HousingWire to acquire distressed property events & publishing business REO Insider

September 19, 2010 — Fusion DigiNet

HousingWire to acquire REO Insider

HousingWire, a publication for mortgage investment, origination and servicing executives, is to acquire REO Insider, a trade journal focused on distressed real estate transactions. HousingWire will assume ongoing management of various conferences and research products tied to REO Insider, as well as other assets.

“The distressed real estate market, whether via REO or short sales, has never been more relevant to the overall economic picture than it is right now,” said HousingWire CEO Paul Jackson. “This acquisition will solidify HousingWire’s position as the only end-to-end news and information source that crosses the entire housing finance spectrum.”

REO Insider organized and hosted REO Expo 2010 in Dallas this past June, bringing more than 1,500 industry professionals together. The company also launched the Pinnacle Awards program, the REO industry’s first-ever peer-selected awards program, based upon a research product developed by the publication.

“We’re very much looking forward to hosting REO Expo in 2011, and will continue to build upon the success of the Pinnacle Awards to expand an offering of research products in the future,” said Richard Bitner, HousingWire president. “With the outlook for U.S. housing remaining highly volatile, we expect that the HousingWire media platform will be positioned through this acquisition to better meet the demands of a changing industry.”

The transaction is expected to close by October 1, 2010, with the newly-expanded HousingWire Magazine and HousingWire website debuting in November.

USA. Dallas, TX

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UBM acquires Canon Communications LLC for $287 million

September 16, 2010 — Fusion DigiNet

UBM has reached an agreement to acquire Canon Communications LLC from Spectrum Equity Investors and Apprise Media LLC for $287 million.

View UBM’s acquisition presentation – PRESENTATION

Transaction highlights

  • UBM to become the leading worldwide provider of tradeshow and related media for the growing medical device design and manufacturing market and adjacent advanced manufacturing sectors
  • Creates excellent growth opportunities, particularly in emerging markets, leveraging UBM’s worldwide tradeshow infrastructure and expertise
  • Complements UBM’s existing electronic engineering business, creating a richer set of information and marketing services
  • Expected to be approximately 9% EPS accretive in its first full year of ownership, with Return on Investment in that year in excess of cost of capital
  • The $287 million consideration represents a multiple of 7.8x EBITDA (LTM 30 June 2010); the transaction will be funded from existing bank facilities
  • Continues UBM’s strategy of investing to establish strong positions in B2B markets that provide rich opportunities for profitable growth worldwide
  • The transaction is subject to Hart-Scott-Rodino (HSR) antitrust clearance

In the twelve months to 30 June 2010, Canon generated $106 million (£68 million) in revenues and $37 million (£24 million) in EBITDA on a pro forma basis. Pro forma revenues and EBITDA for the six months to 30 June 2010 were $66 million (£44 million) and $27 million (£18 million) respectively.

David Levin, Chief Executive Officer, UBM said, “The acquisition of Canon is an exciting step for UBM, building on our track record of identifying, completing and integrating value-enhancing acquisitions over the last five years. Canon is a great strategic fit for us: it gives us a complementary portfolio of market-leading branded tradeshows and related products which serve highly attractive growth markets experiencing globalisation. The combination of Canon’s brands with both our worldwide infrastructure and our existing electronic engineering business offers us exciting growth opportunities, particularly in Canon’s core medical device design and manufacturing markets. The management team, led by Charlie McCurdy, have done a great job in developing the Canon business. I look forward to welcoming Canon’s staff to UBM and to working with them as we accelerate Canon’s growth.”

USA, Los Angeles

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Emap has acquired The Energy Event

September 6, 2010 — Fusion DigiNet

Emap has acquired The Energy Event and its related magazines from Eamonn Brennan and Neil Western of Western Business Media.

From 2011, The Energy Event will run alongside the Recycling and Waste Management Exhibition (RWM) in halls 17-20 at the NEC.

Whilst the two shows will be marketed separately and each will retain their own identities and focus, the move of the Energy Event to the NEC next door to RWM will allow the event to benefit from the improved layout and facilities of purpose built exhibition halls as well as the relevant cross over audience from RWM.

