Naboo收购英国Pro-ven以扩大企业会议管理业务规模

Skift Take

Naboo believes that small meetings will become worth centralizing once AI handles the admin. If that holds, procurement will gain control over a category planners and local agencies have traditionally owned.

Meetings and events technology company Naboo has acquired pro-ven, bringing its annual managed meetings and events spending to $300 million.

The acquisition, Naboo’s second, follows a $70 million funding round earlier this year and an expansion into Asia-Pacific. Financial terms were not disclosed.

Pro-ven accounts for approximately $30 million in annual gross merchandise value (GMV), representing 10% of Naboo’s combined transaction volume. Before the acquisition, Naboo managed approximately $270 million annually.

The deal reflects a bigger bet on AI. Naboo says it has reduced its internal cost of managing an event from approximately $300 to $10, a shift CEO Maxime Eduardo believes will accelerate consolidation across the meetings industry.

Founded in 2005, pro-ven specializes in venue sourcing, supplier negotiations, contract management and payments for corporate and association clients. The company will become Naboo’s UK headquarters, with founder and managing director Julian Laxon remaining in his role.

Naboo previously acquired French meetings technology company Bizmeeting in 2024.

Bringing Meetings Under Financial Control

Naboo is targeting what it estimates is a $400 billion corporate meetings and events market, much of which remains fragmented across local agencies, suppliers, and internal departments.

While companies centralize spending on business travel and other expenses, they often manage meetings and events through disconnected systems, leaving procurement and finance departments with limited visibility.

Naboo’s platform combines venue sourcing, contract negotiations, approvals, invoicing, and payments, using AI to automate administrative tasks.

AI Changes the Economics of Event Planning

Small meetings require many of the same administrative steps as large conferences but generate far less revenue for the companies managing them.

Eduardo believes AI will fundamentally change that equation, allowing technology-driven companies to profitably serve a market segment that has traditionally been challenging for meetings management providers.

“AI is the only way to serve small meetings and events at scale, which is the real pain point of large organizations,” Eduardo said.

He predicts that traditional meetings management companies with limited technology capabilities will increasingly become acquisition targets for AI-focused competitors.

“No-tech / low-tech players will lose market share,” he said. “However, they still have great portfolios of beautiful customers, who would benefit tremendously from AI capabilities.”

Competition Heats Up

Naboo isn’t alone in pursuing a bigger share of corporate meetings spending.

Navan recently acquired BoomPop, an AI-powered corporate events platform, while established providers such as American Express Global Business Travel continue to offer strategic meetings management services.

Eduardo argues that Naboo’s focus exclusively on meetings and events gives it an advantage over traditional travel management companies. Its platform also consolidates supplier invoices and payments across categories ranging from catering and transportation to entertainment and team-building activities.

Founded in 2022, Naboo has raised approximately $100 million over the past three years and now operates eight offices worldwide, including New York, San Francisco, London and Singapore.

Naboo is pursuing additional acquisitions, particularly in the U.S., as Eduardo bets that AI will drive the next wave of meetings industry consolidation.