Tarsus, the UK-based exhibitions company acquired by Charterhouse private equity earlier this year, has bought UK company Smarter Shows and US organiser BizBash.
Smarter Shows was established in 2010 and has exhibitions in aerospace, automotive and materials, in Germany and North America. Its brands include Space Tech Expo, FOAM Expo and Ceramics Expo. The acquisition of BizBash adds events aimed at event professionals themselves with four shows including BizBash Live in LA and New York, complementing Tarsus’ Connect portfolio of 30 events held around the US. Terms were not disclosed.
These two deals follow Tarsus’ recent acquisition of a 70% stake in the Shenzehen Zhong Xin Cai Exhibition company which organises the Touch China and 3D Glass Expo events. Touch China was launched in 2006, is held annually and covers the high-growth curved glass manufacturing sector. Its last event attracted 22.500 visitors and 380 exhibitors. It was the company’s first acquisition since the Charterhouse buy-out and also its first foray into the electronics sector in China.
Tarsus Group, which is registered in Ireland, operates more than 150 exhibitions in the US, South America, China, South East Asia, the Middle East, and Europe, in sectors including aviation, medical, labels and packaging, travel, housewares and automotive. Its flagship brands including Labelexpo, Connect and the Dubai Airshow.
Charterhouse (until last year the majority owner of French exhibitions group Comexposium) this year paid £668m (including the assumption of debt) to take the UK quoted Tarsus Group PLC into private ownership. The price was said to be 17 x EBITDA of the last two years, although one analyst suggested it might be “just” 12.25 x EBITDA forecast for 2019.