“RWM and the Energy Event are a natural fit for co location. There is a growing appetite for waste-to-energy conversion as way of dealing with two major issues at once – waste management and sustainable energy. By bringing the waste and sustainable energy sectors together in this way we can help satisfy that appetite,” said Gerry Sherwood, RWM’s Event Director.

Eamonn Brennan will remain involved as a consultant and Steve Swaine and Tim McManan Smith will take up key roles on the project team.

“It is great news for the market that Emap has acquired the Energy Event. They are the natural purchaser and have a reputation for delivering events that are the focal point of the markets they serve. Their focus and resource will enable the event to move to the next stage in its development at the NEC. I will be working closely with the MD’s Alison Jackson and Paul Dunne and ED Gerry Sherwood to ensure a smooth transition” said Eamonn Brennan

MD Alison Jackson commented “We are delighted to welcome Eamonn, Steve and Tim to Emap. We have admired this event from afar after visiting several times. It is a quality, industry led event with great content and an essential diary date for anyone in the sector. Emap’s marketing and operational resource will ensure the event becomes even more important for decision makers in the energy sector as it develops in conjunction with market needs going forward”

UK, London

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UBM Studios acquires virtual recruitment fairs business Astound

September 1, 2010 — Fusion DigiNet

UBM Studios it has acquired Astound LLC, the creator of Milicruit and Unicruit virtual career fairs targeted at placing veterans/military personnel and graduating college students in the workforce.  By adding Astound to its portfolio of virtual business solutions, UBM Studios adds Fortune 500 clients including GE, Raytheon, CSX, Walgreens, Stryker, Verizon, Booz Allen, Amazon, Target, 3M, Accenture and FedEx to its roster.
“The Astound business nicely complements our existing virtual business offerings.  By combining the strength of our two businesses, we now deliver a best in class solution for virtual career fairs.  This is the first step in our strategic initiative to significantly enhance our portfolio,” said Kate Spellman, SVP, Managing Director, UBM Studios.  “We are pleased to harness our technology expertise to offer virtual career solutions that will streamline the recruitment process for recruiters and individuals seeking employment.” 

“We are very excited to become a part of UBM today.  UBM is a forerunner in the virtual event marketplace and is poised for growth in the virtual events sector.  We are pleased to expand the UBM Studios virtual recruitment fairs portfolio with new offerings, industries and customers,” said Kevin O’Brien, Managing Partner of Astound.  “We have seen tremendous success with our niche events and we are very proud to help veterans as well as college graduates find employment.  The media coverage we have received surrounding our Milicruit events reinforces the critical importance of our virtual career fairs.”

USA, Chicago, IL

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UBM Aviation acquires The Route Development Group

August 13, 2010 — Fusion DigiNet

UBM Aviation has today announced that it has acquired The Route Development Group Limited (RDG). The combination of RDG’s highly respected events and consultancy business with our OAG data and schedules business will bring great benefits to our customers in the airline and airport communities.

RDG comprises four main business areas:

Routes – The World Route Development Forum – is widely considered the industry-leading, global networking event for providing airlines, airports, suppliers and industry observers the opportunity to meet to develop new aviation routes worldwide, as well as manage existing networks.

The regional Routes series of events: Routes Europe, Routes Americas, Routes Asia, Routes Africa and Routes CIS. All events serve the needs of route developers and network planners in their specific local regions.

Airport Strategy & Marketing Ltd. (ASM), a highly-regarded aviation route consulting services business serving the global airport customer community.

Routesonline.com, an online portal bringing together airports and airlines to share information and intelligence such as facilities, traffic statistics, air services, demographics and supporting resources, as well as through Route Exchange a platform for airports to bid directly for airline capacity.

This transaction will enable UBM Aviation to provide its customers with a broader and deeper set of product offerings across data, analytics, events and consultancy to help our airline and airport customers manage their schedules operations and route networks to optimum efficiency and effectiveness.

