Symposium Essen + Trinken

What Symposium Essen + Trinken does

Symposium Essen + Trinken GmbH is a privately held dialogue and event platform headquartered in Munich, Germany, serving the food and beverage industry across the DACH region (Germany, Austria, Switzerland). Founded in 1993 as 'Symposium Feines Essen + Trinken' and rebranded in October 2023, the company convenes operational decision-makers from food retail, food manufacturing, agriculture, science, politics, and food-tech startups via a portfolio of formats that includes flagship in-person conferences (KICK-OFF, CONNECT), digital SPOTLIGHT sessions, club membership programmes (SET CLUB, CLUB TALKS, CLUB EVENTS), start-up-focused exhibition platforms (Food Arena, Sense Lab), youth congresses (NEXT HANDEL, NEXT INDUSTRIE), a women-in-food network (WOMEN LEAD), and a podcast (FOODYNSIDER, launched April 2026). The model is not technology-led — the input data explicitly notes no proprietary platform — and operations run through a lean corporate team with outsourced event execution via c&p creative project GmbH and digital delivery via ClickMeeting.

The business monetises through three paid streams plus a free media layer: (1) pay-to-attend event fees for operatives and sector experts, communicated on a quote basis after pre-registration; (2) annual SET CLUB membership subscriptions offering preferential event rates, curated expert talks, and exclusive events; and (3) multi-year sponsorship packages sold to brands (e.g. Dicke Food as KICK-OFF main sponsor; Herbert Kluth and Saffer Wein for CONNECT 2026) that include four months of brand presence, logo placement across SET communications, social-media posts, complimentary event passes, and optional 12–20 m² exhibition stands. FOODYNSIDER operates freemium to build brand awareness.

Ownership is concentrated among individual shareholders — Managing Directors Cécile Möhring (communications agency principal, transitioning to a shareholder-only role from June 2025), Natalie Gerits, and Edmund Pillekamp — alongside strategic shareholder Handelsverband Bayern e.V. (HBE), which joined the circle in January 2025, and the associated society SFET e.V., which supplies industry and academic representation. The 2024 flagship event was deliberately cancelled to accommodate the transformation; activity resumed in 2025 with KICK-OFF and was extended in 2026 with CONNECT, FOODYNSIDER, and planned NEXT congresses.

Name

Symposium Essen + Trinken

Legal name

Symposium Essen + Trinken GmbH

Website

https://s-e-t.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1993

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Symposium Essen + Trinken is a Munich-based dialogue and event platform for the DACH food and beverage industry, operating flagship conferences (KICK-OFF, CONNECT), a paid SET CLUB membership, the FOODYNSIDER podcast, and youth programs serving retail, manufacturing, agriculture, and food-tech decision-makers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Food industry events and dialogue platform

NAICS

Convention and Trade Show Organizers (561920), Business Associations (813910)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Executive Summits & Invitation-Only Forums (MPAGAGAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Agriculture, Food & Nutrition Congresses (THAHAJAI), Live Audio Q&A, Coaching & Mentorship Platforms (MPACAEAI)

Keywords

• Food industry events
• Dialogue platform DACH
• Club membership networking
• Conference sponsorship services
• Food industry podcast

Headquarters

HQ city

Munich

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Event participation fees: Operative decision-makers from trade, industry, startups, agriculture, and sector experts pay to attend flagship events such as KICK-OFF and CONNECT. Attendees pre-register and the organization team contacts them regarding costs and conditions.
2. Club membership fees: Annual club membership for operational decision-makers in the food industry. Members receive exclusive discounts on events, access to curated expert talks, and preferential participation in programs. Enrollment managed via downloadable brochure.
3. Sponsorship revenue: Event sponsorship packages for brands seeking visibility among food industry decision-makers. Sponsors receive four months of brand presence, logo placement on all communications, social media posts, complimentary event access, and optional live presentation stands (12–20 m²).
4. Podcast and content distribution: FOODYNSIDER podcast launched April 2026 as a free audio/video format distributed on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, YouTube, LinkedIn, Instagram, and TikTok. Generates brand awareness and community engagement for the platform.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels11 records

Core offering

Symposium Essen + Trinken GmbH operates a paid dialogue and networking platform for operational decision-makers in the DACH food and beverage industry. Its core offerings comprise the SET CLUB annual membership, flagship in-person events (KICK-OFF and CONNECT), the FOODYNSIDER audio/video podcast, and supplementary formats such as SPOTLIGHT digital sessions, CLUB TALKS, youth congresses (NEXT HANDEL, NEXT INDUSTRIE), and the Food Arena + Sense Lab exhibition platform for start-ups.

