Informa PLC has announced the acquisition of rival events company Clarion Events from private equity firm Blackstone in a cash deal worth £2.24bn.
Clarion, which organises major gambling industry events including ICE and iGB, will be absorbed into the wider Informa portfolio under new ownership.
Clarion’s WorldGaming arm is responsible for running ICE, iGB, and the Indian Gaming Tradeshow, all of which will now sit under a FTSE 100 company.
Blackstone originally acquired Clarion back in 2017 for £600m, meaning the sale represents a significant return on investment for the private equity giant.
Founded in 1947, Clarion owns more than 100 business-to-business event brands, including IFA Berlin, the world’s largest consumer electronics show, and the DSEI defence and security exhibition.
Informa is one of the largest media and events groups in the world, carrying a market capitalisation of more than £11bn across its sprawling portfolio.
The cash deal is set to complete in Q4 2026, funded through dedicated acquisition financing alongside net proceeds from a £940m equity placing and retail offer.
The deal values Clarion at 11.1 times its expected 2027 EBITDA, falling to approximately nine times once £50m in annual cost savings are factored in.
Informa said the combined business will generate revenues of over £4.2bn across around 1,000 specialist B2B brands in more than 40 categories across 30 countries.
Clarion’s growth rate is described as “ahead of” the broader B2B events market, with the combined entity expected to deliver underlying growth of seven per cent.
As part of the wider transaction, Informa is separating out its academia-facing publishing business, Taylor & Francis, which is approaching US$1bn in annual revenue.
Clarion CEO Lisa Hannant welcomed the deal, saying: “Informa’s decision to invest in Clarion is a recognition of the quality of our business, our brands and our people.”
Hannant added: “This is a moment to recognise the outstanding contribution of our teams. Their passion, expertise and commitment have helped build the successful business that Informa is investing in today.”
Informa CEO Stephen Carter, a Labour peer who briefly served as Gordon Brown’s chief of staff at Downing Street, also spoke on the strategic rationale behind the acquisition.
Carter said: “Clarion is home to world-class B2B brands and talent. We share the same focus on serving major, specialist and international markets and delivering impact and value to our customers and partners.”
Carter further noted that the announcements “mark the latest step in a growth strategy that has seen business-to-business revenues grow ten-fold since 2014, whilst generating more than 3 billion US dollars of value in business intelligence and lifting Taylor & Francis revenues four-fold since it joined the group.”
The acquisition reflects Informa’s continued aggressive approach to mergers and acquisitions, with the company now comprising over 100 B2B brands across dozens of international markets.
