Clarion Events acquired by Informa in £2.24 billion deal
Informa is set to acquire Clarion Events from Blackstone in a £2.24 billion deal that will give the publicly listed events giant immediate scale in high-growth strategic markets, including gaming.
Blackstone acquired the Clarion business in 2017 from Providence Equity Partners, then held the business through the challenging Covid period when live events were largely shut down.
Announced on Tuesday, the deal is expected to close in Q4 2026 at a valuation equivalent to 11.1x Clarion’s expected 2027 EBITDA.
Announcing the deal on Tuesday, Informa said Clarion’s extensive events portfolio would provide it with immediate scale in key sectors, with 2027 revenue expected to exceed £575 million ($761.6 million).
Clarion’s WorldGaming business, including its flagship ICE and iGB L!VE events, is included in the deal, alongside Clarion’s other prominent brands across sectors including defence and electronics.
Clarion deal returns Informa to B2B live events ambition
Alongside the deal, which Informa CEO Stephen Carter has said will return the company to its previous ambition of becoming the world’s largest B2B live events business, Informa will spin out its academic Taylor & Francis business.
Speaking in a video posted to Informa’s LinkedIn this morning, Carter said: “That will leave the Informa Group pursuing the strategy that we first laid out in 2013 to build a position in B2B live events and become the leading, the largest and the most international live events business anywhere in the world.
“The addition of the Clarion company will give further oxygen and capability to our existing portfolio,” he said, highlighting gaming as a portfolio where Clarion holds market position.
“The combination will underscore Informa as the UK-listed, international leader in B2B Live Events, with annual group revenues exceeding $6 billion and underlying revenue growth of 7%,” he explained.
Alex Pratt, MD of Clarion’s WorldGaming business, welcomed the acquisition. “Informa’s data, digital capability and international reach are exactly what our live and digital ecosystem needs to go further, faster,” he said.
Clarion acquisition to accelerate Informa’s B2B growth
Following completion of the acquisition, Informa’s B2B live events business is expected to generate more than £4.2 billion in revenue across its portfolio of around 1,000 specialist brands.
Alongside adding “geographical complementarity” in North America, Asia and Europe, Informa noted a particular opportunity for growth in IMEA (India, Middle East and Africa), where it described Clarion as having a “minimal presence”.
“The addition of Clarion will reinforce Informa’s leading position in B2B Live Events, adding world-class brands in attractive growth categories,” Informa’s release stated.
“The complementary portfolios and benefits of combining Clarion’s brands into Informa’s growth platform will create significant opportunities for incremental revenues, establishing the enlarged B2B Live Events business as a 7%+ underlying growth operator.”
Informa expects the deal to generate around £50 million in annual run rate operating synergies, through efficiencies across operations, procurement, shared services, event delivery and corporate functions.
It also expects the combined businesses to generate a further £25 million in annual operating profit from additional revenue by 2029.
Following the acquisition, current Clarion Events CEO Lisa Hannant will remain in her role and join Informa’s executive leadership team.
Hannant said in Clarion’s announcement: “This marks an important new chapter for our business. We have built a portfolio of market-leading brands, established strong positions in attractive markets and created a culture that is recognised across our industry.
“Informa’s decision to invest in Clarion is a recognition of the quality of our business, our brands and our people. This is a moment to recognise the outstanding contribution of our teams. Their passion, expertise and commitment have helped build the successful business that Informa is investing in today.”
How will the acquisition be funded?
The acquisition will be paid in cash, funded by dedicated acquisition financing and the net proceeds of an equity placing and retail offer totalling around £940 million.
Despite the scale of the transaction, Informa expects pro forma net debt to remain below three times EBITDA at the end of 2026, before falling below 2.5 times by the end of 2027. The company will also pause its existing share buyback programme to help fund the acquisition.
Informa said the acquisition would increase adjusted diluted earnings per share by a mid-single-digit percentage in 2027 and generate a double-digit post-tax return on invested capital within three years.