What Carte Blanche does

Carte Blanche is a France-based professional congress organizer (PCO) headquartered in Saïx (Tarn, near Toulouse) that delivers end-to-end organization of national and international conferences, seminars, colloquia, and webinars in scientific, institutional, aerospace, medical/healthcare, and research verticals. Founded in 1990 by Alain Thabaud and Corinne Leroy and led since 2001 by Managing Director Franck Thabaud, the firm operates as a SARL with €50,000 of share capital and a team in the 11-50 range. It is commercially presented as "Carte Blanche Organisation" and "Carte Blanche Organisation & Digital."

The company's core technical asset is an internally developed, per-client-adapted event management system that covers submission and peer review, online decision-making, dynamic program construction, registration, online payment, financial tracking, dashboards, and participation statistics, and that supports in-person, hybrid, and fully remote (distanciel) formats. Service modules span logistics and reception, digital communication (web, mobile apps, email campaigns, video, community management), communications management, registration management, scientific secretariat, editions/print, and exhibitions/sponsor coordination. The firm is DATADOCK-certified (since 2021) and is pursuing ISO 20121 certification (started 2025).

Carte Blanche generates revenue through project-specific professional services fees tied to event scale, location, and participant count, selling directly to event organizers and scientific societies. The client base exceeds 100 reference organizations including CNES, CNRS, CEA, ESA, Airbus Defence and Space, Thales, Sanofi, ISAE-SUPAERO, CHU de Toulouse, and numerous learned societies (SFT, SFA, SCF, EUCASS, ICSO, EPE). Distribution leverage comes from membership in the international Globe Organisers PCO network, regional aerospace and business clubs (Club Galaxie, CESA Sor et Agout), and APST travel-operator registration (IM081100006).

Name

Carte Blanche

Legal name

Carte Blanche

Website

https://carte-blanche.fr

Company type

Private

Founded year

1990

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Congress Organization (Event Management Services)

NAICS

Convention and Trade Show Organizers (561920), Convention and Trade Show Organizers (56192)

SIC

Services-Management Services (8741)

akta.pro primary industry

Association & Society Conference Management (Nonprofit, Professional Bodies) (THAHACAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Sponsorship, Exhibitor & Partnership Management Services (THAHACAK), Registration, Housing & Travel Desk Services (Delegate Logistics) (THAHACAJ), Onsite Operations & Event Staffing Management (THAHACAL), Venue Sourcing & Contract Negotiation Specialists (THAHACAH)

Keywords

• Professional congress organization
• Event management services
• Scientific conference planning
• Hybrid event solutions
• Congress logistics management

Headquarters

HQ city

Saix

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Professional Congress Organization Services: End-to-end professional congress organization services including logistics and reception, digital communication, communications management, registration management, editions/print, administrative follow-up, scientific secretariat, and exhibitions/sponsors management. Revenue is generated through service fees for organizing congresses, seminars, and national and international colloquia.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Carte Blanche is a professional congress organizer (PCO) providing end-to-end organization of national and international congresses, seminars, colloquia, and webinars for scientific, institutional, and industrial clients. Services cover logistics and reception, digital communication, registrations with payment, scientific secretariat, publications, exhibitions and sponsor coordination, supported by an internally developed event management system fully adapted to each client's needs. The company delivers in-person, hybrid, and fully remote (distanciel) events primarily for aerospace/space, medical/healthcare, chemistry, research, and institutional sectors.

Product overview

Carte Blanche is a professional congress and conference organizer offering a comprehensive suite of event management services. Their core offering centers on an internally developed event management system that provides registration management, communication management (submissions, evaluations, dynamic programs), and digital communication services. Services are delivered through modular components including logistics and reception, scientific secretariat, digital solutions (web, mobile apps, video), publishing materials, and exhibition/sponsor coordination. The company specializes in hybrid, remote, and in-person formats for congresses, seminars, webinars, and conferences.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Professional Congress Organization (Organisation de Congrès) End-to-end organization of national and international congresses, seminars, colloquia, and webinars, including logistics, reception, technical support, audiovisual, catering, hostessing, transportation, social programs, accommodation, and entertainment coordination, delivered in-person, hybrid, or fully remote (distanciel) for scientific, institutional, and industrial clients.
• Digital Event Solutions (Hybrid and Fully Remote Events) Digital and hybrid event service package including 100% distanciel (remote) and hybrid congress delivery, leveraging Carte Blanche's digital event platform, web hosting and design, e-mailings, mobile apps, community management, video editing, and teasers. Designed to ensure security, continuity, and quality of congresses regardless of format.
• Scientific Secretariat Services (Secrétariat Scientifique) Scientific secretariat support covering meeting facilitation, convocation management, minutes, program assembly assistance, and guest management for scientific congresses.
• Exhibition and Sponsor Management (Expositions et Sponsors) Exhibition and sponsor management service including partner dossier preparation, custom forms, online payment, financial tracking, dashboards, and participation statistics for exhibitions and sponsor programs at congresses.
• Event Publishing Services (Éditions) Event publishing and print services including logos, web banners, badges, flyers, printed and interactive programs, posters, abstract collections, proceedings, signage, kakemonos, and oriflammes.
• Custom Event Management System (Système de Gestion Interne) Internally developed, proprietary event management platform that is fully adapted to each client's specific needs; supports submission and peer review workflows, dynamic program scheduling, online registration, online payment, financial tracking, dashboards, and participation statistics, and serves as the operational backbone for all Carte Blanche congress engagements.
• Logistics and Reception Services (Logistique et Accueil) On-site event logistics and reception services including technical and IT coordination, audiovisual, catering, hostesses, transportation, social program, accommodation, and event animation for in-person and hybrid congresses.