Product overview

Symposium Essen + Trinken operates as a professional network and event platform for the food and beverage industry, offering a portfolio of event-based products and membership services. The core offering centers on the annual CONNECT conference and the SET CLUB membership program, supplemented by diverse event formats including KICK-OFF (annual opening event), SPOTLIGHT (digital sessions), and CLUB TALKS (fireside chats). The portfolio also includes youth congresses under the NEXT brand (NEXT HANDEL for trade, NEXT INDUSTRIE for industry), the Food Arena + Sense Lab exhibition platform, and the FOODYNSIDER Podcast as a multimedia content channel. WOMEN LEAD provides a dedicated professional network for women in the industry.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• FOODYNSIDER: Podcast brand - audio and video format bringing perspectives from trade, industry, science, associations and trade press for year-round dialogue on food, beverages and industry future.
• SET CLUB
• CONNECT
• KICK-OFF
• NEXT HANDEL
• NEXT INDUSTRIE

Products and services

• SET CLUB (Clubmitgliedschaft) Annual paid membership program providing operational food-industry decision-makers exclusive access to discounts on events, curated expert talks, and preferential programming participation across the SET ecosystem.
• CONNECT Major flagship annual two-day conference and networking event for food and beverage industry decision-makers, including the Food Arena with Sense Lab and partner exhibitions.
• KICK-OFF Annual opening event for the food industry year, featuring presentations and panel discussions that bring together trade, industry, and sector experts.
• SPOTLIGHT Digital Sessions Digital preview session format featuring speaker presentations and discussions delivered via online streaming, used to tease programming between flagship events.
• FOODYNSIDER Podcast Free audio and video podcast covering food, beverages, bio, new food, consumption, nutrition decisions, and regionality, with perspectives from trade, industry, science, associations, and trade press.
• CLUB TALKS Fireside chat events for SET CLUB members featuring informal discussions with industry leaders.
• Food Arena + Sense Lab Exhibition and innovation platform showcasing food and beverage innovations, featuring sensory testing experiences, product demonstrations, and live tasting for start-ups and industry participants at CONNECT.

Quantifiable outcome

• FOODYNSIDER podcast: Over 800 streams across platforms within first five episodes (by June 2026).
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers10 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

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core, minor and major.

• Handelsverband Bayern e.V. (HBE)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Major new shareholder joining the SET circle in January 2025, bringing retail perspective to the design of the industry's future. President Ernst Läuger and CEO Wolfgang Puff actively promote SET and participate in events. HBE provides a structured voice for retail in shaping the future of the industry.
• c&p creative project GmbHcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerResponsible agency (Verantwortliche Agentur) for the symposium. Cécile Möhring serves as managing partner and shareholder of c&p creative project GmbH, providing communications and event execution services for SET. Since September 2023, she leads the agency; since June 2025 she focuses on her shareholder role with strong operational cooperation with the agency.
• LPV GmbHminorOthersDesignated as media partner (Medienpartner) of the symposium, providing media coverage and editorial support for events and communications.
• Verein SFET e.V.coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAssociated society/association of the symposium. Manfred Vondran and Prof. Dr. Volker Trauzettel serve as society representatives (Gesellschaftsvertreter), contributing expertise from industry and academia respectively. The society supports dialogue between science, business, and practice.
• Dicke Food Makes Fun GmbHmajorGTM or Marketing PartnerMain sponsor (Hauptsponsor) for KICK-OFF (March 6, 2025) and CONNECT events. The company provides exclusive delicatessen products and innovative fresh counter concepts for the German retail market. Present with own exhibition stand at events. Shares commitment to sustainability, innovation, and future security.
• Herbert Kluth (GmbH & Co. KG)majorGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsor for CONNECT 2026. A nearly 100-year-old family business specializing in international natural food products including KLUTH nuts, MARYLAND snacks, and functional food mixtures. Supports the dialogue and progress of the industry.
• Saffer Wein GmbHmajorGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsor for CONNECT 2026. A Munich-based family company, one of the leading distributors of Italian and Austrian wines in the German market, serving retail, specialist trade, and gastronomy. Values the opportunity to engage with industry professionals and showcase products at SET events.
• WOMEN LEADminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAn additional network within the symposium ecosystem, launched in late 2024/early 2025, dedicated to strengthening women in the food industry. Co-founded by Natalie Gerits. Part of the broader transformation of SET toward more inclusivity and community building.
• Junge Wilde (Austrian cooking competition)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCooperation with the Austrian young chef competition Junge Wilde for the Food Arena at CONNECT 2026. Three finalists (Christoph Fürnschuß, Marco Goel, Moritz Jaronek) will cook live, bringing experimental menus to the event. The award has stood for radical creativity for nearly 20 years.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Regional players

