DEALMAKERS larger PE firm likely to take the reins and inject further capital for the next stage of growth . Phoenix originally invested in the exhibition sector in 2012 when it acquired CloserStill Media from Northern Venture Management before selling on to Inflexion . It liked the company so much that it retained part of its stake , finally exiting when Inflexion sold to current owners Providence . Maybe it will do the same with Nineteen . Talking of CloserStill Media , I was told off by its chairman Phil Soar for not including either of its recent acquisitions in the last edition of this publication . Unfortunately , that edition went to press before the deals were announced so this one ’ s for you Phil . CloserStill made its largest acquisition to date , buying Tony Robinson ’ s UKI Media and Events in a move that brings it into the automotive , aerospace , marine , transport and infrastructure sectors , creating a new Future Transport group with a portfolio of innovative events across Europe , United States and Asia . This was quickly followed up by the acquisition of a majority stake in the Hydrogen Technology and Carbon Capture Technology Expo events in the United States and Germany launched by Transglobal Events . With its emphasis on geographical brand rollouts , we can expect to see CloserStill quickly expand these portfolios . It took Doug Emslie less than six months from the announcement of the $ 1bn sale of Tarsus to Informa to create Cuil Bay Capital and unexpectedly acquire Raccoon Media Group . I say unexpectedly because Emslie was not intending to acquire the business , despite already having a fairly substantial shareholding in Raccoon . However , two serious approaches and offers for the company forced him to decide if he was a seller or a buyer . Unsurprisingly , Emslie has been inundated with offers of additional investment and there has also been a steady stream of companies wanting Cuil Bay to acquire them . It ’ s great to see the involvement of Neville Buch , the architect behind the success of Blenheim and founder of Tarsus , as a Cuil Bay shareholder . The business has been structured so that the current Raccoon management , CEO Mike Seaman and COO Jo Tyler , have also become shareholders in Cuil Bay so we are likely to see them quickening the pace of growth of Raccoon rather than embarking on something entirely new . This is likely to expand beyond the current sectors of outdoor sports and healthy living while remaining true to
A summary of other transactions since the last edition of EN :
Buyer Business Country Sector Mark Allen Group Glazing Summit UK Glazing
MAG adds to its Glass & Glazing Products magazine and Installer Awards retaining strong links with previous owner Insight Data .
Informa LSX Global Biotech
Informa acquires Biotech , Medtech and Healthtech partnering and strategy events organiser LSX for its Informa Connect Life Sciences family of platforms and products .
Terrapinn
Broadband Communities
USA
Tech
Terrapinn acquires leading event for the building , managing , marketing and monetisation of high-speed broadband technologies and services and adds to its Total Telecom event portfolio .
Terrapinn
Aerospace Tech Week
USA / Germany
Aviation
Terrapinn buys Munich and Atlanta shows together with Aerospace Tech Review magazine . MPE
SAHBA Home Shows its current mission of developing events for defined communities of enthusiasts . Will the resignation of Web Summit founder Paddy Cosgrave over his remarks about the Hamas terrorist attacks in Israel , and the appointment of Katherine Maher , previously CEO and executive director of the Wikimedia Foundation in his place trigger the sale of the business ? Web Summit was founded in 2009 and has become the largest tech event in the world together with a growing portfolio of sister events in Hong Kong , Canada , Brazil and Qatar . Several observers expected the business to have been sold before now – maybe this will be the catalyst . EN
USA
Home Shows
Serial Home Show acquirer , Marketplace Events acquires two more shows in Tuscon , Arizona .
Easyfairs QUICKFairs Italy / Germany Industrial Easyfairs teams up with Coil Winding show organiser in mainland Europe .
IEG A & T Italy Automation
Italian Exhibition Group pays € 600k to acquire a 51 % stake in the organiser of Automation and Testing in Turin and Vicenza in Industry 4.0 move .
Winter — 11