M & A
Nineteen shows New Year resolution on acquisitions
Nineteen Group hits the New Year acqusition tail hard and reshapes leadership
K-based international
U exhibition organiser Nineteen Goup started the New Year with the announcement of three acquisitions and a leadership shake up designed, it said, to support the company’ s next phase of growth.
The acquisition of Reliabilityweb, a global community dedicated to reliability engineering, maintenance excellence, and asset performance, marked a milestone in the Group’ s expansion in the United States and strengthens its growing footprint across the manufacturing sector.
Mary Larkin president, Nineteen Group Americas, described this partnership as“ an exciting opportunity” that would serve as a catalyst to expand on the organiser’ s leading manufacturing portfolio.“ Reliabilityweb brings unmatched credibility and community trust,” she said.“ Nineteen brings the infrastructure, event capability, and global footprint to help that community thrive at scale.”
Founded by Terrence O’ Hanlon, Reliabilityweb is best known for flagship events including the International Maintenance Conference, The Reliability Conference, and MaximoWorld, alongside professional training and certification programmes such as Certified Reliability Leader( CRL) and Certified Maintenance Manager( CMM).
Nineteen also moved to acquire The Lead, an expanding portfolio of executive-level brand and retail
leadership events focused on the strategies, technology, and operating models shaping consumer businesses.
“ The Lead has built an influential community of senior brand and retail decision-makers,” said Mary Larkin.“ It is a core part of how Nineteen Group is establishing its presence in the US retail events market serving senior leaders navigating consumer, technology, and organisational transformation.”
Since its founding, The Lead Summit has become a focus in New York City for 3,000 senior executives, directorlevel and above, across brand, retail,
Above: Mary Larkin, president, Nineteen Group Americas
Bottom: Peter Jones addressing his team, now as Group CEO
technology-enabled commerce, strategy and marketing. The next edition of The Lead Summit will be held in NYC, 20 – 21 May, 2026.
The third acquisition, SubSummit, serves e-commerce, subscription, and retail professionals. That event, brings together 1,600 + senior leaders and will continue under its existing brand led by founders Christopher George and Paul Chambers. The next edition will take place in Kansas City, 13 – 15 May, 2026.
“ This next phase is about executing at a higher level while staying true to what makes SubSummit work,” said Paul Chambers, co-founder & COO of SubSummit.“ Nineteen Group brings the experience and scale to support our growth, without changing the fundamentals of the SubSummit experience.”
Peter Jones, CEO, Nineteen Group, added that the acquisition reflected the company’ s approach to supporting strong, founder-led events and helping them grow sustainably.”
The three deals focus on year-round engagement models, including various forums, thereby adding more than just cyclical trade shows.
“ We want to grow the US market, and the quickest way to do that is through acquisition,” said Larkin.
Alongside the acquisitions, Nineteen Group has restructured its leadership team for 2026, with Alison Jackson promoted to CEO, and founder Peter Jones moving to Group CEO. Phil Soar remains chair, and a new executive board has been formed with Tristan Norman and Mike Costain named group managing directors.
Nineteen now runs nearly two dozen international events spanning security, infrastructure, technology, and industrial and retail markets.
Phoenix Equity Partners invested in the company in 2017 since when the acquisitions have steadily flowed. In 2023, the group acquired Oliver Kinross, a B2B exhibition business running events in Sydney, New York, Chicago, and London. EW www. exhibitionworld. co. uk Issue 1 2026 15