Handelsblatt Live

What Handelsblatt Live does

Handelsblatt Live is a B2B events and professional development platform operated by Handelsblatt GmbH under the Handelsblatt Media Group, Germany's leading business media conglomerate. The platform hosts conferences, seminars, webinars, awards, and a self-paced eLearning library (Handelsblatt Management Campus) serving C-level executives and senior decision-makers across 19 verticals including banking, insurance, energy, defense, healthcare, technology, sustainability, and AI. Its flagship event, the Handelsblatt Banken-Gipfel, attracts more than 500 senior banking executives and features CEO-level speakers from Deutsche Bank, Commerzbank, ING, Erste Group, Santander Germany, Bankhaus Metzler, and Revolut. The platform also operates premium Circle membership programs (Defense-Circle, KI-Circle) and award ceremonies (Best of Technology, Health-i, Sustainable Impact Award) in cooperation with WirtschaftsWoche and Euroforum Deutschland GmbH.

The platform is built on a hybrid event architecture powered by Swapcard, which handles digital access, networking, and on-demand content delivery, enabling simultaneous in-person attendance across German cities (Düsseldorf, Frankfurt, Berlin, Hamburg, Munich, Cologne, Stuttgart) and remote participation. The technology stack is intentionally lean — Swapcard for event infrastructure, a self-serve booking portal on live.handelsblatt.com, and a companion webinar portal at how-to-business.handelsblatt.com — with no proprietary AI/ML infrastructure disclosed. Content is delivered in German and targets the DACH region exclusively.

The business model is multi-stream: paid conference and seminar tickets (tiered pricing with early-bird, group, and startup rates), sponsored webinars (free to attendees, sponsored by named corporate partners such as IBM, SAP, Kaspersky, KPMG, Deutsche Leasing, Sophos, ServiceNow, Stripe, Lenovo, Red Hat, Adobe, and Salesforce), eLearning course subscriptions (Basic, Professional, Masterclass tiers), and Circle/award membership programs. Customer acquisition is primarily sales-led (inside sales via phone and email) and benefits from organic demand generated by the Handelsblatt and WirtschaftsWoche media properties. The platform is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Handelsblatt Media Group GmbH & Co. KG, with no external funding or private equity involvement.

Name

Handelsblatt Live

Legal name

Handelsblatt GmbH

Website

https://live.handelsblatt.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2022

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Handelsblatt Live is a German B2B events platform that hosts conferences, seminars, webinars, and eLearning programs for C-level executives across banking, insurance, energy, defense, healthcare, and technology verticals, operating under the Handelsblatt Media Group.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Business Events & Executive Education

NAICS

Management, Scientific, and Technical Consulting Services (5416)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Corporate Conferences & Sales Kickoffs (MPAGAGAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Training, Workshops & Certification Events (MPAGAGAJ), Enterprise & Professional Live Streaming Platforms (Webinars/Events) (MPACACAI)

Keywords

• Business events platform
• Executive conferences
• Professional seminars
• Corporate webinars
• Industry summits

Headquarters

HQ city

Düsseldorf

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Conference and Seminar Ticket Sales: Revenue is generated through paid registrations for in-person and digital conferences, year-end conferences (Jahrestagungen), and professional seminars. Pricing is tiered (regular, early-bird/Frühbucherpreis, group discounts, startup/special rates) and varies by event. Tickets are bookable online, by email, or by phone.
2. Webinar Sponsorships: Free webinars are sponsored by named corporate partners (e.g., Salesforce, IBM, Deutsche Leasing AG, KPMG, Sophos, SAP, ServiceNow, Stripe, Lenovo, Red Hat, and others). Sponsors receive visibility and branding placement on the webinar page.
3. eLearning Course Subscriptions: On-demand eLearning courses on the Handelsblatt Management Campus platform, covering topics such as AI, leadership, ESG, change management, and digital business. Courses are sold individually (e.g., Masterclass, Basic, Professional tiers) and include video, text, and interactive elements.
4. Award and Circle Membership Programs: Awards events (e.g., Best of Technology, Female Allstar Board, Health-i) and premium Circle memberships (Defense-Circle, KI-Circle) serve as revenue-generating or engagement-driving programs under the Handelsblatt Live umbrella.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Handelsblatt Live operates a premium business events platform that organizes, markets, and delivers professional conferences, compact seminars and trainings, live and on-demand webinars, self-paced eLearning courses via the Handelsblatt Management Campus, industry awards, and closed executive Circles formats for senior business audiences in the DACH region. Events are produced under the Handelsblatt brand and address strategic, regulatory, and operational topics across verticals such as banking, insurance, energy, defense, healthcare, technology, mobility, HR, real estate, logistics, and sustainability.

