Irwin Mitchell Advises On Deal

Expotel, which has a base in Leeds, has announced the acquisition of Venues Event Management, the highly regarded conference and event management services agency.

The deal, for an undisclosed sum, is part of Expotel’s conference and events growth strategy which included the acquisition of the online business, LateMeetings.com, twelve months ago.

Venues Event Management will continue to trade under its existing brand name and operate from a strong base in Swindon, adding a southern base to Expotel’s existing offices in Manchester, Stockport, Leeds and Glasgow.  

Expotel CEO, Ian Burnley, comments, "We have been looking for a strong business to take our conference and events business to the next level and Venues Event Management is a perfect fit.  The combination of the Venues Event Management and Expotel and LateMeetings activities more than doubles the size of our meetings and events business and creates a powerful market-leading presence."

Anita Lowe, CEO of the 95-strong Venues Event Management team, says “‘We are incredibly excited with the opportunity to build the Venues Event Management business within the Expotel group.  The management teams and service cultures fit well and Expotel has developed some great technology which will enable us to continue to develop our client relationships.”

This is Expotel’s fourth acquisition following a management buyout in 2008.

Burnley added: “We have a clear acquisition programme in mind and will continue to look for businesses and teams which fit our growth plans and culture.  We are looking to continue to develop the group in all three of our key market segments:  hotel & business travel, conference & events and online services.  We are aiming for market leading positions.”

Kevin Cunningham, Partner and Head of the Corporate team in Yorkshire at law firm Irwin Mitchell, advised Expotel on the deal. He said: “We have been involved in a number of deals over the past year in which well managed businesses have shown an appetite for growth and have looked for the right opportunities to expand.”