Trade show consolidation continues: What this means for the industry

Events Spot On

Informa's roughly US$3 billion acquisition of Clarion Events is the fourth major trade show deal in six months, and it won't be the last. An estimated US$8.5 billion has changed hands since May, as Apollo, Hellman & Friedman, Searchlight Capital and Informa have all made big moves in live events. In our latest Spot On, we look at what is drawing buyers to events, who is likely to buy next and what they will pay for.

Events continue to attract new investment because they are largely immune from the disruptive AI wave sweeping across most of marketing services. Independent events companies looking to sell into this advantageous environment over the next 12 months need to optimize their operations now. KEN SONENCLAR, MANAGING DIRECTOR, EVENTS, OAKLINS DESILVA+PHILLIPS

Forces driving capital into the sector include the industry's distinctive immunity from AI disruption, the degradation of search traffic by AI for digital publishers who are turning to in-person events to reach their audiences, the rise of the creator economy's new communities and their eagerness to gather, and certainly humankind's deep-felt desire to meet with other people in person.

All of the industry giants involved in the recent round of mega-deals -- Hyve Group, CloserStill, Forge (the merged Questex-Emerald rebrand) and Informa -- remain flush with cash and eager to make add-on acquisitions. The brief also covers the questions every event owner should answer before going to market.

Download the brief below for full analysis