TORONTO — The show provider Marketplace Events (MPE) acquired 31 events from Master Promotions, Ltd., a leading Canadian event management company.
This is the largest acquisition in MPE’s history, and includes 14 sports/outdoor shows, seven home shows and 10 trade shows, marking MPE’s return to the B2B trade show industry and bringing it into 15 new Canadian markets and Alaska. The acquisition raises the company’s portfolio to 111 events.
“We’ve been in and out of the trade show side of things over the lifetime of Marketplace Events, but this gives us a foothold in Canada, and I think that is definitely a positive for the business,” Mark White, MPE’s CEO, said.
“We have a well-oiled acquisition and integration process … We do everything pretty much internally, or with the same group of internal advisors.”
The employees currently associated with the acquired shows will continue in their positions and become MPE employees. Wendell Howes, President of Master Promotions, Ltd., who has run the company for 50 years, will assist in a consulting role through the next year.
“The customer and the venue relationships that those people hold are extremely important to us,” White explained. “We needed their knowledge, their skills [and] their relationships, and we could offer them more opportunities for growth … we’re really impressed with what they’ve achieved … and they seem pleased to be working with us.”
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Positioning for Success
MPE has consolidated and grown its home show portfolio for more than 20 years and its holiday show portfolio since 2012. According to White, the acquisition of four sports/outdoor shows from O’Loughlin Trade Shows in March 2024 helped prepare the company for this major deal.
White also shared that the acquisition positions MPE for future growth and enhancement across its portfolio.
“We see huge opportunity in terms of being able to roll up the sportsmen shows and the holiday shows in the way we’ve done the home shows successfully over the last 20 years … we have a huge Canadian presence, and they had a considerable number of sportsmen shows and home shows that fit beautifully together with our portfolio,” White said.
Two shows White highlighted from the deal were the National Heavy Equipment Show and the Toronto Sportsmen’s Show.
White foresees further expansion for MPE in the coming years.
“We will continue to do what we’ve done, which is foster a great culture and continue to grow internally and by acquisition, looking for more businesses like this … we’ve done 12 deals since COVID, and we’ll continue to grow.”
Learn more about MPE here.
