SOMERSET

What SOMERSET does

Somerset is a Paris-based bespoke corporate event and incentive travel agency that operates as a dedicated brand within the CONTRASTES group, a French SAS travel conglomerate registered with Atout France (IM 006100052). The company designs and orchestrates custom corporate experiences across three service lines: corporate events (conventions, seminars, kick-offs, road shows), incentive trips, and learning expeditions. Group sizes range from 18 participants on small learning expeditions to over 1,200 attendees at large conventions, with delivery spanning more than 25 countries across Europe, Africa, Asia, the Middle East, Oceania, and the Americas.

Somerset operates a high-touch services model rather than a technology platform: no proprietary software, API, or automation tooling is disclosed, and the business runs on the accumulated expertise of roughly eight project managers and one dedicated ticketing specialist, several of whom have 20+ years in the MICE sector. Revenue is generated through professional service fees and supplier commissions on travel bookings (flights, hotels, transfers), with pricing set per-project via a single dedicated account manager who co-constructs each event with the client. Multi-year enterprise contracts and supplier pass-through economics are central to the model.

The customer base comprises approximately 150 active corporate clients including Baker McKenzie, Medtronic (BST), Mobalpa, Aprium, Promogim, MH Cuisines, Summer Hôtel, and Adequat, spanning real estate, legal, healthcare, hospitality, manufacturing, and consumer goods industries. The company states 800+ projects completed and 15,000+ participants served, with disclosed annual revenue above €4.5M. Regulatory and financial protections — Atout France registration, APST financial guarantee, HISCOX professional liability, and MICE Assurances/AXA cancellation cover — are provided at the parent CONTRASTES level.

Name

SOMERSET

Legal name

Somerset (brand of CONTRASTES SAS)

Website

https://somerset.fr

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Somerset is a Paris-based bespoke corporate event and incentive travel agency within the CONTRASTES group, designing custom conventions, seminars, incentive trips, and learning expeditions for 150+ enterprise clients across 25+ countries, with over €4.5M in annual revenue.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Corporate Event Management (MICE)

NAICS

Tour Operators (56152), Travel Agencies (56151)

SIC

Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYTHACAFAJ

Incentive Travel Programs (Corporate)

Travel & Hospitality/Business Travel & Corporate Travel Management/Meetings & Group Travel Management (Corporate)

SECONDARYTHAHANAG

Onsite Program Management & Hospitality Desks (Staffing, Rooming Lists, Check-in)

Travel & Hospitality/MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences & Exhibitions)/Incentive Travel Programs

SECONDARYTHAHANAF

Group Air, Ticketing & Travel Operations (Manifests, Rebooking, 24/7 Support)

Travel & Hospitality/MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences & Exhibitions)/Incentive Travel Programs

SECONDARYMPAAAGAK

Experiential Logistics & Tour Management (Roadshows)

Media, Entertainment & Sports/Advertising, Marketing & PR Services/Experiential & Event Marketing Agencies

Keywords

• Corporate event management
• Incentive travel programs
• Learning expeditions
• MICE agency services
• Convention planning

Headquarters

HQ city

Paris

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Event Management and Travel Planning Services: Somerset generates revenue through professional services fees for designing and orchestrating corporate events, conventions, seminars, incentive trips, and learning expeditions. As part of the CONTRASTES group (a travel agency registered with Atout France), the company also earns commissions and fees from travel arrangements including transportation, accommodation, and activity bookings.
2. Travel and Transportation Bookings: Revenue from booking flights, hotels, transfers, and ground services for corporate travel and events. The company acts as an intermediary between clients and travel suppliers (airlines, hotels, etc.), earning transaction-based fees and commissions on bookings.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Somerset is a bespoke corporate events and incentive travel agency that designs, coordinates, and delivers tailor-made events for businesses across France and internationally. Its core offerings span Corporate Events (conventions, seminars, evenings, kick-offs, road shows for up to 1,200+ attendees), Incentive Trips (discovery and motivational voyages), and Learning Expeditions (immersive study trips to global innovation hubs). The agency bundles creative program design with full logistics orchestration—transport, accommodation, transfers, on-site coordination, and post-event follow-up—assigning each client a single dedicated account manager.

