Exhibition News February 2019 | Page 8

NEWS THE MONTH IN NUMBERS 18% - Increase in 2018 revenue over 2017 for Diversified Communications £100,000 – spent transforming Oxford’s Macdonald Randolph Hotel ballroom 10 – Startups being offered free exhibiting space at Kent County Show £14,761 – Raised by industry charity event Hospitality Rocks 8 £1.9bn – Generated by academic conferences in 2017, according to new data £44,000 – Raised by NEC Group for Alzheimer’s Research UK Quote/ Unquote “To prosper in the midst of so much uncertainty will require resilience, determination and an adaptable mindset,” Dafydd Llewellyn, managing director SMB UK and France, SAP Concur, on Brexit February 2019 | exhibitionnews.co.uk Reed Exhibitions to acquire Mack Brooks Reed Exhibitions, a division of RELX Group, has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Mack Brooks Exhibitions in a move that saw the organiser bid against various private equity firms. Reed stated that the acquisition “promises access to innovation and new value in both face-to-face and digital formats for the more than 175,000 Mack Brooks customers around the world”. Industry insiders have informed EN that the deal was worth over £200m. Mack Brooks Exhibitions, based in St. Albans, United Kingdom, was established in 1965 and features more than 30 business- to-business events in 14 countries, including Germany and the United Kingdom, serving nine industry sectors. Flagship brands include EuroBLECH, inter airport, Fastener Fair, Chemspec, RAILTEX, ICE Europe, CCE, PSE Europe and InPrint. Stephen Brooks, chairman of Mack Brooks, commented: “I am delighted for our customers and staff and extremely positive about the future of Mack Brooks as part of Reed Exhibitions. Our events and customers will benefit tremendously from Reed Exhibitions’ global reach, experience in delivering customer value and investment in technology. Chet Burchett, CEO of Reed Exhibitions, added: “Mack Brooks is an excellent fit with Reed Exhibitions’ existing portfolio and the combination of the two businesses will deliver value for all stakeholders, including customers and staff.” World Modelling Convention comes to BDC The World Modelling Convention, a ‘new fashion event with a moral compass’, will be coming to the Business Design Centre from 15-16 June 2019. The World Modelling Convention will feature a host of new talent such as models, photographers, fashion designers and hair and makeup artists. The event aims to create a safe and honest environment to initiate a new norm and status quo surrounding fashion. BDC project manager Jack Williams commented: “We are more than thrilled to be welcoming The World Modelling Convention to our venue in 2019, and to be a part of this new and exciting initiative surrounding the fashion and modelling world”. Participants will have the opportunity to partake in up to 60 fashion shows, around 40 photoshoots, choose from 120 themed décor studios, and network with some of the most reputable professionals within the industry. World Modelling Convention founder Christo Panoff commented: “The best way of making business is by helping others. “This is why I founded the WMC, as for eight years in the modelling industry I have seen many unfair practices and finally we have found the way to change it all. I do not consider WMC as just one event, but more like a movement”.