Product overview

Handelsblatt Live is a comprehensive business events platform offering a multi-format portfolio of professional development and networking events. The platform operates as a unified offering comprising Konferenzen (annual conferences and industry summits), Seminare und Trainings (professional seminars in various formats), eLearnings delivered via the Handelsblatt Management Campus (self-paced digital courses), Webinare (live and on-demand webinars), and Awards (industry recognition ceremonies). The platform covers key business topics including AI/KI, banking, defense, energy, healthcare, technology, sustainability, and transformation. Events range from flagship annual gatherings like the Handelsblatt Banken-Gipfel to specialized topic-focused seminars and digital learning modules.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Handelsblatt Management Campus: E-learning platform offering digital courses on management and business topics
• How-to-Business

Products and services

• Konferenzen (Conferences) Multi-day industry conferences (e.g., Banken-Gipfel, KI-Summit, Handelsblatt Jahrestagung) addressing strategic, regulatory, and operational topics for C-level executives across banking, insurance, energy, defense, healthcare, technology, mobility, and other verticals; revenue comes from ticket sales and corporate sponsorships.
• Seminare und Trainings (Seminars and Trainings) Compact, intensive in-person or hybrid workshops and trainings that allow professionals and corporate teams to deepen expertise on specific topics, typically smaller-group and more interactive than flagship conferences.
• Webinare (Webinars) Live and on-demand online seminars delivered via the how-to-business.handelsblatt.com library, enabling flexible remote participation and content replay for individual professionals and corporate teams.
• eLearnings (Handelsblatt Management Campus) Self-paced online courses hosted on the Handelsblatt Management Campus, providing structured continuing-education and leadership content on a subscription-style basis for individuals and corporate learning and development programs.
• Awards Industry recognition awards produced by Handelsblatt Live to honor excellence and best practice across the verticals covered by its events portfolio, typically tied to gala or conference moments and supported by sponsorships.
• Circles (Executive Networking) Closed-door, invitation-based peer-group formats that bring senior executives together for ongoing, smaller-group strategic discussion and networking beyond the public conference program.

Quantifiable outcome

• 500+ senior banking and finance executives at flagship Banken-Gipfel 2025
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers11 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

