Reed Exhibitions to acquire Mack Brooks Exhibitions

Reed Exhibitions has announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Mack Brooks Exhibitions in a deal that is expected to close during the first half of this year.

Financial terms were not disclosed, but published reports value the acquisition at £200 million (US$256.7 million).

The UK-based Mack Brooks has more than 30 B2B events, serving nine industry sectors, in 14 countries under its portfolio. Among its flagship brands are RAILTEX (rail infrastructure and technology); CCE (manufacturing and converting corrugated and cartonboard); and InPrint (print technology for industrial manufacturing).

Some of these brands have a presence in China, Singapore, Thailand and India, such as the third edition of the Exhibition for the Corrugated and Carton Industry (CCE Southeast Asia), which will be held in Thailand in 2020. A statement by Reed says Mack Brooks has 175,000 customers worldwide.

On the impending acquisition, Stephen Brooks, chairman of Mack Brooks, said: “Our events and customers will benefit tremendously from Reed Exhibitions’ global reach, experience in delivering customer value and investment in technology.”

Chet Burchett, CEO of Reed Exhibitions, said having Mack Brooks on board will benefit the company’s customer matchmaking programmes, as well as its digital tools and sales group.