trips were new territory for every tour operator at the end of the 1960s, as sports tourism and employee motivation were still in their infancy. The trips proved to be overwhelming successes. With the feeling of being on the right track and spurred on by success, company founder Herwig R. Poppe continued to expand the sports travel and incentive sectors: This was followed by successful trips to the 1968 Olympic Games and the 1970 Football World Cup in Mexico. Three years later, the first group tour to China was organized, a small revolution at the time.
In 1999, Wolf-Rüdiger Uhlig, who had already been a member of the Poppe management team at the end of the 1980s, took over the company and continued the business in the spirit of the company founder. In 2000, he expanded the product range to include cultural event tours. In 2011, a special offer for architects was created with themed tours to architectural features around the world, including guided tours by German-speaking architects.
In 2020, Matthias Junker, who already held this position at the subsidiary Wedgewood Germany, which organizes meetings, incentives and events for customers from abroad in Germany, took over as Managing Director. Poppe & CO has been working with a regional partner since 2021 and is trying to minimize its carbon footprint by introducing a climate protection contribution.
A successful company needs a lot more than just business or political success. A company must act in a socially responsible manner and needs partners with whom it can develop ideas and implement goals. Poppe & CO has deliberately remained a manageable company in order to guarantee customer proximity, flexibility and individuality. “We believe in excellence” is the company philosophy that stands for service and top quality.