Obituary
Remembering a force of
exhibition nature – Andy Center
dynamic force in the UK
and global exhibition
industry, Andy Center
passed away suddenly on
6 August. He was 58.
As CEO of CloserStill Media (CSM)
Andy was at the heart of numerous
acquisitions and launches. He took
great pride in the fact that all staff
were issued with shares.
Andy’s roles in the industry
included Marketing Director at Reed
Exhibitions, and Marketing Director
and then CEO of Independent
Exhibitions. Independent was
acquired by Cleveland-based
publishing group Penton in 1997. Andy
led a £2.2m buyout, backed by NVM
Venture Capital, of Penton’s European
tradeshows, and this entity became
Ithaca Media. Ithaca was then sold to
UBM in 2007.
Andrew Dedman, who worked with
Andy from the late 80s until 2001,
at Independent Exhibitions, recalls:
“Nobody has ever come close to his
creative and strategic thinking in my
experience. He was the go-to guy for
problem-solving and new ideas, not
only for the marketing team but also
the sales team and especially me, the
MD. I will miss him.”
Dedman remembers the night
that the sale of Independent
Exhibitions was completed. They had
been negotiating for months with
intimidating American lawyers and
w w w.exhibitionworld.co.uk
finally finished at about 2am. “We
were exhausted,” he says. “Walking
down Fleet Street looking for a cab
and Andy said, ‘this is going to change
my whole life. I’m always haggling
over price, and now I don’t need to
haggle any more. What it costs is what
I’ll pay’.
“Just as he finished talking a cab
came by, and Andy asked how much it
was to Hammersmith. The driver said
£35, and Andy said, ‘what kind of idiot
do you think I am!”
Peter Hodson, a partner at
NVM, tells EW: “Andy was utterly
compelling. We started CloserStill in
the café of the Landmark hotel on one
sheet of A4 [paper], setting out the
strategy with a series of scribbles.
“I don’t think I have met anybody
that instinctively recognised potential
the way he did. Above all it was that
quality that allowed him to build
CloserStill into what it is today.”
NVM invested in CloserStill Media,
led by Andy and the other key
directors, Michael Westcott and Phil
Nelson.
Andy 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 at the
NEC in Birmingham.
From youthful
student firebrand,
above, to exhibition
strategic genius and
still a firebrand,
below left, Andy
Center left a huge
legacy and impact
on the global
exhibition industry.
“Nobody has
ever come
close to his
creative and
strategic
thinking
in my
experience.
He was the
go-to guy
for problem-
solving and
new ideas.”
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.
More recently, Andy became lead
investor at Accredit Solutions. “He
was fabulously eccentric, with laser
vision,” said Peder Berg, CEO. “The
passion and inspiration that he left
with us is an energy that will never
dissipate.”
Julian Agostini, MD of Mash Media,
added: “Andy was a complete one-off,
an extraordinary, captivating man
who always held your full attention.
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.”
Ian Smout, a partner at CloserStill,
said: “Andy had his flaws and could
be occasionally stubborn, opinionated
and very demanding but then so could
all of the heroes I have had in my
life. That’s what made him real and
exciting to know and to work for. I
always thought of him as the Johnny
Rotten of the exhibition industry and I
don’t think there will ever be another
like him.”
Kevin Keck, Phoenix Equity,
described Andy as one of the most
difficult Chief Executives to win
over. “Not because he was difficult
himself, but because he was intensely
proud of his business, his team and
what they had accomplished. And
he wanted to be sure that anyone
becoming involved in the business
was as passionate, as intelligent and as
committed as he was. And that was a
tall order.”
Issue 5 2019
29