Champion, Fern Buy a Third

Just in time for Memorial Day Weekend and the unofficial kick-off of summer, general service contractors Champion Exposition Services and George E. Fern have joined forces to acquire yet a third general contractor, Orlando-based the Audie Group.

The parties did not disclose terms of the deal.

It marks the first expansion into the Florida marketplace for either Champion or Fern.

"We are very excited about the future benefits and efficiencies this expansion will bring to our customers and our organization" said Mark Epstein, Champion's president and CEO.

It also represents a unique partnership between two seeming competitors. But, there is a connection between the two.

In 2005, Wachovia Capital Partners spent $70 million to acquire Cincinnati-based George E. Fern and a stake in Middleboro, Mass.-based Champion Exposition Services. Wachovia has not disclosed the size of its stake in Champion.

Champion declined to comment on how the Wachovia investment in both companies was a factor in its combined acquisition with Fern of the Audie Group.

James Audie formed the company bearing his name in 1995. Among its clients are the Regional Airline Assn. annual convention, held May 21–24 in Memphis, Tenn., and the Pressure Sensitive Tape Council Week of Learning, held May 14–18 at the Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress in Orlando.

James Audie will assume the role of general manager in the Orlando office.

According to the 2007 Tradeshow Week 200, Champion was the No. 3 contractor in the United States, serving 10 of the shows listed. Fern was No. 4 with eight shows.

Several other acquisitions closed in May, including dmg world media's continued sell-off of home and garden shows. Show Technology Productions bought the Scottsdale Home & Garden Show and the Phoenix Home Improvement & Garden Show from dmg early in the month.

"The sale of these two shows completes the divestiture plan of dmg world media. All six of the consumer shows identified have now been sold," said Nick Curci, president of Corporate Solutions, which represented dmg in the sale. "We recently sold the other four home shows in Tulsa, Minneapolis, San Antonio and Dayton."

The U.K.-based dmg world media produces more than 300 tradeshows and consumer shows annually, as well as 45 related magazines, newspapers and market reports.

Show Technology Productions, based in San Antonio, produces home and garden shows.

Canon Communications was also in the mood to buy in May, scooping up four advanced manufacturing shows in the United Kingdom from Trident Exhibitions:

• IPOT, Machine Vision and Displays Technology, for optical, photonics, vision and displays technology
• MTEC, focusing on sensors, measurement and instrumentation technology
• Machine Building, Drives & Automation, for design-build technologies and systems integrators
• Practical Vacuum, covering vacuum technology and semiconductor processing

According to Canon, the four Trident shows already run concurrently with two of its events at the National Exhibition Centre in Birmingham, Medtec UK and 3C: Contamination Control and Cleanroom Products Exhibition. So, the collocation of the four other shows made sense.

"The integration of these combined shows will position the overall exhibition as the leading event serving the U.K.'s advanced manufacturing markets," said Charles G. McCurdy, chairman and CEO of Canon Communications. "This collocation strategy closely follows Canon's highly successful all-industry events in New York, Anaheim, Atlanta and Chicago."

The first shows to be held under Canon ownership will take place Feb. 13–14 at the National Exhibition Centre.

In another deal, Philadelphia-based StarCite, a provider of on-demand meeting products and services, jumped into the European market, buying Travent Limited, a U.K.-based provider of business meeting management and technology solutions.

According to StarCite, the acquisition will give the company more of a global reach and "an impressive base of corporate customers and experienced staff in Europe."

John Pino, founder and president of StarCite Intl., said: "As we continue to grow within the European market and globally, we are constantly looking for ways to improve our solutions and better serve our clients. We are not only excited to expand our global presence, but as strategic meetings management continues to gain momentum worldwide, we are also proud to gain a team of experts in meetings spend management."

Ray Thackeray, Travent's managing director, will continue to work with StarCite. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Before everyone headed out to enjoy the long Memorial Day weekend, two other sales took place.

Rockville, Md.-based Access Intelligence, an information and media company, bought the daratechPlant Conference from Daratech for undisclosed terms.

"We are delighted to have the opportunity to acquire the leading event for this crucial interface between engineering and information technology," said Don Pazour, CEO of Access Intelligence. "This event fits perfectly into our stable of products aimed at executives in the chemical and energy industries."

Veronis Suhler Stevenson owns Access Intelligence.

London-based Expomedia Group acquired U.K. consumer event the Spa Show from Spa Shows Limited. The annual November event will take place this year at the Islington Business Design Centre and will be collocated with Expomedia's Body Beautiful Show.

"We are pleased to add Spa Show to our growing U.K. portfolio," said Mark Shashoua, CEO of Expomedia. "We believe that visitors will gain more from having both shows at the same time and therefore enhancing their day out."

Expomedia expects the combined show to attract approximately 150 exhibitors and 10,000 visitors.