New York, NY – George Little Management (GLM) will be acquired by Providence Equity Partners through a new holding company led by Charles McCurdy, the former CEO of Canon Communications. GLM will be sold to Providence by Daily Mail and General Trust plc (DMGT) for approximately $173 million in cash under a definitive agreement signed August 23. The Jordan Edmiston Group, Inc. represented DMGT in the negotiations. The deal is expected to close by the end of September.
GLM organizes 15 trade shows totaling 1.8 million net square feet. Its signature event is the New York International Gift Fair.
The deal marks the return of McCurdy to the trade show industry. McCurdy, co-founder of Apprise Media, built Canon Communications into a leading brand in the manufacturing sector, specializing in medical devices. Canon was acquired last year by United Business Media for $287 million.
“GLM’s presence in the growing business-to-retailer space has few rivals in the international trade show industry,” said McCurdy. “We will seek to take GLM to the next level while identifying additional opportunities to expand our platform in the trade show space.”
GLM was founded in 1927 and was acquired by DMGT in 2007. There was no immediate announcement on any changes in the GLM management team or the company’s business strategy.
“This is a compelling transaction that will allow GLM to benefit from the additional resources and expertise provided by Providence,” said GLM President Alan Steel.
Reach Charles McCurdy at (516) 723-9060 or cmccurdy@apprisemedia.com; Alan Steel at (914) 421-3200 or alan_steel@glmshows.com; Richard Meade, JEGI managing director, at (212) 754-0710 or richardm@jegi.com
