Informa’s Tarsus takeover worth $940m

The acquisition of Tarsus by Informa represents one of the biggest takeovers our industry has seen in recent years.

More than 160 brands will come into the group’s business with hopes to strengthen its position in the B2B market.

We take a full overview of the deal and what it means for the future of both organizers.

Meanwhile, IMEX has announced ExpoPlatform as its official technology partner to improve participant experiences.

At its heart will be the new app helping to drive lead retrieval, networking and more.

Mobile tools came out top in our Event Tech Forecast. Download it now to find out more.

Read on for the only event news roundup you need.

Informa’s Tarsus takeover worth $940m

Informa has announced the acquisition of B2B events group Tarsus in a deal worth $940 million.

The move is one of the largest takeovers in recent years with a portfolio of more than 160 live and on-demand brands to be brought into operation.

It will also see a number of high-level staffing developments, including the Tarsus CEO Douglas Emslie becoming a senior advisor at Informa through the “combination program”.

Today we announced the proposed addition of B2B events company @TarsusGroup, a combination that enhances Informa's presence in growing regions and specialist markets. Hear from Informa CEO Stephen A. Carter below and read our news release here: https://t.co/4MBcIrbxke pic.twitter.com/a3CnBDdXCI

— Informa Plc (@InformaPLC) March 9, 2023

He said:  “I am extremely proud of the Tarsus business, our people and our customers. I could not think of a better partner than Informa to lead our brands and colleagues through the next phase of growth and expansion.”

Stephen Carter, group CEO at Informa, added: ”We have long admired the Tarsus business which, like Informa, has been built around major brands in attractive, specialist B2B markets in the growing regions of Asia, China, the Middle East and the Americas.”

Combination of the groups is expected to generate around $20m annualised operating synergies by 2025 through efficiencies in procurement, real estate, technology, event contracts and other areas.

The Tarsus portfolio places a focus on specialist B2B markets with fragmented supply chains and high levels of innovation.

Combination of the two group’s live and on-demand events brings together leading brands, exceptional talent and deep customer relationships in a range of attractive sectors.

It will also give a boost to Informa’s first party data engine IIRIS with an additional marketable audience of around 1.4 million from Tarsus’ top 10 exhibitions.

These brands – attracting a total of  around 515,000 attendees and more than 8,350 exhibitors  – will further expand the portfolio to more than 85 names.

https://twitter.com/TarsusGroup/status/1633879080616460288

A “combination program” has been agreed with aim of reaching three key objectives by January 2024.

1. Deliver: Maximise 2023 performance, minimizing disruption and distraction in what is a key year of return, growth and acceleration for live B2B events
2. Discover: Make growth-focused people, brand and business combination decisions
3. Combine: Ensure the portfolios enter 2024 successfully, operating as one company under the Informa brand.

Informa colleague Mark Temple-Smith will step in as executive chair of Tarsus from completion through to the end of the Combination Programme in January 2024.

He is currently Informa Markets Chief Operating Officer and was formerly the CEO of Asia for Tarsus.

Douglas Emslie, current CEO of Tarsus, will become a senior advisor to the Informa Group through the combination program – guiding on talent, brands and partnerships.

Informa reached agreement with Charterhouse Capital Partners and other shareholders to acquire Tarsus.

Its board believes the move is commercially and financially compelling, with strong portfolio alignment that will deliver enhanced value for customers, additional opportunities for colleagues and attractive returns

Robert Leeming, partner at Charterhouse, said: ”We are proud to have supported Tarsus’ development since 2019 and are confident that Informa is exceptionally well placed to deliver the next stage of the company’s growth strategy. We look forward to becoming a shareholder.”

IMEX announces partnership with ExpoPlatform

IMEX has announced ExpoPlatform as its official tech partner with the aim of enhancing buyer-exhibitor connections at its core.

Participants at IMEX Frankfurt this May will have access to a brand-new online platform designed to add further value to their time at shows in 2023.

The organizer has been working with event management company ExpoPlatform to offer an enhanced range of features designed to maximize business connections and ease of use.

Carina Bauer, CEO of the IMEX Group, said: “At their heart, our shows are marketplaces, designed to connect the right people to each other and help them do more business.

“Alongside our new official tech partner ExpoPlatform, we’ve created a new platform and online experience that truly powers this up, and at a time when new business is more prized than ever.

“Our buyers and exhibitors will find it easier to meet and track new or existing contacts and kickstart conversations and deals ahead of meeting face-to-face on the show floor.

“Our intention is for our buyers and exhibitors in particular to enjoy a simpler, more intuitive networking and appointment experience.

“We’ve done our very best to streamline our platform so that buyers and exhibitors can find and meet each other more efficiently – and we’re committed to continuing to learn and enhance the platform over the coming months and years.”

Tanya Pinchuk, CEO of ExpoPlatform, added: “IMEX is one of the greatest business event showcases and a real force for good in our industry, so we are delighted to be working with them to make their events smart and seamless.

“Event planners are more tech-savvy than ever before, so we are excited to provide them with a strong digital-powered experience to improve the quality of in-person meetings.  We can’t wait for IMEX Frankfurt and then IMEX America.”

DWTC sees visitor numbers grow almost 30%

The Dubai World Trade Centre saw almost two million delegates through its doors last year, according to company figures.

Numbers from the organiser and venue reveal it hosted 1.98 million visitors, representing growth of 29%.

Results were driven by 244 events which included 97 exhibitions and conferences attracting 1.18 million attendees – of which 38% were from overseas.

Helal Saeed Almarri, director general of the Dubai World Trade Centre Authority, said: “DWTC’s 2022 results are an unequivocal endorsement of the emirate’s efforts in driving post-pandemic economic recovery and leveraging opportunity, delivered through strategic collaborative stakeholder commitment, across all sectors of the economy.

“An unprecedented year for the MICE industry, 2022 underlined Dubai’s leadership, with its dynamic events sector, an acknowledged global platform for impactful knowledge sharing, effective networking and game-changing innovation.

“We will build on this momentum by reinforcing Dubai’s position as the capital of the MICE industry, and continue our contribution towards achieving Dubai Economic Agenda D33 goals.”

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