16 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Handelsblatt GmbHcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHandelsblatt Live is a cooperation of Handelsblatt GmbH, operating under the Handelsblatt Media Group umbrella. Handelsblatt is Germany's leading business media brand, providing editorial authority, brand recognition, and cross-promotional reach for the live events platform.
• WirtschaftsWochecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHandelsblatt Live is a cooperation of Handelsblatt GmbH, WirtschaftsWoche, and Euroforum. WirtschaftsWoche contributes its audience reach and editorial brand across the German business community, extending the reach of the live events platform.
• Euroforum Deutschland GmbHcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEuroforum Deutschland GmbH is part of the cooperation powering Handelsblatt Live. Euroforum is a professional events brand that brings expertise in conference organization, seminar delivery, and B2B event management to the platform.
• ECODYNAMICSminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerECODYNAMICS co-develops and delivers Master Classes on Generative AI topics (Foundations, AI Agents & Automation, Professional Prompt Engineering) and executive-level GenAI seminars for the Handelsblatt Live seminar portfolio. The partnership provides specialized AI training content.
• SalesforceminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSalesforce sponsored a free webinar on 'Datenfundament für KI in Banken' (Data Foundation for AI in Banking), appearing as a supporting partner on the Handelsblatt Live webinar portal.
• IBMminorGTM or Marketing PartnerIBM appears as a sponsor for multiple webinars including 'Agentic AI in Financial Services' and 'Demystifying Agentic AI: Vom Hype zur Schlüsseltechnologie in der Energiebranche'.
• KPMGminorGTM or Marketing PartnerKPMG sponsored webinars on topics including 'KI zwischen Regulierung & Cyber-Risiken' and 'Aktuelle Cyber-Sicherheitslage und effektiver Umgang mit Cyber-Risiken'.
• Deutsche Leasing AGminorGTM or Marketing PartnerDeutsche Leasing AG is a repeat webinar sponsor covering topics such as ESG in credit lending, investment financing, and crisis management for SMEs.
• SophosminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSophos sponsored webinars on NIS2 compliance, cybersecurity in the age of AI hype, and ransomware preparedness.
• SAPminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSAP appears as a webinar sponsor on topics including transformation, finance strategy, and supply chain topics, reaching Handelsblatt's executive audience.
• ServiceNowminorGTM or Marketing PartnerServiceNow sponsored a webinar on 'AI in Re/Insurance: Beyond the Hype' and customer service transformation topics.
• StripeminorGTM or Marketing PartnerStripe sponsored webinars on strategic pricing in the AI era and finance automation topics, reaching the Handelsblatt financial services audience.
• LenovominorGTM or Marketing PartnerLenovo sponsored a webinar on 'From Pocket to Cloud: Enterprise AI richtig aufsetzen' and supply chain cybersecurity topics.
• Red HatminorGTM or Marketing PartnerRed Hat sponsored a webinar on AI rollout in the financial sector, 'Vom Prototyp zur Performance: KI-Rollout mit System im Finanzsektor'.
• AdobeminorGTM or Marketing PartnerAdobe sponsored a webinar on 'Agentic AI in Financial Services: Von der Vision zur verantwortungsvollen Umsetzung'.
• TrendAI™minorGTM or Marketing PartnerTrendAI™ appears as sponsor for cybersecurity webinars including 'KI-getriebene Cyberangriffe: Ein ehrliches Lagebild zu Angriff & Abwehr'.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights12 records

Direct peers

• Bitkom: Germany's leading digital industry association, running large-scale technology and digital policy conferences in Germany. Comparable as a vertical-specific B2B event organizer with strong enterprise and policymaker audiences.
• DMEXCO: Major European digital marketing and tech conference held in Cologne. Comparable as a large-scale German B2B industry event brand attracting enterprise buyers, vendors, and senior decision-makers.
• Euroforum Deutschland: Historic partner of Handelsblatt Live (cooperation of Handelsblatt GmbH, WirtschaftsWoche, and Euroforum) and the largest direct competitor for German-language professional B2B conferences, seminars, and trainings serving the same executive audience.
• Management Circle AG: German business training and conference provider focused on executive seminars across finance, management, technology, and leadership. Closely comparable product mix to Handelsblatt Live's seminars and Management Campus offerings.
• Süddeutsche Zeitung Akademie: Events and training arm of Süddeutsche Zeitung, another major German business media brand. Competes in the same space of media-affiliated executive conferences, seminars, and online learning for German professionals.
• FAZ Institut: Events and knowledge arm of the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung media group, running conferences, seminars, and certifications for German business leaders. Directly comparable as a competing business-media events platform in the same DACH market.

Broad incumbents

• Reuters Events: Global B2B events business of Reuters, running enterprise conferences across banking, insurance, energy, and technology worldwide. Comparable content verticals and enterprise audience, but at materially larger international scale than the DACH-focused Handelsblatt Live.
• Economist Events: Events division of The Economist, hosting global business, finance, and policy conferences. Comparable as a media-affiliated B2B events brand leveraging editorial authority to convene senior executives, though with broader geographic reach.

Others

• Handelsblatt Media Group (parent): Parent conglomerate of Handelsblatt Live, controlling the Handelsblatt newspaper, WirtschaftsWoche, and related media assets. Relevant as the strategic and capital parent whose editorial and brand assets directly power the events platform.

Emerging players

• Money 20/20: Global fintech and financial services event series. Comparable audience overlap with Handelsblatt's Banken-Gipfel and AI in Banking verticals, especially among European banking and fintech executives.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/handelsblatt-live

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 Handelsblatt Live