Exhibitions with success written all over them
When the pandemic hit and for the first time in almost 40 years Mark Allen Group were unable to hold any live exhibitions , a third of its revenue dried up overnight . But how did the family-run company straddling publishing and trade shows still manage to produce an ‘ exceptional ’ rise in profits ? Founder and executive chairman Mark Allen spoke exclusively to EN editor Emily Wallin
Exhibitions made up a third of Mark
Allen Group ’ s revenue up until 2020 . But when Covid-19 hit , the publishing side of the business kept them afloat – and flourishing . Founder and executive chairman Mark Allen is convinced live exhibitions will return to being the bread and butter of his business and even more profitable than before . But how have they have managed to flourish through disaster ? Confident Allen says they expect to be performing at better
Mark Allen than pre-pandemic levels by the end of next year .
“ For 2022 we saw turnover of £ 60m and made EBITDA of £ 13.3m ,” he tells me from their headquarters in a vast decommissioned church in leafy Herne Hill . “ The vast bulk of that revenue came from publishing , mainly because we only started doing live events again in the autumn . Before the pandemic exhibition revenue comprised about a third of our revenue .
38 — July