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This Just In

UBM Spends $485 Million to Acquire Asia’s Allworld Exhibitions

HIL ANDERSON, SENIOR EDITOR

London – UBM plc has agreed to acquire Allworld Exhibitions in a $485 million cash transaction that will strengthen UBM’s Asia portfolio and help the company establish a presence in the Middle East.

The deal announced December 13 includes Allworld’s 51 trade shows covering nine industry sectors in 11 nations, including much of Asia as well as Bahrain and Kuwait. Allworld’s worldwide staff, based mainly in London and Singapore, will join UBM.

Tim Cobbold, CEO of UBM, said the deal was a strategic maneuver and “an exceptional opportunity to accelerate growth by investing in a high-quality events business.”

“We cement our position as the leading events business in Asia and achieve the number one position in the fast-growing ASEAN region,” said Cobbold. “We see excellent opportunities to accelerate organic growth in the business.”

Allworld is an established family-owned company based in Britain and brings to the table a portfolio of high-margin events, UBM said. Allworld’s generated more than 7% revenue growth over the last 10 years and includes 28 major exhibitions that generate 90% of the company’s overall revenues.

Allworld generated revenues of $97.2 million and EBITDA of $37.6 million – a 38.7% margin — during the twelve months ended June 30, 2016, of which $50.9 million was from annual events. The acquisition is expected to contribute to UBM’s bottom line as early as 2017.

Reach Tim Cobbold at +44 (0) 20 7921 5000 or tim.cobbold@ubm.com

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