Informa and DWTC join forces in new venture

Hello from the ExpoPlatform newsroom, in another week with huge impacts for our industry.

Your top story for this edition focuses on the joint venture between Informa and the Dubai World Trade Centre – two giants in the exhibitions space.

Here are the complete headlines for this week:

• DWTC and Informa join forces in new venture
• New global security event set for Hamburg
• 95% trust brands more after attending an event – study
• FT Live grows with Invisso takeover
• UFI digital group meet in Paris

Good luck with your week ahead.

DWTC and Informa join forces in new venture

Dubai World Trade Centre and Informa Group have announced a strategic partnership to create a Dubai-based “global powerhouse” in the events industry. 

The move will see the two exhibition giants forge the new joint company – Informa International – that aims to be fully operational by Q4 this year.

Headquartered in Dubai, it will be servicing super-regional MICE markets as well as leveraging their scale to export home-grown megabrands across the world.

His Excellency Helal Saeed Al Marri, director general of the DWTC, said: “DWTC has anchored and enabled Dubai’s leadership as a preferred global hub for the MICE Sector.

“With the city’s flagship events like GITEX and Gulfood expanding internationally, and Informa’s portfolio of leading shows in complementary sectors across the super-region – this strategic partnership is set to be a transformation engine for cross-border trade and enterprise, co-creating sustainable value for the industries and economies served through the convening power of B2B events.

“DWTC has built a portfolio of flagship B2B event brands and Informa is the perfect partner with whom to combine strengths and capture the next stage of growth in this high-impact sector.”

Stephen Carter, CEO of Informa Group, said: “We already have a great partnership in Dubai with DWTC and today’s announcement will further expand our relationship, allowing us to create something quite unique and special together in what is a highly vibrant and fast-growing market.”

The establishment of the partnership has four key strategic objectives:

• Become a global MICE “powerhouse”: Combine DWTC’s global events with Informa Group’s events business in the UAE and connected partner markets to own and operate more than 40 market-leading brands in “highly attractive” growth categories.
• Accelerate expansion: Create further scale and opportunity to export DWTC’s brands across the fastest international growth markets for B2B events.
• Make Dubai the world’s leading business hub: Target attracting marquee events from the more than 100 specialist Informa brands across wide ranging sectors into Dubai.

Meanwhile, the news comes as Informa released its preliminary full-year results for 2024.

It shows the group grew revenue by 11.4% to £3.6 billion last year 2024, in large thanks to success in its B2B events business.

Stephen added: “On every measure, the Informa Group delivered an outstanding result in 2024 – from revenue growth to higher dividend returns, alongside further international and portfolio expansion. This is a performance we aim to repeat in 2025.”

The report also sets out that it is building its B2B platform around “faster-growing geographies”, shifting the focus from the UK and Europe around 10% of revenue- to the Americas, the Gulf, Asia and China at around 85%.

New global security event set for Hamburg

A new conference and exhibition exploring global security issues is set for Hamburg.

The new event comes as part of a joint venture between Hamburg Messe und Congress (HMC) and the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS).

It involves new strategic partnership to organize the Global Security and Innovation Summit (GSIS), which will be launched at the centre on October 22.

Bastian Giegerich, CEO of IISS, said: “Technology and innovation are both a challenge and an opportunity for security establishments around the globe. The increasing speed of change requires an open, interdisciplinary dialogue.

“By establishing the GSIS, we are creating a platform for political, business and technology stakeholders to exchange views and ideas, and bring new solutions to the table.”

Heiko Stutzinger, CEO of HMC, added: “Geopolitical developments in recent years have shown that Europe’s North is steadily gaining in strategic importance.

“By hosting the GSIS in Hamburg, we are closing a geographical gap in the event landscape focused on security.”

The event is set to explore how international security can be maintained and improved in the face of these changes.

GSIS will aim to address this broad topic and develop answers for an increasingly interconnected world.

95% trust brands more after attending an event – study

Live events remain “the most effective means” of building connections after a new study found 95% trust brands more after attending an in-person show.

The research by Freeman found the huge proportion of attendees trust brands more after participating in an in-person event, while 71% of brands saw a decline in reputation through other channels in 2024.

This 2025 Freeman Trust Report is the second in a series of three releases examining how live events impact brand perception and business relationships in an increasingly digital world.

Janet Dell, CEO of Freeman, said: “Live events create powerful opportunities for meaningful connection.

“As brands look for ways to build stronger relationships with their audiences, our research clearly shows that face-to-face interactions are the most effective means of building lasting trust and driving business results.”

Key findings from the study include:

• Generational trust dynamics are shifting: A heavy reliance on technology and AI has left Gen Z and Millennials feeling disconnected, while older generations exhibit declining trust levels.
• Engagement increases post-live events: 87% of working professionals visited the brand’s website and expressed a desire to engage with the company online after attending a live event.
• In-person creates a positive brand perception: 92% of working professionals stated that live events have a positive impact on their perception of brands.

FT Live grows with Invisso takeover

FT Live has grown its portfolio with the acquisition of an premier organizer of events for the structured finance, bond and private credit markets.

The takeover of Invisso from Delinian comes into effect from April and will expand its top offering in the US and Europe.

Events involved include Global ABS, ABS East, the Central & Eastern European Forum and the Global Borrowers and Bond Investors Forum – attracting over 16,000 delegates each year and convening over 250,000 meetings.

Orson Francescone, managing director of FT Live, said: “Capital markets power the global economy, enabling growth, financing innovation, and creating opportunities for businesses and communities alike.

“We’re thrilled to welcome the Invisso team and their world-class capital market conferences into the FT Live portfolio.

“This acquisition strengthens our commitment to delivering exceptional experiences for our audiences while expanding our premium event offering worldwide.”

Alex Grose, managing director at Invisso, added: “At Invisso, our focus is to deliver best-in-class event experiences and highly effective deal-making environments.

“The incredible growth and opportunity we’ve experienced over recent years is a testament to the dedication and hard work of our inspirational team.

“As a business, we look forward to joining the FT Group where we believe the synergies between our two companies add clear value for our customers in the structured finance, bond and private credit markets where we operate.”

UFI digital group meet in Paris

The UFI Digital Innovation Working Group has met in Paris to discuss the future of event tech innovation.

Members gathered in the French capital to cover three topics in detail – agents, ROI & digital revenues.

It included a series of productive workshops, with hopes it will progress with collaboration between organizations involved.

Thank you for reading this article. Want to see how event tech can help turn these insights into action? Book a free consultation with ExpoPlatform now.