6 Deals, 1 Month: Events Industry M&A Heats Up 

Emerald, Freeman, Impact XM, the Financial Times Group, and Uno Loco Group are expanding their global reach through a series of acquisitions, reflecting a broader trend of consolidation in the events industry.

Emerald Expands Outside The U.S.

On March 17, U.S.-based Emerald announced it had acquired London-based Insurtech Insights, which organizes conferences in London, Hong Kong, and New York. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

That same day, Emerald also announced its acquisition of This is Beyond, an event production company specializing in the luxury travel market. Founder Serge Dive and the entire This is Beyond team will join Emerald as part of the deal.

This is Beyond organizes events in Marrakech, Cape Town, Bali, Italy, Miami, Utah, and New Orleans.

In addition, at the end of February, Emerald acquired Plant Based World Expo from JD Events. Its most recent shows took place at ExCel London and the Javits Center in New York.

Freeman Acquires Tag Digital

On March 11, Freeman announced its acquisition of Tag Digital, a digital marketing agency focused on event organizers in EMEA, APAC, and North America. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. 

Tag Digital will integrate with mdg, a Freeman company, to better serve show organizers and associations while supporting growth in new markets.  

Impact XM Acquires Touch Associates

On March 4, experiential marketing company Impact XM, which operates in the U.S. and Canada, expanded into Europe by acquiring U.K.-based Touch Associates, a B2B brand experience agency.

The Financial Times Group Acquires Invisso

On April 1, Invisso, an event industry organizer for the finance industry, will become part of FT Live, the Financial Times' events division. The acquisition, announced on March 4, will expand FT Live’s offerings in the U.S. and Europe. 

Invisso hosts financial conferences including Global ABS, ABS East, The Covered Bond Congress, The Central & Eastern European Forum, and The Global Borrowers and Bond Investors Forum.

Uno Loco Group Acquires The Conference Company

On March 7, New Zealand-based experience and design agency Uno Loco Group announced it is acquiring The Conference Company. Jan Tonkin, managing director of The Conference Company, will stay on for 6 months to support the transition. He will be working alongside incoming CEO Thea Farrant Adam.