Quantifiable outcome

• Organized ECSSMET 2023 with 500+ international participants
• +14 more outcomes

Named customers25 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Club Galaxie – Acteurs du Spatial en OccitaniecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerActive member of Club Galaxie, the aerospace cluster in Occitanie. Participates in club evenings, sponsors events, and collaborates on spatial sector congresses. Has organized 4 major congresses in Italy since 2015 through this network.
• CESA – Club d'Entreprises Sor et AgoutcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMember of CESA business club with 75+ member companies, the largest business club in South Tarn. Participates in site visits, networking events, and joint initiatives with member companies such as Groupe Pierre Fabre.
• APST – Association Professionnelle de Solidarité du TourismecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMember of APST, providing financial guarantee and protection for clients booking travel and event services. Holds Immatriculation au Registre des Opérateurs de Voyages et de Séjours (IM081100006).
• Globe OrganisersminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational PCO network enabling cross-border congress organization and referrals for international events.
• CNES – Centre National d'Études SpatialescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-standing client and partner. Organizes CNES events including the Innovation Day (hybrid), C'Space student campaigns, Scientific Prospective Seminar, and Festival Éducation Jeunesse within the Toulouse Space Festival. Regular collaboration since at least 2022.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves13 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• MCI Group: Global association and congress management company headquartered in Switzerland. Direct competitor to Carte Blanche in association/scientific PCO services with similar end-to-end offering (registration, abstract management, hybrid delivery) and similar institutional client base across healthcare, scientific societies, and international organizations.
• Kenes Group: Specialist PCO for international association congresses, headquartered in Switzerland. Directly comparable to Carte Blanche on association/conference focus, scientific society client base, and proprietary congress management platforms; operates at larger global scale.
• Congress Care: Dutch-headquartered professional congress organizer specializing in medical and scientific association congresses. Comparable to Carte Blanche on PCO service model, association client base, and European delivery footprint.
• Colloquium Group: French PCO offering end-to-end congress, conference, and event organization for scientific societies, institutions, and corporations. Direct regional peer to Carte Blanche with overlapping client base in France's research and healthcare sectors.
• Conferences Pertinent: French scientific congress organizer offering PCO services to research institutions, learned societies, and academic organizations. Direct regional peer to Carte Blanche with comparable focus on French scientific and academic clientele.
• Live Group: European event production and association management agency providing hybrid event technology, content, and full PCO services. Comparable to Carte Blanche on hybrid/remote event delivery and association conference management.

Broad incumbents

• BCD Meetings & Events: Global meetings and events management company part of BCD Travel Group. Broader incumbent offering corporate meeting and event management at scale; overlaps with Carte Blanche in conference logistics and registration but spans corporate meetings beyond scientific congresses.
• GL Events: Major French-listed event services group covering venue management, exhibition organization, and event services. Adjacent rather than direct competitor to Carte Blanche, but a benchmark for French event-services scale and a potential partner or competitor on large-scale congress mandates.
• RWS Global: Global events, translation, and content company with dedicated congress and association management practice. Comparable to Carte Blanche in supporting international scientific and association conferences, particularly with multilingual and content management capabilities.

Emerging players

• Swapcard: Event technology platform providing registration, networking, and engagement tools for trade shows and conferences. Not a direct PCO competitor, but represents the SaaS event-tech layer that could either complement Carte Blanche's proprietary system or disrupt its customization moat.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCFZt_vg4o3Vt7-AP84xviiw
• Facebookfacebook.com/CarteBlancheOrganisationDigital
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/carte-blanche-organisation

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Carte Blanche