Informa Agrees £2.24bn Deal to Buy Clarion

Published: 06 October 2026. The English Chronicle Desk. The English Chronicle Online.

British events company Informa has agreed to buy rival events organiser Clarion from private equity giant Blackstone in a deal valued at £2.24bn, bringing a wide range of major trade exhibitions, defence fairs, entertainment conventions and specialist gatherings under the FTSE 100 group’s expanding global portfolio.

The acquisition represents a significant expansion for Informa, which is seeking to strengthen its position in the international live-events industry while reshaping its wider business around events and information services.

Clarion, headquartered in London, organises more than 100 events across a broad range of industries and interests. Its portfolio includes major defence and security exhibitions, comic book and pop culture conventions, technology and gaming events, travel shows and classic car gatherings.

Among the best-known events that will come under Informa’s ownership is DSEI, one of the world’s major defence and security exhibitions. The event is held every two years in London and also has editions in Germany and Japan.

DSEI has attracted significant attention and controversy because of its links to the international arms industry. The London edition, held at ExCeL London, has repeatedly faced demonstrations from campaigners opposed to the sale and display of military equipment.

The event attracted hundreds of protesters during its most recent London edition, with particular criticism directed at the participation of major Israeli defence companies. The demonstrations highlighted the political and ethical debates that can surround large international arms exhibitions.

The acquisition will therefore give Informa control of a business whose activities extend into sectors with very different audiences and commercial characteristics.

Clarion’s portfolio is not limited to defence. The company also operates events aimed at comic book enthusiasts and popular culture fans. Its AwesomeCon convention in Washington is one of the events that will join Informa’s growing collection.

The company also organises travel exhibitions, classic vehicle gatherings and events connected with technology, gaming and design.

Its Classic Motor Show in Birmingham, for example, is promoted as the world’s largest vehicle club gathering. The event attracts enthusiasts, collectors, vehicle clubs and businesses from across the classic motoring community.

The diversity of Clarion’s portfolio is a major attraction for Informa because it provides access to established events with audiences spread across numerous industries and consumer interests.

Informa chief executive Stephen Carter said the company was accelerating its focus on its core live-events business. The acquisition comes as Informa simultaneously prepares to consider the future structure of its academic publishing division, Taylor & Francis.

The company announced that it has begun a formal process to separate Taylor & Francis and will review the available options for the business.

Taylor & Francis is a long-established academic publisher with roots dating back to London in 1852. It became part of Informa in 2004 and publishes academic books and journals covering areas including science, medicine, technology and engineering.

The academic publishing operation generated about $1bn, equivalent to roughly £760m, in revenue last year. Informa said the process could lead to a range of outcomes, although it has not yet indicated a definitive plan for the division.

Investors are expected to receive further information about the future of Taylor & Francis when Informa reports its full-year results next March.

The decision to pursue the Clarion acquisition while reviewing the academic publishing business reflects a broader strategic shift within Informa.

The company appears increasingly focused on live events, where it has built a substantial international presence. Its existing portfolio includes major industry gatherings such as London Tech Week and the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity.

Informa is headquartered in London and employs approximately 14,000 people. It has become one of the world’s major organisers of business-to-business events, operating across numerous markets and industries.

The Clarion acquisition would significantly increase the number of events under its control and strengthen its presence in sectors ranging from defence to entertainment.

However, the transaction also comes at a challenging time for parts of Informa’s international operations.

The company has faced disruption from conflict in the Middle East, forcing it to reschedule several events in the region. Those disruptions have contributed to uncertainty around the group’s near-term performance.

Informa’s shares had remained broadly flat during the year before the acquisition announcement, reflecting some of the challenges facing the company despite its long-term growth ambitions.

The group has a particularly significant international exposure. More than one-third of its revenue comes from India, the Middle East and Asia, making geopolitical developments in those markets particularly important to its financial performance.

Carter has also undergone significant changes in his personal and professional circumstances. Last year, the Informa chief executive moved his tax residency from the UK to the United Arab Emirates and retired from the House of Lords.

The Clarion deal nevertheless indicates that the company’s leadership remains committed to expanding the events operation.

To finance the acquisition, Informa said it would raise £940m through a share placing. The fundraising will include an opportunity for retail investors to participate through the RetailBook platform.

The use of new equity will allow Informa to fund a substantial portion of the acquisition while maintaining its broader financial strategy.

The company expects the takeover to accelerate its growth and increase earnings per share from 2027. Investors responded positively to the announcement, with Informa shares rising by about 1.4% in early trading on Tuesday.

The market reaction suggested that investors viewed the transaction as broadly supportive of the group’s long-term strategy.

For Blackstone, the sale represents the latest stage in its ownership of Clarion. Private equity firms frequently acquire companies with the objective of improving their operations and ultimately selling them at a higher valuation. The £2.24bn transaction provides Blackstone with a substantial exit from its investment.

For Informa, meanwhile, the acquisition offers an opportunity to bring together two major players in the events industry at a time when global businesses continue to rely on exhibitions, conferences and specialist gatherings to build commercial relationships.

Trade events have increasingly become important meeting points for industries that depend on face-to-face networking, product demonstrations and international partnerships. Although digital communication has transformed the way businesses operate, major exhibitions continue to provide opportunities for companies to meet customers and showcase new products and technologies.

The combination of Informa and Clarion could therefore create a much larger events platform with greater scale and a broader international reach.

The acquisition also illustrates the continuing consolidation of the global events industry, where large organisers are seeking to build portfolios that can serve multiple sectors and geographic markets.

For visitors and exhibitors, the immediate impact of the transaction is likely to be limited as the events continue under established brands. Over time, however, Informa could seek to combine operational resources, technology and international marketing capabilities across the two businesses.

The future of Clarion’s controversial defence exhibitions will also attract attention. DSEI has become a regular target for campaigners, particularly amid heightened international concern over armed conflicts and defence exports.

Bringing the event into Informa’s portfolio could increase scrutiny of the FTSE 100 company’s role in the global defence exhibition industry. At the same time, the wider Clarion portfolio demonstrates that the business is far more diverse than its defence operations alone.

The transaction is ultimately part of a larger restructuring of Informa as it seeks to concentrate its resources on areas where management sees the strongest opportunities for long-term growth.

The planned review of Taylor & Francis points in the same direction. By potentially separating its academic publishing arm while acquiring a major events competitor, Informa would become more heavily weighted towards live events and related commercial activities.

The company will now face the challenge of integrating Clarion while maintaining the performance of its existing portfolio and navigating geopolitical uncertainty across important international markets.

If completed as planned, the £2.24bn acquisition will significantly reshape Britain’s events industry and make Informa an even more dominant player in the global exhibition market.

For Clarion, the deal marks the end of its period under Blackstone ownership and the beginning of a new chapter within one of Britain’s largest listed business groups.

For Informa, it represents a major bet on the continued strength of face-to-face events and the value of specialised international communities, from defence professionals and technology companies to comic book fans, classic car enthusiasts and travel businesses.

The transaction therefore goes beyond a straightforward corporate takeover. It signals Informa’s determination to make live events an even more central part of its future while using the sale or restructuring of other businesses to sharpen its strategic focus.