After a relatively slower mergers and acquisitions market in 2019 overall, the last quarter of the year saw several transactions recently close. Questex recently acquired the Live Experience assets, including Live Design, Club Industry and World Tea Expo.

The acquired portfolio aligns with Questex’s focus on the Experience Economy and will join the Company’s other assets focused on the Hospitality industry, according to company officials. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

“The Experience Economy is here. Companies driven by ‘experiences’ have a competitive advantage with business growth. In fact, they grow four times faster than companies that don’t embrace the Experience Economy,” said Paul Miller, CEO of Questex.

He added, “Research shows that 74 percent of consumers prioritize experiences over products or things. The customer experience has taken over from price and product features as the key brand differentiator because individuals want to participate in meaningful work completed on their own timetables. As businesses compete for the attention of customers, experiences become a unique selling point.”

The Live Experience and World Tea assets complement Questex’s Restaurant & Bar portfolio. In addition, the Club Industry assets fit with Questex’s SIBEC Sports & Health Industry event as well as the hosted buyer environments Questex delivers in this market.

The Live Experience assets also include the rights to the XLive brands including the XLive Esports Summit and the WFX Network.

The Agenda trade show focuses on street, skate and surf fashion, and was bought by Toronto-based exhibition and trade show organizer AZTQ Corporation from Reed Exhibitions.

Agenda will be run by AZTQ as a standalone show under the leadership of Tony Shellman and Laurent Huttinot.

“We are excited about the acquisition of Agenda by AZTQ and look forward to growing and expanding this important and culturally relevant show,” said Tony Shellman, Agenda show director.

He added, “It has been a fantastic journey for myself and the team and we look forward to continuing to partner with innovative and leading fashion brands.”

Agenda will be held Feb. 4-6 in Las Vegas during Fashion Week.

The Institutes, a risk management and insurance knowledge provider, acquired three valuable knowledge-sharing platforms from LRP Media Group: National Workers’ Compensation and Disability Conference® & Expo (NWCDC), Risk & Insurance®, and National Ergonomics Conference & ErgoExpo® (ErgoExpo).

“At The Institutes, we are constantly seeking ways to better serve individuals interested in risk management and insurance topics,” said Peter Miller, CPCU, president and CEO of The Institutes.

He added, “By acquiring Risk & Insurance, NWCDC, and ErgoExpo, we are enhancing our ability to provide knowledge through an ever-expanding set of knowledge and knowledge-delivery solutions. Acquiring these platforms will not only enhance our content but also expand our ability to effectively deliver our content by gaining a better understanding of individuals’ risk management and insurance knowledge preferences and needs.”

NWCDC, Risk & Insurance and ErgoExpo will expand The Institutes’ educational capabilities across insurance and workplace safety.

NWCDC is the largest national workers’ compensation conference and tradeshow, focusing on the huge and complex workers’ compensation and disability industry. Additionally, Risk & Insurance is the leading media and marketing solutions platform in the risk management and commercial insurance space.

ErgoExpo is the nation’s largest and longest running ergonomics event, providing executives the latest industry knowledge essential to mitigating workplace injuries.

Tarsus Group made its fourth recent acquisition, picking up TyreXpo series of events from Singapore-based organizer, SingEx.

The acquisition adds a complementary brand to the automotive events in the Tarsus portfolio and gives the group access to an adjacent market. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. 

The three other recent Tarsus acquisitions included Touch China, BizBash Media and Smarter Shows. 

The TyreXpo series was first launched in Singapore in 1997 and now provides one of the leading meeting places for the tire industry, with many of the world’s most important suppliers to the industry participating.

Favorable market conditions in recent years have led to key tire manufacturers investing heavily in East and South Asia and the region now accounts for more than 50% of global tire manufacturing. 

According to industry sources, Asia is the largest and fastest-growing market for tires globally and is forecast to grow at a CAGR of 8.75% through to 2023.

TyreXpo Asia is firmly established as a must-attend for the industry in the region and beyond.  The biennial event is held at Singapore EXPO and the 2019 edition, held in March, attracted over 200 exhibitors across an exhibition area of 12,000 square meters and saw 2,506 visitors in attendance.

Key to the event’s ongoing success is the resilient demand for tires, irrespective of mobility trends and the future-proofed nature of the industry. 

Under Tarsus Group ownership, the event will have an increased focus on the TBR (truck & bus radial), OTR (Off the Road) and PCR (Passenger Car Radial) sectors coupled with a buyer program to grow the number of international buyers at the event.

Tarsus Group CEO Douglas Emslie, highlighted the strategic fit of the acquisition: “The TyreXpo series acquisition aligns with our approach of investing in high growth opportunities and markets. This is an exciting vertical for Tarsus and complements our existing presence in automotive industry events.”

Increased global participation will be a key focus for the event going forward, said Tarsus Asia CEO, Nino Gruettke: “The Tarsus Asia team are excited to roll out the next phase of development for TyreXpo series – a key priority will be to bring the world’s leading buyers to Singapore and truly internationalize the event.”

The next edition of TyreXpo Asia is scheduled to take place in March 2021 at the Singapore EXPO.