• Cibus (Fiere di Parma): Cibus is the leading Italian food exhibition, held in Parma, targeting food retail and industry decision-makers across Southern Europe. It is comparable to SET as a regional food-industry B2B gathering, but serves Italian and Southern European markets rather than DACH primary.
• Institute of Food Technologists (IFT): IFT is a US-based professional association for food science and technology that runs an annual meeting and food expo. It is comparable to SET as a food-industry professional membership and event organization, but its primary geographic focus is North America rather than DACH.

Direct peers

• Food Matters Live: Food Matters Live is a UK-based food industry summit bringing together industry, academia, policymakers, and innovators — a directly comparable dialogue-format event platform to SET. Both emphasize cross-stakeholder conversation on the future of food rather than pure trade-fair exhibition.
• ProSweets Cologne: ProSweets Cologne is the leading international supplier trade fair for the confectionery, snacks and bakery industry, co-located with ISM in Cologne. It targets the same DACH-region food industry decision-makers as SET, with notable overlap in exhibitor and attendee profiles (e.g., Lambertz is a SET speaker).
• Fi Europe (Food Ingredients Europe): Fi Europe is a leading European trade fair for food ingredients, serving R&D and procurement decision-makers across the food industry value chain. It is directly comparable to SET in DACH-region reach and food-industry B2B audience, with overlap in sponsors and exhibitors.
• SIAL Paris: SIAL Paris is one of the largest global food exhibitions, comparable to SET in targeting food retail and industry decision-makers across Europe. Both are food-industry B2B event properties with international exhibitor and attendee footprints, though SIAL is a major trade fair while SET is a more curated dialogue platform.
• Anuga (Koelnmesse): Anuga is the world's largest food and beverage trade fair, held biennially in Cologne, and is a direct peer to SET as a flagship DACH-region food industry B2B gathering targeting decision-makers from retail, manufacturing, and food service. Both compete for the same enterprise attendee and sponsor base, though Anuga operates at vastly larger scale.
• Sirha (GL events): Sirha is an international hospitality and food service exhibition, with flagship editions in Lyon, addressing food service, retail and industry professionals. It is comparable to SET as a multi-stakeholder B2B event property focused on the future of food service and food retail, with European geographic overlap.
• BIOFACH: BIOFACH is the world's leading trade fair for organic food, held annually in Nuremberg and serving the same DACH-region organic food retail and industry decision-makers as SET. It overlaps directly with SET's focus on sustainability, future of food, and dialogue between trade, industry, and agriculture stakeholders.

Others

• Handelsverband Deutschland (HDE): HDE is the German Retail Federation, the national trade association for German retailers and a sister organization to SET's shareholder HBE. It is comparable as a German food/retail industry association but does not operate a competing event or dialogue platform; relevant as an ecosystem peer given HBE's SET ownership stake.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@symposiumessenundtrinken
• Facebookfacebook.com/SymposiumEssenundTrinken
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/symposium-essen-und-trinken
• Instagraminstagram.com/symposiumessenundtrinken
• TikToktiktok.com/@symposiumessenundtrinken

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 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 Symposium Essen + Trinken