Six of this month’s eight acquisitions are US businesses, continuing the growing dominance of the US in exhibition M&A. In 2024, 29% of all M&A transactions were US businesses (or where the main event was in the US) increasing to 43% for 2025 and to 47% for the first four months of 2026.
WTWH buys executive forums
WTWH Media, a US B2B media and events company operating across the engineering, foodservice and healthcare sectors, has acquired HealthLeaders, organizer of invite-only executive events for the healthcare sectors. HealthLeaders is known for its Exchange series of events – three-day events for specific C-level job titles which cap attendance at 50 attendees. Matt Logan, CEO of WTWH, has suggested that one pathway to further growth is to double that cap to 100 attendees while preserving the exclusivity that is the USP of the Exchange events. WTWH, which was backed by PE firm Mountaingate Capital in 2023, derives its revenue primarily from online media with 20% coming from live events. Its flagship conference is DeviceTalks for medical device professionals held in Boston, Minnesota and California which, in contrast to HealthLeader’s exchange events, has a traditional exhibition floor and attracts up to 4,000 attendees.
A rare acquisition for CII
Cambridge Innovation Institute (CII), a family-owned, US-based scientific publishing and events company has acquired Neurotech Reports, a publication and conference series focused on neurotechnology and founded by James Cavuoto in 1997. As well as the medical publishing, Neurotech Reports organizes 2 conferences – the 24-year-old Neurotech Leaders Forum, in San Franscisco, and the seven-year-old Bioelectronic Medicine Forum, in New York. CII’s business is focused on accelerating innovation in life sciences, biotechnology, and advanced research industries and the acquisition expands its Healthcare portfolio. CII was founded in 1992 by Phillips Kuhl and has so far made only a few acquisitions, the most recent being the acquisition of Integrative Healthcare Symposium from Diversified Communications in 2025.
NY gift show set for revamp
Rockview Management Group, a new company founded by industry veterans Dorothy Belshaw, William Lacy and Karen Olson, has acquired NY Now, the biannual gift, home, jewellery and accessories wholesale exhibition, from Emerald. Belshaw previously worked for George Little Management (GLM) during1992-2012, latterly as show director of the New York International Gift Fair, which was launched in the 1930s and later evolved into NY NOW after Emerald acquired GLM in 2012. Belshaw most recently held executive leadership positions for ANDMORE managing gift and home shows including the Atlanta Market, the Las Vegas Market and Shoppe Object. The team plans include a re-imagined layout to make product discovery easier and a focus on measurable RoI for exhibitors and buyers.
AVIXA sees the light
AVIXA, the Audiovisual and Integrated Experience Association, has acquired Lightapalooza, a residential lighting conference and trade show, from the Home Technology Specialists of America (HTSA). Lightapalooza was launched in 2022 for custom electronics integrators, lighting manufacturers, designers, specifiers and architects. It’s a niche but growing event which has increased attendance from 225 to 1,600 in five years. AVIXA has an established events portfolio, primarily with InfoComm – the Pro AV show with editions in the US, Latin America, Asia, China and India and Lightapalooza will be co-located with InfoComm in 2027 in Orlando. It would be logical to geo-clone it across the other geographies but, either way, the acquisition should boost growth.
Sound & Fury hears the sounds
Sound & Fury LLC has acquired AXPONA (Audio Expo North America), the US event for audiophiles, manufacturers of high-end audio equipment, musicians, and music lovers from JD Events, owned by serial entrepreneur Joel Davis. He had acquired AXPONA in 2013 from Steve Davis when it was a small founder-led event. AXPONA 2026, in Illinois, attracted a record 12,546 attendees.
EVG co-invests in The Nest Campus
The Events Venture Group (EVG) has made their sixth investment backing The Nest Campus, co-investing alongside SilverCircle who are led by Jonathan Weiner and his partner Stefan Weitz who acquired the business in February this year. The Nest Campus, which we reported on in March, operates across multi-verticals from energy, industrial transformation and infrastructure to AI, finance, food & water and natural capital. EVG was formed in May 2024 and made its first investment – backing Quantum World Congress – six months later. I’m looking forward to when some of the EVG-backed companies come to market, so we can see the “before and after”.
Flying start for Montgomery
At the end of January this year, Montgomery Group announced its first acquisition since 2020, acquiring Halldale Group a global media and events group serving the aviation training, simulation and safety community, a new sector for the UK -based organizer. Its now followed this with the acquisition of Sustainable Aviation Futures, a portfolio of six global conferences focused on accelerating the aviation industry’s transition to net zero. The business had been founded in 2022 by Jamie Dowswell, previously at Informa Markets Mexico, and has events in Houston, Amsterdam, Dubai, Singapore, Hong Kong and São Paulo (Montgomery’s first event in South America). The two acquisitions this year means that, from a standing start, Montgomery now has nine aviation events.
Easyfairs buys in France
Easyfairs has acquired two Paris-based events – Food Hotel Tech and Tech for Retail – from founder Karen Serfaty. Food Hotel Tech was launched in 2017 and Tech for Retail in 2021. The acquisitions are strategic to Easyfairs for several reasons. As well as having a broad strategy to enhance its tech portfolio, Easyfairs owns the hospitality event Horeca in Belgium. The acquisition also boosts its presence in Paris, home of Paris Packaging Week, its largest event. This is Easyfairs’ second acquisition of 2026 and, having completed five transactions in 2025, there will surely be more to come.
