MIAMI – Informa Markets has launched South Florida Ventures, a regionally-focused market that serves a wide variety of luxury industries: art, beauty, boating and yachting. This comes on the heels of Informa’s management agreement with the National Marine Manufacturer’s Association (NMMA) to expand their boating and yachting portfolio in the Florida market.
Over the past several years, Informa Markets has solidified its presence in the region, building a portfolio of events that attracts an international audience and brings significant economic value to the region. The Ft. Lauderdale Boat Show alone generated $1.3 billion for the region in 2019, more than $800 million more than it had prior to Informa’s acquisition of the show four years earlier. Combined with the Miami International Boat Show and Miami Yacht Show, the economic impact to the South Florida region from just the boating and yachting portfolios is estimated at over $2.64 billion.
Ken McAvoy, who has been with Informa Markets since 2015, will expand his role to serve as President of South Florida Ventures, in addition to his current responsibility as EVP of Corporate Development for the North America region. Randy Field will join him as VP of Marketing for South Florida Ventures. Field most recently served as Portfolio Group Vice President for Reed Exhibitions, where he spent 15 years growing his career in the exhibitions industry. In addition to these appointments, Robert Correa has been promoted to SVP of Operations for South Florida Ventures, where he will oversee a multi-faceted team of operations professionals that span across the multiple industries the vertical serves. He has been with the company for nine years working on the US boating and yachting shows.
Related. World’s Largest Boat Show Opens in Fort Lauderdale; Set to Emerge Stronger and Safer
“Over the years, Informa has proven to be ahead of the curve at every step, and expansion in this region and in these resilient sectors is evidence of that,” said Randy Field, VP of Marketing, South Florida Ventures. “I am excited to join Informa Markets on this journey to continue to grow, develop and evolve a multi-faceted portfolio of luxury events in arguably the fastest-growing market in the country. I hope to be able to build on the exceptional work that has already been done in developing this market, devising cutting-edge, data-driven customer acquisition and engagement strategies to maximize the potential of the portfolio of South Florida Ventures’ shows.”
The launch of South Florida Ventures signifies the integration of the notable array of luxury lifestyle brands based out of Informa’s Fort Lauderdale and newly opened Miami offices, under a single leadership structure and with united talent, processes and goals.
“I am thrilled to formally launch the South Florida Ventures portfolio, a group of impressive shows we have been developing over the past several years. We have acquired and grown some of the most exceptional events in the region, and now we have the opportunity to effectively integrate our talented teams to better serve our customers and work together toward common goals,” explained Ken McAvoy, President of South Florida Ventures and EVP, Corporate Development at Informa Markets. “I am equally pleased to welcome Randy Field as Vice President of Marketing, leading the strategic direction and expansion of these shows, and to elevate Rob Correa to oversee operational excellence in the portfolio, something he has done exceptionally well with the boating and yachting shows.”
The evolution of Informa Markets’ portfolio in South Florida has been a swift and impressive one. In 2015, Informa acquired Yachting Promotions Inc (YPI), co-owners and operators of the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show, St. Petersburg Power & Sailboat Show, Suncoast Boat Show, Miami Yacht Show, and Superyacht Miami. In 2019, they acquired Art Miami Fair Group, which runs Art Miami, Art Wynwood, CONTEXT and Palm Beach Modern + Contemporary. Just this year, Informa entered into a management agreement with the NMMA to run the Miami International Boat Show and Tampa Boat Show, with NMMA colleagues joining the team. Now, the group is actively working on an expansion into the beauty and jewelry categories, set to launch in 2022.
In addition to Field and Correa, Nick Korniloff will continue to report to McAvoy as EVP, Art Miami, Andrew Doole will continue to report to McAvoy as President, US Boating,, and Ricardo Strul, Katrina Canady and Laura Pequignot will continue to report to McAvoy as CFO, VP, South Florida Ventures, and VP, Customer Service, respectively.
For a deeper look into the formation of Informa’s management agreement with the NMMA, be sure to check out the March edition of Trade Show Executive.
Reach Ken McAvoy, (203) 500-1951 or ken.mcavoy@informa.com;
