WORLD - Exhibition organiser Tarsus has announced a series of acquisitions in China, Turkey and France, following “another excellent year for the Group”.
The international firm has said the year 2013 ended strongly with record revenue and profitability, with an 11 per cent increase in like-for-like organic revenue growth.
“Our major shows continue to go from strength to strength underlining the importance of continuing to invest in our market leading brands,” said group managing director Douglas Emslie.
The group has expanded its event portfolio in emerging markets, acquiring a 50 per cent stake in the China (Shenzhen) International Brand Underwear Fair (SIUF), the remaining 25 per cent of its subsidiary IFO in Turkey, and the part disposal of up to 18 per cent of the firm’s French business to Romuald Gadrat, the managing director of the division.
The China deal was brokered by Mayfield Media Strategies (MMS) on behalf of the sellers, which is the company's first deal in China.
Earlier this year, the group announced a joint venture with EJ Krause & Associates (EJK) on the Plastimagen exhibition and Expo Manufactura.
Tarsus said the partnership will provide a platform to launch new exhibitions in Mexico, primarily drawing on the firm’s existing major brands. Tarsus will also launch replications of existing EJK brands into sectors where Tarsus has a suitable launch platform.
“Our moves into Mexico and Indonesia have substantially completed the footprint in the geographical markets we are aiming to develop,” said Emslie.
Tarsus said the recent additions to the portfolio provide strong replication opportunities internationally and demonstrate the way in which the firm’s strategy can deliver value.
In regard to the group’s Quickening the Pace strategy launched in 2013, Tarsus has “made significant progress on strengthening and investing in the core business to drive organic growth,” according to its financial end-of-year statement.
“We have added value to our key brands through continuous innovation and brand replication in faster growth markets.”
Its major event of 2013 was the Dubai Air Show in November which was held for the first time at a new purpose-built venue. Performance at this event was ahead of expectations with revenues 25 per cent higher than the 2011 show and a strong rise in visitor numbers of 11 per cent on a like-for-like basis.
Shanghai’s Labelexpo Asia celebrated its 10th anniversary event in December with revenues 10 per cent ahead of the previous edition. The European edition of Labelexpo produced record increases of 11 per cent in both like-for-like revenue and visitor attendance. As a result, re-bookings of 87 per cent for the 2015 exhibition were secured.
Tarsus also reported its Turkish business “performed well” in 2013, with a total of seven shows held during the year and like-for-like revenues up 13 per cent overall.
“Like-for-like bookings for our shows in 2014 are tracking 12 per cent ahead of the equivalent time last year,” added Emslie. “We remain confident of delivering a good performance this year on a constant currency basis.”
The group will announce its final results for the year ending 31 December 2013 during the week commencing 3 March 2014.
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