“We are delighted to have acquired this fantastic business, which includes a genuinely unique mix of assets that will enhance how we serve the airline and airport markets. I am also pleased to welcome their solid base of talented aviation industry experts.  Their skills will greatly complement the UBM Aviation team,” said Peter von Moltke, Chief Executive Officer, UBM Aviation. “RDG’s collective assets, merged with our own, will strengthen our position as the leading global provider of aviation intelligence, and events, and create a solid foundation for our global aviation consulting business, all contributing to the company’s future growth. We look forward to growing ASM and the Routes events further by utilizing the global UBM resources.”

“I am extremely satisfied to have sold RDG to an industry leader such as UBM Aviation. Over the past 17 years, ASM and Routes have changed the way the world’s airlines and airports do business and pioneered a whole new approach to air service development. With the help of dedicated teams, we developed ASM into the world’s leading aviation route development consultancy and the award-winning Routes into the industry’s largest networking forum. I am proud to say that RDG has become the leading global solutions provider in the route development industry. Looking ahead, there is a lot of scope for both ASM and Routes to further flourish, and I am certain that UBM Aviation with its strong market position is the ideal company to lead RDG into a continuously successful future,” said Mike Howarth, Group CEO, RDG.

Location: UK, London

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UBM acquires Children-Baby-Maternity Products Expo in China and related assets

August 13, 2010 — Fusion DigiNet

United Business Media has acquired the Shanghai International Children-Baby-Maternity Products Expo (CBME) and related businesses on behalf of its UBM Asia division to enter China’s fast-growing baby products market.

Launched in 2001, this annual exhibition is aimed at international and domestic manufacturers and distributors of child and baby products for the Chinese market. This year’s show took place from 22-24 July, hosting over 850 exhibitors in 69,000 square metres of gross exhibition space. Attendees included retailers, agents, distributors, purchasing agents, investors and media agencies.

In addition to the main business-to-business tradeshow, UBM is also acquiring two smaller complementary business-to-consumer child and baby products fairs in Guangzhou and Beijing.

The business employs 59 staff at its Hangzhou office and is expected to generate approximately US$6.5m in revenue this year. The Chinese children and baby market represents an attractive sector for UBM, with strong growth potential underpinned by current economic and demographic trends.

Jime Essink, President & CEO of UBM Asia, said: “We are entering a dynamic new sector through the acquisition of this established and profitable platform. By applying our knowledge of best practice in events, online and print, we look forward to developing these businesses further for the benefit of our customers, as well as driving growth as this exciting market continues to expand. We are also excited about working closely with the experienced and professional team at CBME.”

Location: Hong Kong

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Live Promotions acquires Vintage and Classic Events

July 5, 2010 — Fusion DigiNet

Live Promotions has aquired Vintage and Classic Events with immediate effect. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Bob Limming, Director of Live Promotions said: “It is really a question of passing the baton on to Live, who are the leading automotive event organisers in the UK.”

Live Promotions owns the high octane winter motorsport event Race Retro, held at Stoneleigh Park, and classic outdoor event Bromley Pageant of Motoring. Live also own the massively popular Truckfest series, that together with Land Rover events throughout the country as well as several motorcycle and modified car shows.

Bob added: “Live Promotions are very conscious that the VCE events started by Neil Bateman and then latterly organised by Lyn Bateman, have been a labour of love for many years. Live Promotions intend to retain the core values of the Restoration Show and the MG and Triumph shows, all of which are held at Stoneleigh Park, and at the same time adding one or two new features to enhance each event. An added bonus is that Lyn Bateman will not be a stranger and will help us with the transition. We look forward to the first of the shows, which will be the Restoration Show on 24th October 2010.”

Location: UK, Spalding, Lincs

Ref: F231109-483

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UBM to acquire majority stake in Navalshore

June 15, 2010 — Fusion DigiNet

United Business Media has signed an agreement to acquire a 60% interest in Navalshore, a Brazilian shipbuilding industry tradeshow and conference, from its private owners.

Founded in 2004, Navalshore is the leading annual tradeshow for the maritime industry in Brazil. Held in Rio de Janeiro, the centre of the Brazilian shipbuilding industry, Navalshore brings together suppliers of marine and shipbuilding technology, products and services with shipbuilders, subcontractors and companies ordering new ships. The 2009 edition of Navalshore attracted more than 250 exhibiting companies and over 12,600 maritime engineering industry visitors, generating revenues of around $700,000. The next edition of Navalshore takes place during 11-13 August 2010.

