UBM, E.J. Krause Are Scooping up Shows

Oh say, can you see ... those acquisitions?

United Business Media, E.J. Krause & Associates, ALM Properties and HX Media all announced major acquisitions in the days surrounding the July 4 holiday.

The most significant purchases were by London-based United Business Media, which on July 4 and 5, respectively, announced it had purchased Thames Gateway Forum for just over £3 million ($5.5 million) and Commonwealth Business Media for $152 million.

Also on July 5, ALM (formerly American Lawyer Media), a media firm serving legal and business professionals, announced it had acquired conference and seminar producer Strategic Research Institute. Both firms are based in New York.

On June 29, Latrobe, Pa.-based Kelly Simon Productions announced it had sold a majority interest in its Pennsylvania Law Enforcement & Security Expo, New York Law Enforcement & Security Expo and West Virginia Law Enforcement & Security Expo to E.J. Krause.

Finally, on June 20, San Francisco-based research, marketing and communications firm Community Marketing announced the sale of its Gay & Lesbian World Travel Expo division to HX Media, which will rename it Gay Life Travel Expo.

Adam Gross, vice president of marketing for investment banking firm Jordan, Edmiston Group, Inc. (which represented Commonwealth and SRI in their deals), said he doesn't expect a slowdown in the acquisition market.

"Our pipeline is still very robust," he said. "We're looking forward to more good times here."

Gross noted that JEGI completed 18 transactions in the first half of the year, up from nine during the same period a year ago.

UBM expects the Commonwealth deal, subject to antitrust regulatory clearance, to close by early August. UBM is acquiring the firm from a consortium that includes RFE Investment Partners, Bariston Partners, the Economist Group, ABRY Partners and Commonwealth's management.

East Windsor, N.J.-based Commonwealth is an information provider to the global trade and transportation market with proprietary data, news and analytical content. Along with a number of directory databases and publications, the company produces the American Assn. of Port Authorities Convention & Exhibition, American Short Line & Regional Railroad Assn. Annual Exhibition, Breakbulk Conference & Exhibition, Breakbulk Europe Conference & Exhibition, China Trade & Logistics Conference, Asia/East Coast Maritime Conference, Trans-Pacific Air Cargo Conference and Trans-Pacific Maritime Conference.

The acquisition is expected to provide UBM (which owns CMP, with a portfolio of more than 200 newspapers, magazines and directories, 200 Web sites and 300 events) with a strong position in the global transportation industry. Commonwealth will be integrated into UBM as a new division with Commonwealth CEO Alan Glass continuing in his role and joining UBM's senior executive team.

UBM CEO David Levin said, "As a data business, Commonwealth is a highly complementary addition to UBM's other events and print media businesses."

Earlier this year, Levin said he wanted to accelerate the acquisition pace of UBM, which was one of last year's most active tradeshow buyers. He said his company this year could spend as much as £250 million ($459.3 million) on these purchases, up from £105 million ($192.9 million) in 2005.

"David has a specific game plan in mind, and he's certainly following through on it," said JEGI's Gross.

In January, CMP Media acquired Shorecliff Communications, producer of Broadband Wireless World, RFID World, TelcoTV and other emerging technology events. That same month, it sealed its $65 million acquisition of MediaLive Intl.'s 20 technology events.

Commonwealth employs approximately 400 people in 10 U.S. offices plus locations in Toronto, Montreal, Hong Kong and London.

The next Thames Gateway Forum is scheduled Nov. 22–23 at ExCeL London. The show, launched in 2004, focuses on the regeneration of the Thames Gateway and Olympic region near London. The 2005 show attracted about 5,000 visitors to 180 exhibitors.

CMP's CMP Information division will integrate the show into its built environment media portfolio. CMP Information recently launched Think, a new show focusing on sustainability, regeneration and innovation, to be held at ExCeL in May 2007.

Terms of ALM's SRI acquisition were not disclosed.

SRI annually produces more than 130 conferences that target C-level professionals involved in finance, life sciences, natural resource development, multicultural marketing, technology and general business. The 13-year-old firm has produced nearly 1,600 events for more than 150,000 executives.

SRI will join ALM's related conference businesses, including ALM Events for legal professionals and managers, Insight Information business conferences in Canada and the RealShare conference series produced by ALM's Real Estate Media Division.

Kelly Simon Productions will continue to be involved in its Law Enforcement & Security Expos, through a joint venture called Law Enforcement Security Expo with E.J. Krause.

Michael Rosenberg, vice president of homeland security for E.J. Krause, said the venture "will take these events to a new and expanded level."

Kelly Simon also produces the Pittsburgh FireRescue & EMS Expo and the Westmoreland County Home Show.

E.J. Krause's security events portfolio already includes the U.S. Maritime Security Expo, Mid-Atlantic Regional All Hazards Forum & Exhibition and Global Border Security.

Westport, Conn.-based Corporate Solutions represented Kelly Simon in the transaction.

Community Marketing this April took its one-day Gay & Lesbian World Travel Expo to West Hollywood, Calif., Seattle, Boston and New York; in October the show will take place in Dallas and San Francisco. HX is planning to expand the show series to include additional cities across North America in 2007 and beyond, adding amenities like destination workshops.

According to Community Marketing, the show has grown steadily in attendance since its inception, drawing nearly 100,000 people to more than 100 editions since 1992.

New York-based HX Media, a 2-year-old firm, also produces the Gay Life Expo. Community Marketing produces the Intl. Conference on Gay & Lesbian Tourism and the Best Practices in Gay & Lesbian Tourism Workshop.