Industry News

New York and Woodland Hills, CA – Veronis Suhler Stevenson  today signed a definitive agreement to acquire Advanstar Communications, Inc. from DLJ Merchant Banking Partners III LP for $1.15 billion.  Advanstar is best known for MAGIC, its market-leading apparel shows. The company is active in four vertical

Dallas – According to the fourth annual CEIR Index, the exhibition industry grew 4.8% in 2006 over 2005 levels, just slightly below the 5.8% annual gain posted in 2005. Morever, the exhibition industry achieved the fourth consecutive year of industry growth and surpassed the 3.4%

New York, NY — The trade show industry is grieving over the sudden loss of  one of its pre-eminent leaders. Nielsen Business Media President and CEO Robert L. Krakoff died March 23 of an apparent heart attack. Earlier in the afternoon, Krakoff 

Boston – Private equity firm ABRY Partners and Sundance Business Enterprises, a wholly owned subsidiary formed by David Nussbaum, former CEO of Penton Media, have joined forces to invest in B-to-B media companies and vertically focused online companies. ABRY has committed

Ottawa, ON, Canada – A proposal to end Canada’s Visitor Rebate Program for its Goods and Services Tax (GST) was set to take effect Apr. 1. The proposal was part of the spending restraint measures announced by the Canadian government on

Los Angeles, CA – Pouria Abbassi, who is serving as interim general manager of the Los Angeles Convention Center, was named to the job on a permanent basis by Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa on March 19. Abbassi, whose appointment is subject to

New York, NY – Trade show organizers who were disappointed at the scope of the ongoing expansion of the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center found an ally in New York’s new governor, who called for the project to be redesigned to

Pittsburgh, PA – The David L. Lawrence Convention Center re-opened for business on schedule March 9 after structural safeguards and repairs were completed in and around  a section of floor that collapsed in dramatic fashion beneath a semi-truck on the second-story

Las Vegas, NV – GES Exposition Services, Inc., a subsidiary of Viad Corp., announced on Feb. 2  the acquisition of  Melville Exhibition and Event Services Ltd., an exhibition contractor, and  Corporate Technical Services Ltd., a registration and database services company.  The acquisition

New York, NY – The deal that would merge Penton Media, Inc. and Prism Business Media Holdings, Inc., to form one of the largest B-to-B media companies in the U.S., was formally completed Feb. 1. The private equity firms Wasserstein &