the September 2008 Issue in PDF Format - Trade Show Executive

News
Good Year So Far for Reed Elsevier
London, England – A solid first-half
showing by Reed Exhibitions helped keep
parent company Reed Elsevier on track to
meet its 2008 financial goals, the company
announced at the midpoint of the year.
Reed Elsevier said its continuing
operations, which include Reed
Exhibitions, had grown 5% in the first
half of the year to £1.97 billion (about
$3.7 billion). Operating profit, adjusted
for amortization, restructuring and
integration costs, climbed 12% to £577
million. “I am confident we will deliver
on our goals,” said Reed Elsevier CEO Sir
Crispin Davis.
While online information and
workflow products were also major
contributors to the results, the exhibitions
division received glowing praise from
Davis in his presentation on July 31.
Reed Exhibitions posted first-half
revenues of £377 million pounds ($702.8
million), up 9% from the £315 million
($587.2 million) in the first half of 2007.
The adjusted operating profit of £128
million ($227.3 million) for the first half
of 2008 was 16% over the same period
last year.
The company said that while the
SIMA residential property show in
Madrid was hit hard by the downturn
in the Spanish real estate market, strong
growth was reported across the board.
Particularly robust this year were the PGA
Merchandise Show, JCK jewelry and ISC
West security shows in the U.S., along with
M-Tech in Japan and Interclima Interconfort
in Paris.
“We’re seeing very high ROI from our
customers coming from these face-to-face
meetings,” Davis said.
Reed Exhibitions launched 11 events
in the first half of 2008 and acquired
six. The company now brings in 20%
of its exhibitions business from socalled
emerging markets. Much of the
exhibition growth was in booming sectors
such as alternative-energy and “green”
technology, aerospace and medical
devices. “Having the leadership show in
each of these sectors remains crucial,”
Davis said.
Reed Exhibitions annually organizes
more than 500 events in 38 countries
that draw more than 6 million total
attendees.
Reach Mike Rusbridge, chairman and
CEO of Reed Exhibitions at +44 (0) 208
910 7901 or mike.rusbridge@reedexpo.
co.uk
Marketplace Events Hits the Ground Running after
Acquiring dmg’s Home Show Portfolio
By Hil Anderson, senior editor
Cleveland, OH – The new company
formed in the sale of dmg world media’s
North American home shows portfolio
wasted no time in hiring a high-profile
spokesman and also launching a
consulting service for consumer show
organizers and exhibitors.
Marketplace Events, which acquired
the dmg shows on July 24 in a deal
valued at $53 million, followed up with
the announcement July 25 that it had
signed Ty Pennington, host of ABC’s
Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, as the
official spokesman for the 38 shows held
in 27 markets.
Tom Baugh, who ran the home
shows for dmg and has been named
the first CEO of Marketplace Events,
said Pennington’s deal showed that
the newly formed company was intent
on strengthening the portfolio. “Our
new partnership with Ty Pennington is
just one example of how we intend to
grow our business by aggressively and
strategically differentiating ourselves
from other home show producers,” said
Baugh.
Marketplace Events consists
of the dmg North American home
shows division and was formed for
the purpose of the acquisition by an
affiliate of Stephens Inc., a private
investment banking firm based in Little
Rock, AR.
Baugh will be joined at Marketplace
Events by a host of dmg employees who
were included in the transaction. Senior
executives include CFO Mark White,
who had been vice president finance at
dmg; Lisa Kropf, senior vice president,
Tom Baugh
Ty Pennington
sales and marketing and former director
of marketing and sponsorship at dmg,
and Regional Vice Presidents Liz
Benkovich and Mike Webster, both
former dmg regional directors.
Along with keeping its shows
operating as scheduled, Marketplace
Events is also branching out into the
consulting field. Marketplace Event
Consultants will be led by industry
veteran Paul Schweitzer, who began
his career in 1979 with Southex
Exhibitions, which was acquired by dmg
in 1996.
Baugh said the consultancy would
draw on his staff ’s collective experience
to assist consumer show exhibitors and
producers of events in non-competitive
markets. “We produce 38 shows each
year, which gives us an opportunity to
test, measure and learn what works –
and what doesn’t – much more quickly
than other operators,” he said.
Reach Tom Baugh at (866) 463-3663
or tom@marketplaceevents.com
Continued on page 8
6 September 2008 Trade Show Executive www.TradeShowExecutive.com