Exhibition News September 2019 | Page 11

Obituary “He didn’t once stay on script and expletives were the order of the day, but they all loved him.” — Peter Hodson instinctively recognised potential the way he did. Above all it was that quality that allowed him to build CloserStill into what it is today – a business that sent private equity into a spin, paying vast sums to be part of the journey with him. A fact that gave him a lot of pleasure as part of his anti- capitalism agenda. “Despite his success he has shunned the limelight throughout, although I will never forget his altercation with a cuddly ‘Giant Hound’ outside the commissioning show! (It became a double page spread in Time Out magazine). I’ll also never forget the time I asked Andy to present to our funders; he didn’t once stay on script and expletives were the order of the day, but they all loved him. And I’ll never know anybody that has collected so many parking tickets. “Above all I feel extremely fortunate to have had the opportunity to hold on to his coat tails and spend so much time with him over the last 15 years. The truth is I wouldn’t be where I am today if I hadn’t bumped into Andy.” NVM invested in CloserStill Media, led by Andy and the other key directors, Michael Westcott and Phil Nelson. He became CEO of CloserStill, and the London Vet Show became the company’s first launch on 6 November 2009. During 2009, CloserStill bought into Pioneer Events, which ran small pharmacy and dentistry shows in the NEC. Today CSM has 10 Vet Shows worldwide and another three planned. The first PE deal CloserStill did was in 2012, when Phoenix invested, and the company was valued at £25m. In 2015 Inflexion invested and the company was valued at £115m. Providence invested in 2018 when the enterprise value of the company was reported as £340m. Andy stepped down as CloserStill CEO, after eight years, in January 2017. CloserStill has won more awards than any other trade show company (47 and counting) and is the only company in the industry to rank in the Sunday Times Best 100 companies to work for. Peder Berg, CEO of Accredit Solutions, recalls meeting Andy: “I knew from the minute I met him that I was dealing with a force of nature. Most recently, Andy became our lead investor at Accredit Solutions, and this is when the fun really started for me. He was fabulously eccentric with laser vision, the quickest wit I’ve ever seen, an unwavering moral compass, a total dedication to Angela and his family and, in his semi-retirement, the worst personal time management of anyone I’ve ever known. If he wasn’t late for a meeting, he was very early, sometimes by a day or two, but when he did arrive, he got straight to the point. “The last board meeting we had with Andy at Accredit was hilarious. He called ahead to say he was going to be late and I noticed there was a parking spot open in front of our building (if you knew Andy, you knew he drove everywhere. I’m not sure if he even knew what an Oyster Card was). As I was standing in the spot saving it for him, I notice his Jag off in the distance driving up, but something looked a bit off. As he approached, I couldn’t believe my eyes. Under his driver’s side windscreen wiper was a tree branch the size of a small bush. As he got out, I pointed to the branch and he seemed surprised to find it there, mumbling about how he thought there was something different in his view. However, when he walked into the board meeting, he spent the next 2.5 hours holding court, dissecting the business, offering incredibly insightful advice, and generally inspiring everyone in the room to be the best they could be. “Andy Center was one of the most incredible people I’ve ever known. He was a great business partner and an even greater friend. The halls within the Accredit offices are quieter, the hearts of those who knew him well are a little emptier, but the passion and inspiration that he left with us is an energy that will never dissipate. Rest in peace brother.” Julian Agostini, MD of Mash Media, concludes: “I’m so sad about Andy; he is a great loss to the industry. A complete one-off, he was an extraordinary, captivating man who always held your full attention. There is no question that he lived on the edge, but I do believe that he was close to genius status and that’s the nature of the beast. A true ground-breaker, total livewire, always fizzing with ideas, hugely inspirational character and of course a natural leader. He drove our industry forward at some pace and has left an amazing legacy…I would say rest in peace, but Andy didn’t really do rest or peace and quiet. We’ll miss that energy and effervescence.” EN September — 11