Clarion Events Expands Into Amusements

By Margo McCall -- Tradeshow Week, 7/11/2005

With its purchase of a controlling interest in Amusement Trade Exhibitions, Clarion Events has expanded into the entertainment sector.

The acquisition comes on the heels of Clarion, the former in-house organizer of Earls Court & Olympia Group, completing a management buyout last year with backing from private-equity group HG Capital. Less than two months ago, Clarion entered into a joint venture with Center Exhibitions, the in-house organizer for the NEC Birmingham. The venture, called Clarion Events NEC, is aimed at launching and buying new shows throughout Europe.

Clarion Events Managing Director Simon Kimble lauded the ATE acquisition, which was not made under the auspices of the NEC venture. "ATE has become a world leader in the amusement, gambling and betting industries, and we believe that together we can benefit hugely from their range of skills and experiences," he said in a statement.

ATE, owned by the British Amusement Catering Trades Assn., produces five exhibitions, three conferences and three magazines. The largest of the tradeshows are the 62-year-old Amusement Trade Exhibition Intl. and the Intl. Casino Exhibition, both next set for Jan. 24–26 at Earls Court & Olympia in London. Together, the audited shows last year drew more than 24,000 attendees. ATE Intl. featured an 11,500 square meter (123,740 square foot) showfloor with 286 exhibitors, while the ICE floor measured 10,000 sq. m. (107,600 sq. ft.) with 169 exhibitors. Collocated with those events next year will be ATE's inaugural Visitor Experience Show.

ATE's other holdings include Amuse, a "British amusement industry Oscars" show that draws 1,000 attendees and 45 exhibitors to Norbreck Castle Hotel in Blackpool, England, each March. The Betting Show, launched in 2002, is so far slated to draw 40 exhibitors and more than 1,000 attendees to the NEC Birmingham Oct. 19–20.

Among the conferences are European Gambling Briefing, held April 25–26 at Hotel Conrad in Brussels, Belgium; the Multi-Platform Gambling Forum, held June 28–29 at London's Earls Court & Olympia; and EiG, set for Nov. 7–9 at the Acropolis in Nice, France.

With the addition of ATE, the 25-year-old Clarion now produces 44 U.K. exhibitions, including 13 consumer shows. Clarion took a two-thirds share in the joint venture with NEC, acquiring 10 shows, including Antiques for Everyone and The Classic Motor Show. The joint venture is headquartered at NEC Birmingham and headed by Kimble.

Expomedia, the London-based organizer and venue manager, is also stepping up its activities. Dutch publisher Telegraaf Media Group's recent •9.8 million ($11.8 million) investment will help fund Expomedia's expansion in India and Russia.

The two companies previously established a joint venture to launch consumer and tradeshows in the Netherlands under the brand name TE2, short for Telegraaf Expomedia Events. The acquisition of a dozen auto events from Dutch event organizer VDB Group will initially provide the bulk of the portfolio.

Expomedia and Telegraaf also have a partnership to manage the recently opened EXPO XXI Amsterdam.