Forge收购Kisaco Research：Emerald与Questex合并后第二笔交易落地

NEW YORK CITY — Forge, the new organization that combined Emerald and Questex, acquired Kisaco Research. Kisaco’s portfolio of 14 events includes the flagship AI Infra Summit, which attracted more than 6,500 attendees and 260 sponsors this year.

This is Forge’s second acquisition since it was launched, its first being Becker’s Healthcare.

Trade Show Executive (TSE) checked in with Paul Miller, FCIM, Forge’s CEO, to discuss this move and his strategic vision.

ANDREW: What makes Kisaco right for Forge’s portfolio?

PAUL: What excites us about businesses like Becker’s and Kisaco is that they have built something special: trusted brands, deep relationships with their communities and strong positions in markets that are growing fast and evolving the business model.

At Forge, we’re not simply looking to add events to our portfolio. We’re looking for businesses that understand their markets, bring buyers and sellers together in meaningful ways, and have the potential to become even more valuable to the communities they serve in tailwind markets.

Becker’s has built an extraordinary position in healthcare, while Kiasco has established itself in high-growth specialist markets, particularly AI infrastructure. Both bring entrepreneurial leadership, deep market expertise and a real understanding of their customers.

That’s exactly the kind of business we want to be part of Forge.

ANDREW: How will Forge enhance Kisaco?

PAUL: Our philosophy is straightforward: preserve what makes a business successful and give it the capabilities, resources and investment to grow faster.

We don’t acquire great businesses to make them all look alike. We want to protect their brands, entrepreneurial spirit, customer relationships and the talented people who built them.

What Forge brings is scale and a broader set of capabilities. That includes international reach, digital platforms, content, data and audience intelligence, one-to one meetings and new ways to connect buyers and sellers throughout the year.

We can help successful events expand into new markets, build year-round communities, develop new products and create more measurable value for customers.

And importantly, this works both ways. Becker’s and Kisaco bring capabilities and expertise that make Forge stronger. We’re building a company where the best ideas can come from anywhere and benefit the entire organization.

ANDREW: Could you describe what Forge looks for when acquiring organizations such as Becker’s and Kiasco?

PAUL: We start with three things: strong market positions, exceptional people and meaningful growth potential.

First, we look for businesses that are genuinely important to the communities they serve. They have trusted brands, engaged audiences and relationships that are difficult to replicate.

Second, leadership and culture matter enormously. We value entrepreneurial teams that know their customers, move quickly, innovate and are passionate about their markets. We want those people to continue leading and growing their businesses.

Third, we look at what we can accomplish together that neither business could achieve as quickly on its own. That might mean geographic expansion, new digital products, adjacent markets or leveraging complementary brands and audiences across Forge.

Becker’s and Kisaco are great examples. They’re very different businesses, but both have strong foundations and significant opportunities ahead.

Ultimately, we’re not acquiring businesses to get bigger. We’re acquiring businesses that help us get better, while creating opportunities for them to grow.

ANDREW: Is there anything else you would like to add?

PAUL: I think we’re at a really exciting moment for our industry.

For years, the industry has largely defined itself around individual events. But our customers don’t operate that way. They need connections, insights, content and opportunities to do business throughout the year.

That’s the opportunity we’re building Forge around.

We have an extraordinary collection of brands, talented people and engaged communities. By bringing together live experiences, content, digital engagement, data and technology, we can create something much more powerful than a traditional events company.

And acquisitions are an important part of that journey. Every business we bring into Forge should add new expertise, new energy and new opportunities.

Our ambition isn’t simply to be one of the largest companies in our industry. It’s to build one of the most innovative, growth-oriented companies in our industry — one that helps our customers and communities succeed.

That’s what makes this next chapter so exciting.

Paul Miller will be TSE’s January 2027 cover star. To get the January 2027 issue of TSE Magazine, subscribe in print or online.

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