Business over beer

No trade fair stands, no dry presentations, but instead beer benches and brass bands: The Oktoberfest is not only the world’s largest public festival, it’s also an important meeting place for the business community. SMEs invite customers, startups look for investors and international corporations bring business partners along to the beer tent. According to Christian Schottenhamel, spokesperson for the Oktoberfest landlords, large corporate events at the Oktoberfest have become less common due to stricter compliance rules. Nevertheless, the trend for companies to toast their next business deal with a traditional litre of beer is stronger than ever.  

Innovative celebrations 

Much of the appeal probably lies in the contrast with a conventional business meeting. Oktoberfest landlord Michael Käfer sums it up: “At the Oktoberfest, conversations happen naturally.” Titles, conventions and hierarchies take a back seat, at least for a while. 

The Bits & Pretzels founders’ conference shows how this relaxed atmosphere can be put to good use: it is bringing 7,500 founders, investors and executives to Munich in 2026. On the third day of the conference, the event moves to the Schottenhamel tent, where more than 270 “table captains” – experienced entrepreneurs, investors and managers – lead small discussion groups. Participants can choose a table and make contacts that might be difficult to establish elsewhere. 

Many international companies also make use of the Oktoberfest: in 2026, for example, French technology consultancy Devoteam is inviting IT decision-makers first to workshops on AI and cloud computing and then to reserved tables at the Oktoberfest. At US software company ServiceNow, the Munich “Innovation Day”, featuring specialist presentations, is followed by a visit to the Löwenbräu tent. And Brussels-based payment service provider iBanFirst described the 2025 Oktoberfest as a “serious networking hotspot” – a rare opportunity to meet customers and partners outside the usual business environment. 

Former Apple CEO Tim Cook has also visited the Oktoberfest several times. Munich is Apple’s largest development site in Europe: in 2021 and 2023, the US company announced investments totalling more than two billion euros in its European chip design centre. There is probably no direct connection with the Oktoberfest in this case, but the example shows how an international business presence and Munich’s local business culture sometimes come together. 

A showcase for Munich as a business location 

A business world of its own has grown up around the festival. The “digiWiesn” event format, for example, brings together SMEs, the technology sector and policymakers for talks and networking, with Munich’s head of economic affairs and Oktoberfest director Christian Scharpf among the guests. 

The economic scale of the Oktoberfest is impressive in its own right: according to estimates by the City of Munich, visitors will spend around 1.6 billion euros in connection with the Oktoberfest in 2026 – not just at the festival grounds but also on hotels, restaurants, shopping and services in the city. “The Oktoberfest is an important source of revenue,” emphasises Bertram Brossardt, CEO of the Bavarian Industry Association. And it is a major source of employment too: 13,000 people work at the festival grounds during the Oktoberfest.  

There are no statistics showing which partnerships, orders or investments can actually be traced back to a conversation over roast chicken and beer. But the fact that companies deliberately invest time, money and attention in the Oktoberfest year after year speaks for itself.