The acquisition of a majority stake in Navalshore gives UBM greater exposure to the Brazilian maritime industry, one of the fastest growing markets in the world. The event is complementary to UBM’s largest Brazilian show, Intermodal, which has a strong maritime transport component. The acquisition also provides a platform for the introduction of UBM’s international maritime brands such as Marintec and Cruise Shipping to the Brazilian market. The acquisition is expected to close within the next six weeks.

Simon Foster, CEO of UBM International Media, said: “Navalshore gives UBM a majority share in the leading event for the Brazilian maritime industry, one of the fastest growing maritime markets in the world, and continues our strategy of investing in markets and geographies which provide significant growth opportunities. Working with our partners in Brazil, we aim to grow the Navalshore exhibition and conference rapidly over the next several years, as well as to bring UBM’s maritime brands to Brazil.”

Location: Brazil, Rio de Janeiro

Ref: F231109-499

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Poken raises $1.8 million

May 21, 2010 — Fusion DigiNet

Swiss businees Poken, a business that describes itself as bridging online and real world social networking, has received a strategic investment from Swisscom Ventures, the corporate venture arm of Swisscom AG – Switzerland’s leading telecom operator. Swisscom is participating in a $1.8 million round, and will be represented on Poken’s Board of Directors by Dominique Mégret, Head of Swisscom Ventures, a seasoned executive and entrepreneur.

Poken is helping customers build solutions for bridging the gap between online and offline social networking needs. The new pokenEVENT service offering is gaining significant traction in the events and corporate networking space — helping customers such as Adobe, BMW, IBM, Microsoft and Tempo Music host powerful networking events. In addition, event organizers such as PublicisLive — host of the World Economic Forum — have also used the pokenEVENT networking platform to help reduce the clutter of business cards and streamline the process for distributing digital materials at their events.

“Over the last 6 months Poken has narrowed its focus and is building a world-class suite of hardware and software solutions to meet the needs of the events and corporate networking space” said Stephane Doutriaux, CEO of Poken. “We believe Swisscom can add considerable fuel to our growth, as well as provide assistance in working with leading event organizers and corporate partners. This is a significant partnership for Poken, our customers, and our network of resellers.”

Location: Switzerland, Lausanne

Ref: F231109-454

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Dice Holdings acquires online and career events business WorldwideWorker

May 11, 2010 — Fusion DigiNet

Dice Holdings, a provider of specialised career websites for professional communities, has acquired WorldwideWorker, the online and career events recruiter for engineers and professionals in the energy industry worldwide.

“The acquisition of WorldwideWorker delivers on two important parts of our growth strategy: international growth and new vertical expansion,” said Scot Melland, Chairman, President & CEO of Dice Holdings, Inc. “WorldwideWorker is a well-regarded player in the highly-attractive energy sector. The global nature of the energy business allows us to leverage both our cross-border recruiting expertise and our international infrastructure.”

Based in Dubai, WorldwideWorker is widely known for its extensive international resume database and its recruitment events held at industry-leading conferences. More than 400,000 energy professionals have registered with WorldwideWorker and two-thirds of those are based in Asia, Africa or the Middle East.  Nearly half of WorldwideWorker’s candidates have at least ten years experience.  

“Our common goal is to help hiring managers and recruiters find the best possible talent most efficiently. Speed-to-hire is critical in the energy industry,” said Frederik Rengers, CEO of WorldwideWorker.  “Pairing the experienced Dice team with our extensive energy-industry knowledge will drive the growth of WorldwideWorker and deliver significant value to our customers.”

The purchase price consists of initial consideration of $6 million in cash.  Additional consideration to a maximum of $3 million in cash is payable upon the achievement of certain operating and financial goals over the next two years.

Ref: F231109-425

Posted in B2B Services, Conference/Exhibitions/Events, Content Media, Energy & Environmental Services, Internet Media, ~Middle East & Africa, ~North America. Leave a Comment »
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