Nineteen Group Expands into U.S.


US flag in a magnifying glass

Skift Take

Nineteen Group is making its move into the U.S. market, with industry veteran Mary Larkin leading the charge. Backed by a $248.8 million continuation fund from Phoenix Equity Partners, the UK-based exhibition and media company is ramping up its international expansion efforts. 

Mary Larkin has been tasked with leading Nineteen Group’s growth in the U.S. as its president. She started her career at Montgomery Group and was the U.S. lead for Diversified for many years. She is also an active member of the events community, having chaired industry associations, including UFI and SISO.

"Peter, Alison, and Jon, along with the teams, have had a very impressive and exciting growth in their business, and I look forward to helping them continue that growth in the U.S. through launches and acquisitions," said Larkin. "It is a very exciting next chapter for Nineteen."

Phoenix Equity Partners’ $248.8 million continuation fund is being used for this expansion. 

In addition to expanding to the U.S., Nineteen recently entered the APAC market. In April 2024, it expanded into Singapore with its inaugural Safety & Security Asia exhibition. The collection of events under the Safety & Security Asia portfolio includes the Security Event, The Fire Safety Event, The Health & Safety Event, and The Emergency Services Show. Nineteen Group also opened a dedicated office in Singapore to support this expansion.

Nineteen also acquired Pro Integration Future Asia (PIFA) Singapore, an international event for professional audiovisual, lighting, and live entertainment technologies, from Montgomery Group.

Private Equity Investment Helps Fund Nineteen

Peter Jones started Nineteen Group in 2002, running tradeshows in diverse industries ranging from security to food. He realized that private equity investment would help grow the business. Phoenix became interested in the company in 2017 and officially joined in November 2018.

In 2023, Nineteen acquired Oliver Kinross, a Wolverhampton-based B2B exhibition business running four shows per year in Sydney, New York, Chicago, and London. 

In 2024, Nineteen entered a new phase with Phoenix shifting into a newly-formed growth partnership fund.

Today, Nineteen has events in multiple sectors, including security, fire, emergency services, cybersecurity, health and safety, workplace management, manufacturing, engineering and maintenance, building services, energy, and retail technology.

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