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This Just In

Private Equity Firm Acquires Majority Stake in Argyle Executive Forum

DANICA TORMOHLEN, EDITOR-AT-LARGE

New York — The Wicks Group of Companies, a New York-based investment firm, has acquired a majority position in Argyle Executive Forum LLC, a provider of C-level executive events for Fortune 500 business leaders. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

Headquartered in New York, Argyle produces 54 single-day multi-sponsor forums and more than 100 single-sponsor custom live and virtual events annually with significant support from major sponsoring organizations such as Oracle, SAP, IBM and Deloitte. Argyle is led by President and CEO Danny Phillips, who served as executive vice president for Advanstar Communications (now part of UBM), where he worked for more than 16 years before leaving in 2013.

Argyle’s forums serve 40,000 executive members from private and public companies, investment firms and public-policy institutions. Argyle’s model is to produce tightly controlled networking and thought-leadership events for its exclusive membership. The company’s largest event, The Leadership in Digital Marketing Forum, will be held October 6 in New York.

“We expect to expand the number of our events significantly over the next few years, digitally, regionally and in new vertical sectors, as well as looking for opportunities to invest in attractive event companies whose operating model would benefit from our proprietary membership, communications and onsite engagement processes,” Phillips told Trade Show Executive. “As we incorporate integrated account-based marketing services, like detailed membership surveying, content asset creation and mobile networking, we will add even more value to the executive leads we create for our sponsors.”

“We believe the breadth of opportunity for organic and acquisition-driven growth is compelling, and we look forward to working with Danny and the rest of the Argyle team to support the next phase of the company’s development,” said Craig Klosk, managing partner and co-founder of Wicks, a private equity firm that invests in lower-middle-market companies in the information, education and media industries.

Reach Danny at (646) 839-0045 or DPhillips@argyleforum.com

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