Shares in Informa have risen after it agreed to acquire B2B live events company Clarion from Blackstone for an enterprise value of £2.24bn, and announced plans to separate its academic markets division.
Informa is one of the world’s largest operators of high-profile leisure boat and superyacht shows, including the Monaco Yacht Show, Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show, Miami International Boat Show and Palm Beach International Boat Show. Its wider marine portfolio also includes specialist media and digital businesses serving the global boating and superyacht markets.
Informa plans to separate its academic markets business, Taylor & Francis, as it doubles down on its live events segment.
The acquisition will add more than 100 specialist B2B event brands to Informa’s portfolio, spanning sectors including defence and security, technology, gaming, energy and travel. Clarion’s portfolio also includes events covering classic cars and design.
Stephen A. Carter, group chief executive of Informa, says: ”Informa is today accelerating the focus on our core B2B business, as we announce plans to separate our academic markets business, Taylor & Francis.
“The planned separation of Taylor & Francis coincides with further expansion in B2B through the £2.24bn acquisition of Clarion, the UK-based owner of more than 100 B2B live event brands. The combination will underscore Informa as the UK-listed, international leader in B2B live events, with annual group revenues exceeding $6bn and underlying revenue growth of 7 per cent.
“Today’s announcements mark the latest step in a growth strategy that has seen B2B revenues grow tenfold since 2014, whilst generating more than $3bn of value in Business Intelligence and lifting Taylor & Francis revenues fourfold since it joined the group.”
He adds: “With Taylor & Francis approaching $1bn in revenue, growing at 4 per cent and with its open research capabilities firmly established, we believe it will now benefit from greater flexibility and freedom through the next phase of its development, as Informa further expands the depth and reach of its B2B portfolio.”
B2B Live Events currently comprises more than 800 brands across more than 40 market categories and 30+ countries, generating more than £3bn in revenue. Informa says related revenues have increased more than tenfold over the last 13-plus years.
Following completion of the Clarion acquisition, B2B Live Events will generate more than £4.2bn ($5.7bn) in revenue across approximately 1,000 specialist B2B brands in more than 40 market categories and 30+ countries.
Clarion acquisition
Clarion was established in 1947 and is headquartered in the UK. It owns and operates more than 100 specialist B2B brands. Its portfolio includes DSEI, a defence and security event held in London, Germany and Japan, alongside events in technology, gaming, energy, travel, classic cars and design.
Its 10 largest category franchises account for two-thirds of revenues, with positions in electronics, defence/security, gaming, energy and technology.
Clarion is expected to generate more than £575m in revenue in calendar year 2027, with adjusted operating profit margins of more than 30 per cent. Informa says this reflects 10 per cent underlying revenue growth from annual events, together with £100m of incremental year-on-year revenue from biennial events.
The transaction will be funded through dedicated acquisition financing and the net proceeds of an equity placing and retail offer worth approximately £940m, representing around 9 per cent of Informa’s issued ordinary share capital. The retail offer is being made through the RetailBook platform. Informa will pause its current share buyback programme to redirect capital towards the transaction.
Following completion, net debt to EBITDA is expected to remain below 3x at year-end 2026 and fall below 2.5x by year-end 2027.
The acquisition is expected to complete towards the end of Q4 2026. Informa says it expects the full run rate of operating and revenue synergies to be delivered by the third full year of ownership in 2029.
Clarion CEO Lisa Hannant will remain in her role following completion and join Informa’s executive leadership team.
The transaction is expected to give Informa greater scale in North America and Asia while strengthening its European position.
Informa is headquartered in London and employs around 14,000 people. Informa says it continues to see growth across its international markets, although several events in the Middle East have been rescheduled this year because of the conflict in the region.
Taylor & Francis separation
Informa has formally launched a process to separate Taylor & Francis from the group. The company says the review will consider options for the future development and ownership of the academic markets business.
Taylor & Francis became part of Informa in 2004. Since then, annual published articles have increased to more than 170,000, specialist reference titles have grown to more than 185,000 and revenues have increased fourfold to approximately $1bn. Underlying revenue growth has increased from less than 2 per cent to 4 per cent.
The separation review is expected to conclude alongside Informa’s 2026 Full Year Results in March 2027.
Informa says it continues to expect 6 per cent underlying revenue growth for 2026 and double-digit growth in underlying earnings per share.
The Clarion acquisition is expected to increase the combined B2B live events business’s underlying growth rate to more than 7 per cent.
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