Informa strengthens B2B market foothold with Tarsus acquisition

The US$940m deal will combine both companies’ portfolios to operate under the Informa brand.

Informa snaps up Tarsus Group in US$940 million mega deal.
Informa snaps up Tarsus Group in US$940 million mega deal. Photo Credit: Adobe Stock/Yingyaipumi

Exhibitions organiser giant Informa has acquired B2B events group Tarsus for US$940 million, amid a strong return to live events in 2023 driven by a recovery in China.

Commenting on the deal, Stephen A. Carter, group chief executive at Informa, said: "We have long admired the Tarsus business which, like Informa, has been built around major brands in attractive, specialist B2B markets in the growing regions of Asia, China, the Middle East and the Americas.”

Following the acquisition, Mark Temple-Smith, currently Informa Markets COO and formerly the CEO of Asia for Tarsus, will step in as executive chair of Tarsus.

Douglas Emslie, the current chief executive of Tarsus, will become a senior advisor to the Informa Group.

Tarsus was founded in 1998 and owns and operates a portfolio of more than 160 live and on-demand B2B event brands, with a focus on growing, specialist B2B markets with fragmented supply chains and high levels of innovation. It was previously acquired by Charterhouse in 2019

Tarsus' trade shows include Health Connect Partners, Intertraffic, Dubai Air Show, Mexican Wind Power, Intersolar and Space Tech Expo.

The top 10 Tarsus brands attract a total of around 515,000 attendees and more than 8,350 exhibitors across around 385,000 net square metres of floor space.

Informa’s first party data engine, IIRIS, is also expected to benefit as part of the deal.