MIAMI — Informa Markets’ South Florida Ventures portfolio has added a feather to its cap of luxury lifestyle brands by acquiring Premiere Orlando, the largest beauty salon in the United States, and its sister salons, Premiere Birmingham and Premiere Columbus.
The Orlando salon, which has been named to the Trade Show Executive Gold 100 12 times and the Fastest 50 twice, was founded more than 30 years ago by Howard Britt. In a 2019 interview with TSE, Britt described how his experience in the restaurant industry and as a beauty distributor led him to his decision. “That experience gave me a lot of insight into the industry and what the need was. One day I thought, ‘Let’s start a salon!’” he said.
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His idea caught on, and alongside its regional counterparts, Premiere Orlando hosts major brands such as Conair and L’Oréal. Held annually at the Orange County Convention Center, the show occupies 350,000 net square feet of exhibit space, hosts 400 educational sessions, and attracts 25,000 professional attendees ranging from spa and salon owners to cosmetologists and makeup artists.
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“We are thrilled to add Premiere Show Group to our portfolio,” said Ken McAvoy, President of South Florida Ventures, Informa Markets. “Under Howard’s leadership, the Premiere team has taken these shows to incredible heights. Premiere Orlando is a perfect fit for our community of art, boating, powersports and jewelry shows in the region, and we are excited to welcome these shows and this talented team on board to further our commitment to the Florida region.”
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“Howard Britt is well known in the trade show industry and has been contacted frequently by major trade show producers to sell his Premiere events,” said Nick Curci, president of Corporate Solutions, which brokered the deal. “After being introduced to Howard by one of my former clients, I had the pleasure of getting to know him very well over the six-month transaction process and quickly developed a level of appreciation and respect for what he had accomplished.”
Contact Nick Curci at (203) 226-4040 or [email protected]; Ken McAvoy at (203) 500-1951 or [email protected]