Reed, AGI, Tarsus Make Buys

Several shows changed hands earlier this month in a few corners of the world. Reed Exhibitions Australia expanded its portfolio of hair and beauty shows, AGI Events scooped up four North Carolina RV shows and Tarsus Group added a French building management company and show to its roster.

Reed Exhibitions Australia purchased Hair Expo, which is, according to the company, Australia's largest and longest-running hairdressing event, from Brisbane-based owners Anthony and Susa Wynne-Hoelscher.

The show, now in its 31st year, takes place each June (during the three-day Queen's Birthday holiday weekend) at the Sydney Convention & Exhibition Centre, attracting around 26,500 visitors to more than 150 companies within a 107,639 gross square foot showfloor.

According to Reed Exhibitions Australia Managing Director George Petrenas, the firm was attracted to Hair Expo because "it has a long and successful heritage, it has strong and loyal support from the hairdressing profession and it has very significant content value in addition to its exhibition."

According to the Hair Expo Web site, Australia has 65,000 hairdressers and hairdressing industry workers who have a customer base of approximately 6 million other Australians.

The show joins other Reed Exhibitions beauty and well-being shows: the Sydney Intl. Beauty Expo and Melbourne Intl. Beauty Expo & Conference in Australia; the public show Planet Beauty in Zurich, Switzerland; Cosmetica Salzburg in Salzburg, Austria; FIBO in Essen, Germany; and Spa & Resort/Medical Spa Expo Los Angeles.

Additionally, Reed Exhibitions' sister firm, Reed Business Information U.K. (also a sister company to Tradeshow Week's parent firm, Reed Business Information U.S.), owns Salon Intl. in London, which was expected to attract 42,000 attendees earlier this month.

Petrenas said that along with Salon Intl.'s resources, adding Hair Expo to his show portfolio "creates some tremendous potential links and opportunities."

Synergy is also expected with the Sydney Intl. Beauty Expo, which will remain a standalone show for now, he said. The next edition of that show is scheduled Sept. 11–12 at the SCEC. The Melbourne show will take place April 28–29 at the Melbourne Exhibition & Convention Centre. Reed Exhibitions Australia produces more than 20 events per year from its Chatswood, New South Wales, office.

The Wynne-Hoelschers, who organized Hair Expo for the past 17 years, will continue to be closely involved with the show's management and growth. They also publish Hair Culture Magazine and operate the Wynne-Hoelscher Academy and THD Salon & Spa.

Back in the United States, Ventura, Calif.-based Affinity Group, through its AGI Events division, acquired four North Carolina-based RV shows from Apple Rock Advertising and Promotion. Three shows are held in the winter, one each in Greensboro, Charlotte and Raleigh. The fourth is held in Greensboro each September.

Westport, Conn.-based Corporate Solutions represented AGI Events in the deal.

The shows will continue to be managed by Eric Burg, president of Apple Rock, in partnership with David Posner, general manager of AGI Events' Richmond, Va., office (which produces 15 shows).

The multi-show acquisition is the fourth in the past two years for AGI Events. Including the four new events, the company now operates 29 consumer shows in 15 cities. The company launched two new shows this year and plans to launch two more in 2007.

"We are continuing to build our consumer show division at a pretty good clip," said AGI Events President Steve Hedlund. He said the firm is working on two or three more possible acquisitions, and he hopes to close one by the end of the year.

Burg, who has spent 18 years building the four RV shows, said AGI Events will contribute "added marketing muscle ... to help take these shows to another level of success."

AGI Events' Las Vegas and Minneapolis offices produce nine and five shows, respectively.

And in London, Tarsus Group acquired 97.15 percent of Proseg from show organizers Jean-Paul and Jacqueline Constant.

Proseg owns the annual facility management show Proseg, which took place earlier this month at the Paris-Nord Villepinte Exhibition & Convention Centre. The show, in its 13th year, will next take place in June at the Paris Expo-Porte de Versailles, where it will be merged with Tarsus' SISEG, launched this June.