Product overview

SOMERSET is a bespoke corporate event and travel agency that designs unique, tailor-made experiences for businesses. The company operates three core service lines: Corporate Events (conventions, seminars, evenings, kick-offs, road shows), Incentive Trips (discovery voyages and motivational travel), and Learning Expeditions (study trips to innovation hubs worldwide). All services are delivered as custom, on-demand experiences rather than packaged products, with a network of over 150 clients and more than 15,000 participants served.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Corporate Events Full-service, bespoke event management for corporate clients covering congresses, conventions, seminars, gala evenings, kick-off events, and road shows. Somerset designs and orchestrates unique experiences aligned with each client's communication goals and culture, delivering complete logistics (venue, transportation, accommodation, activities, on-site coordination) for groups of up to 1,200+ participants.
• Incentive Trips Bespoke incentive and discovery travel experiences designed to reward, motivate, and unite corporate teams through unique, emotionally engaging journeys. Somerset handles end-to-end design, including destination selection, accommodation, transfers, activities, and on-the-ground coordination, for incentive groups typically ranging from 70 to 150 participants at international destinations.
• Learning Expeditions Immersive study trips and learning expeditions that take corporate teams to global innovation hubs, combining professional discovery, industry encounters, and destination experience. Designed as transformative professional development experiences for L&D, innovation, and executive teams, typically delivered for smaller groups (18-30 participants) at curated destinations such as Milan (Euroluce), Copenhagen, Iceland, and South Korea.

Quantifiable outcome

• 800+ projects completed successfully
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Contrastes GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSomerset operates as a brand within the Contrastes Group, a SAS travel agency with capital of 8,200€ (RCS Nice 432 397 792). The Contrastes Group encompasses multiple brands including Contrastes-Voyages, Contrastes-Croisières, Contrastes-Events, Contrastes-Corporates, Contrastes-Running, Plein Swing-Voyages, and Somerset. Somerset serves as the group's dedicated event management and incentive travel brand.
• Greens du MondeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPart of the Contrastes Group ecosystem alongside Greens du Monde (Golfeo SAS), a golf-focused travel brand. Both companies operate under the same holding structure and share resources, expertise, and market positioning within the premium corporate travel segment.
• Atout FrancecoreOthersOfficial French tourism development agency that registers and regulates travel operators in France. Contrastes Group holds registration number IM 006100052 with Atout France, providing official legitimacy and consumer protection for Somerset's operations.
• APST (Association Professionnelle de Solidarité du Tourisme)coreOthersProfessional tourism association providing financial protection and guarantees for travelers in case of operator insolvency. The APST (87-89 rue de la Boétie, 75008 Paris) provides the required financial guarantee for Contrastes Group and Somerset, ensuring client protection.
• HISCOXcoreOthersProfessional liability insurance provider covering Contrastes Group's operations (including Somerset) under contract number RCP0241001, providing coverage for civil liability in tourism operations.
• MICE Assurances / AXA AssistanceminorOthersInsurance partner for cancellation and assistance coverage specifically for Somerset's MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, Exhibitions) clients, providing optional travel insurance products to corporate customers.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• MCI Group: Global meetings, events, and association management company with strong European presence and incentive travel programs. Comparable in service breadth (events, incentives, learning/association programs) and enterprise client focus.
• BCD Meetings & Events: Global corporate meetings and events agency that plans, delivers, and manages meetings, incentives, conventions, and events for enterprise clients across multiple geographies. Directly overlaps with Somerset's MICE incentive travel and corporate event offerings.
• ATPI Griffinstone: Corporate travel and events management company serving enterprise clients with incentive travel, conferences, and event logistics. Comparable in MICE service mix and enterprise customer base.
• CWT Meetings & Events: Meetings, events, and travel management division of CWT serving global corporate clients with incentive travel, conferences, and event logistics. Comparable in target customer (enterprise) and core service (incentive and corporate events).
• Maritz Global Events: Specialist in corporate incentive travel, meetings, and events for large enterprises. Closely comparable to Somerset's incentive and event service lines, including destination planning and program design.
• American Express Global Business Travel (Meetings & Events): Major corporate travel and meetings management provider offering incentive travel programs, conferences, and event services to multinational corporate clients. Directly competes with Somerset in enterprise MICE delivery.
• Potel & Chabot: French luxury event venue and event organizer specializing in high-end corporate and private events, gala dinners, and bespoke experiences. Comparable to Somerset in white-glove Parisian corporate event delivery, with similar premium positioning.

Broad incumbents

• GL events: Major French-headquartered integrated event industry player organizing trade shows, corporate events, and large-scale conventions. Overlaps with Somerset on corporate/enterprise events but operates at much greater scale and venue-ownership scope.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/SomersetEvents
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/contrastes-somerset
• Instagraminstagram.com/agencesomerset

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 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 SOMERSET