LONDON, UK: Informa Plc (LSE: INF.L), the international Academic Markets, B2B Markets and Digital Services Group, announced the acquisition of B2B Events group, Tarsus for $940 million.

Stephen A. Carter, Group Chief Executive, Informa, said: “We have long admired the Tarsus business which, like Informa, has been built around major brands in attractive, specialist B2B markets in the growing regions of Asia, China, the Middle East and the Americas.”

Douglas Emslie, Chief Executive, Tarsus added: “I am extremely proud of the Tarsus business, our people and our customers. I could not think of a better partner than Informa to lead our brands and colleagues through the next phase of growth and expansion.”

The Informa Board believes the combination is both commercially and financially compelling, with strong portfolio alignment that will deliver enhanced value for customers, additional opportunities for colleagues and attractive returns for shareholders.

Robert Leeming, Partner at Charterhouse, said: “We are proud to have supported Tarsus’ development since 2019 and are confident that Informa is exceptionally well placed to deliver the next stage of the company’s growth strategy. We look forward to becoming a shareholder.”

Tarsus owns and operates a portfolio of 160+ Live and On-Demand B2B Event brands, with a focus on growing, specialist B2B markets with fragmented supply chains and high levels of innovation.

The top 10 Tarsus Brands Ð attracting a total of c.515k attendees and 8,350+ exhibitors across c.385k net square metres of floor space – will further expand Informa’s Tier 1 portfolio to more than 85 Brands demonstrating the following characteristics:

• Leading position within market/region
• Brand strength and visibility
• International customer base
• High levels of forward commitments
• Consistent, strong revenue growth
• Volume, price and ancillary revenues
• Revenue scale of $5m+

Since 2019, when Tarsus plc was acquired by Charterhouse, the Tarsus portfolio has been expanded and enhanced through 24 new launches and 11 targeted acquisitions. Like Informa, Tarsus is seeing a similar strong return to the market for Live and On-Demand B2B Events in 2023.

The Tarsus business also significantly benefits from biennial events in odd numbered years.

The Informa and Tarsus portfolios are complementary, both geographically and by market category, strengthening Informa’s position across a number of verticals including:

• Beauty & Aesthetics: A4M, LiVDerm, South Beach Symposium
• Healthcare: Health Connect Partners, PAINWeek, Cardiometabolic Health Congress
• Packaging: LabelExpo (US, Mexico, Europe, China, Thailand, India)
• Infrastructure: Intertraffic, Rail+Metro, Infrastructure Connect, Cambuild
• Aviation: Dubai Airshow, MEBAA Show, Space Tech Expo
• Sustainability: Intersolar, Mexico Wind Power, Aquatech Mexico
• Homewares: Home Furnishing Expo Shenzhen (Hometex), Zuchex
• Fashion: SIUF Show, OFFPRICE

Informa colleague, Mark Temple-Smith, will step in as Executive Chair of Tarsus from completion through to the end of the Combination Programme in January 2024. Mark is currently Informa Markets Chief Operating Officer and was formerly the CEO of Asia for Tarsus.

Douglas Emslie, the current Chief Executive of Tarsus, will become a Senior Advisor to the Informa Group through the Combination Programme, guiding on talent, brands and partnerships.

The combination of Tarsus with Informa is expected to generate c.$20m annualised operating synergies by 2025 through efficiencies in procurement, real estate, technology, event contracts and other areas.

The combination is also expected to deliver incremental revenue benefits through cross marketing of Brands, digital expansion and new event launches, as well as harvesting first party data from Tarsus into IIRIS.