Informa 以22.4亿英镑（29.7亿美元）收购 Clarion Events

LONDON — Informa continues to dominate the global exhibitions industry with the acquisition of Clarion Events from asset manager Blackstone. The deal is expected to be completed in Q4 of 2026, subject to customary regulatory clearances.

The £2.24 billion ($2.97 billion) acquisition is one of the industry’s biggest deals in history, topping the amount that Apollo purchased Emerald and Questex for (Emerald transaction estimated at $1.5 billion), as well as Searchlight Capital’s nearly $1.8 billion purchase of CloserStill Media.

Deal Highlights

According to Informa’s press release about the acquisition, the enterprise value represents a multiple of 11.1x 2027 expected EBITDA.

The deal also allows Informa to enter three high-growth strategic markets at scale through Clarion brands: Electronics (IFA Berlin), Defense and Security (DSEI) and Gaming (ICE in Barcelona). The acquisition also adds to Informa’s existing portfolio in Energy (DISTRIBUTECH) and Technology (ITC Vegas).

With Clarion’s deep presence in the North American, Asian and European markets, Informa benefits from greater depth in the regions, and will explore opportunities to geo-locate and syndicate Clarion brands in the IMEA region, where Informa already has a strong foothold.

The acquisition also supports the One Informa growth initiatives, which include lead generation, non-endemic sponsorship, digital and data services, and hotel and city partnerships.

The Industry’s Giant Just Got Bigger

According to Grant Thornton Stax’s Top 20 rankings of the biggest exhibition organizers by 2025 revenue, Clarion Events ranked No. 3 overall, and the highest of any privately-owned organizers.

Informa took the top spot with revenue hitting $3.7 billion (30% growth from 2024), with a large portion of that revenue growth being attributed to its acquiring of Ascential, which brought Cannes Lions and Money20/20 into its portfolio. Before the Clarion acquisition, Informa’s revenue already surpassed its nearest competitor, RX, by more than double its revenue from exhibitions.

The press release from Informa also details the plans to combine the Informa and Clarion businesses, with Clarion CEO Lisa Hannant remaining in her role and joining the Informa Executive Leadership team.

Informa Focuses on Core B2B Business

The announcement of the acquisition came alongside Informa announcing its plans to separate its Taylor & Francis business.

In a press release from Informa, CEO Stephen A. Carter stated: “The planned separation of Taylor & Francis coincides with further expansion in B2B through the £2.24bn acquisition of Clarion, the U.K.-based owner of more than 100 B2B Live Events brands. The combination will underscore Informa as the U.K.-listed, international leader in B2B Live Events, with annual Group revenues exceeding $6 billion and underlying growth of 7%±.”

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