LONDON and NEW YORK — If you have trade show assets to sell or are interested in forming a joint venture partnership, you may want to consider a new partnership between New York-based private equity firm EagleTree Capital and Arc, a global events industry consortium led by Simon Foster. Canson Capital Partners, which provided financial advisory services to Arc, will do the same for the partnership.
The partnership plans to acquire events and form joint venture partnerships with event organizers, associations and venues. It is particularly looking to work with strong brands in responsible and sustainable industries that will deliver long-term value and growth. The ultimate goal is to make tactical investments in industry-leading brands that drive data-driven and insight-driven industry communities, according to the partnership.
As 20-year exhibition and media industry veteran Simon Foster explains: “It’s no secret that the pandemic has been devastating for the events industry, but more importantly, it has changed the way people and organisations market themselves, the way they find leads and build pipelines, and most importantly, the way people network.”
But, he added, the “why now” isn’t just about COVID-19’s impact on the industry. “We’ve wanted to build a platform like this for years,” he said.
“Face-to-face events are going to come back and are coming back. More than ever, we’re going to have to focus on the value of business networking. Exhibitors and attendees can’t rely on an annual meeting once a year. This is a trend we’ve seen in events for years,” Foster said. “I spoke with EAST “In March 2019, I spoke about brand building when I was CEO of Comexposium. At the time, I said that data was where we invested most of our time and energy. For any connection-driven organization, data and digital (capabilities and infrastructure, as well as customer insights) are critical. That was as true then as it is today.”
Foster said Arc’s focus will be on working with digital platforms, online marketplaces, matchmaking tools and content programs, as well as keeping up with the latest innovations in the events space. The idea, he added, is “to use these data-driven and insight-driven tools to create, refresh and reconnect industry communities, while preserving the excitement and serendipity of in-person meetings.”
Robert Gray, Operating Partner at EagleTree, who worked with Foster when both were at UBM (now part of Informa PLC), said: “I love the events industry and am really excited about the opportunity to partner with Simon on a new venture. My colleagues at EagleTree have invested in and supported the media and events sector for many years, with Sparks, Moss, Northstar, ALM and Penton to name a few. We know the sector well, believe that face-to-face events will continue to be an invaluable part of the sales and marketing landscape, and share Simon’s view that events need to serve their communities all year round through smart, connected media and digital products.”
He added: “We believe this is an ideal time to invest in the industry, especially as the unprecedented pandemic crisis we have been through has reinforced the importance of serving communities beyond the annual trade show. Arc will seek out strong assets in growth verticals and invest with a focus on the long-term growth of its brands and platform. EagleTree has a long history of supporting entrepreneurs and management teams. We are excited to work with Simon, and it is important to note that Arc looks forward to developing similar partnerships with the teams that join us.”
Contact Simon Foster at simonafoster@live.com; Robert Gray at rg@eagletree.com