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stake in Tahaluf , meaning ‘ Alliance ’ in Arabic , was formally announced with a signing ceremony at Informa ’ s headquarters in London in late July 2023 . In attendance were Lord Stephen Carter CBE , the group CEO of Informa PLC ; Faisal Al Khamisi , SAFCSP chairman ; Ahmed AlJasser , acting CEO of EIF ; Alrayan Gadouri chief of staff of Sela ; Muteb Al Qani CEO of SAFCSP ; Mike Champion , CEO of Tahaluf , and other representatives of the JV group . Lord Carter said at the ceremony : “ Tahaluf is a dynamic and ambitious initiative , and we are proud that Informa ’ s expertise is part of delivering worldclass , sustainable events in Saudi Arabia . The incredible success of events such as LEAP has demonstrated the power of the Tahaluf collaboration , and this increased investment will accelerate its impact across sectors .” Faisal Al Khamisi said : “ By aligning our upcoming portfolio of events with Saudi Vision 2030 ’ s objectives and partnering with the leading key players in the industry , the results can be efficiently transformative . This goes far beyond the shows and events to transferring knowledge , building talents , attracting business tourism , and showcasing Saudi Arabia as the leading destination for events across the entire region .” Ahmed AlJasser , said : “ We at EIF are honoured and delighted to be part of this joint venture with such an |
internationally renowned industry leader and look forward to working closely with Tahaluf as we develop the nascent MICE ecosystem in the Kingdom together and move forward in our mission to develop a world-class entertainment and events infrastructure . This will position the Kingdom as a global hub for international events in the region , in line with Vision 2030 plans .” Mike Champion , CEO at Tahaluf , also said : “ Tahaluf will scale up at a rate rarely seen in the events industry , as it continues to employ some of the region ’ s best events talent to deliver record-breaking , awardwinning events like Black Hat MEA and LEAP . With EIF , SAFCSP and Informa as shareholders , the company is strategically positioned to deliver outstanding quality events , that help to transform and develop the Kingdom ’ s MICE sector .”
Following the announcement Stephen Carter spoke with Paul Colston for EN . Exciting times for the exhibitions sector . Are you feeling the momentum building again ? Absolutely . We ’ ve seen both a high and sustained pace of return to live events and exhibitions . Interestingly , I think that as more of our working lives as professionals have moved online , and as more of our everyday work is being done via Teams and Zoom , it has only increased the value of leading exhibitions and events . The chance to get together in person , as
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Stephen Carter , group CEO Informa
a whole community in one place and at one time , and make real connections that lead to real business results , is even more valuable . That said , customer expectations keep growing . You have to keep investing in a high-quality experience , with excellent service standards , sustainability embedded as standard , technology and digital features that enhance and wrap around the event , and so on . Quality and all-round value have only got more important for live events after the pandemic . Indeed , Informa was quick out of the post-Covid blocks with the acquisition of Tarsus in a mammoth $ 940m deal back in March , so you ’ ve obviously been confident about the future of quality events and quality partnerships ? As I said at the time , we had long admired the Tarsus business . It was and is a great business , very well run under Doug Emslie and his leadership team , and a great fit for Informa . That ’ s
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only been further confirmed in the three or so months since we have fully owned the business and have been working deeply with and inside Tarsus . It spoke to our focus at Informa : strong brands , operating internationally with events and teams located in major hubs , and serving specialist B2B markets complementary to our own , with very little overlap . The depth and closeness of customer relationships are also clear and key . In May , we also announced the addition of Winsight to our Informa Connect business , which has all of the same attractive features : high quality , specialist media and research brands alongside strong events , including the flagship National Restaurant Association Show , a focus on serving customers deeply and great talent . It is early days for the combination but we ’ ve started positively , and bringing together Winsight and our existing teams in |
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Autumn — 27 |