France-based global events organiser Comexposium has announced it has entered into exclusive discussions to acquire leading healthcare and scientific congress organiser, Europa Group.
Europa Group serves the scientific and medical communities in Europe with opportunities to meet, learn, and exchange ideas. The company, which has been on the market for 30 years, has 270 employees and today oversees 50 congresses, as well as websites and content products, aimed at scientific communities around the world. The events and products bring together 170,000 professionals each year.
Perhaps the best known events in the Europa Group portfolio are EuroPCR and le Congrès de la Société Française d'Ophtalmologie.
The proposed acquisition continues Comexposium’s evolution in the fast-growing healthcare sector.
In June 2018, Comexposium acquired the International Master Course on Aging Science (IMCAS), which organises congresses dedicated to plastic surgeons, dermatologists, and ophthalmologists.
The addition of the Europa Group brands will make healthcare one of Comexposium’s largest sectors for events, alongside Food & Agriculture and the Fashion sector.
If the deal goes through, Comexposium is set to become the largest organiser of healthcare congresses in Europe.
Renaud Hamaide, Chairman of Comexposium told EW: “I am pleased to be welcoming Europa Group to Comexposium. Healthcare is a growing and dynamic sector, and Europa Group is unparalleled in serving the industry in Europe. Their events bring medical and scientific professional together to share information about new research, discuss new practices, see new products and solutions, meet with suppliers, and truly come together as a community. We are looking forward to growing in this sector and finding more ways to serve the needs of the healthcare industry together.” Hamaide also told EW he did not envisage any redundancies as a result of the deal Europa Group sees annual revenues in excess of €100m.
Hamaide said Comexposium was not commenting on the value of the deal.
Separately, Comexposium announced on 8 January that it had entered negotiations with Vinexpo Holding to create a new joint venture designed to create the foremost global organiser dedicated to the wine and spirits industry.
The JV is to be an equal stakes entity and will boast a portfolio of 10 major events: Wine Paris (Vinisud/Vinovision Paris), World Wine Meetings and World Bulk Wine Exhibition (Amsterdam and Asia) from Comexposium, Vinexpo (Bordeaux, Paris, Hong Kong, Shanghai and New York), as well as the Vinexpo Explorer events from Vinexpo Holding.
The joint venture business will also look to create new events, says Comexposium.
Pierre Clément, Chairman of AVS and of the VinoVision Paris Board of Directors stated: “Bringing these two entities closer together is a totally novel approach for our industry! We started our partnership in 2019 and now, we want to make it stronger and more established with a shared commitment to join forces bringing our knowledge and expertise together."
Vinexpo Board Chairman Christophe Navarre added: “The alliance we are building marks a significant turning point for the world of wines and spirits. It will allow us to extend our influence, develop a portfolio of must-attend events and meet the expectations of markets throughout the world.”
In May 2019, Comexposium and Vinexpo Holding announced that their two events, Wine Paris and Vinexpo Paris, would be held at the same venue in Paris, 10- 12 February 2020.
The new JV entity will implement events geared to the three main market segments (bulk wines, entry-level to premium wines and spirits, super-premium to luxury wines and spirits). “By bringing our skills and expertise closer together, the professionals in the wine and spirits sector will have a key partner for their business development, able to support them year-round and throughout the world,” commented Vinexpo Holding CEO Rodolphe Lameyse.
Comexposium Division Director Laurent Noël explained: “This alliance will strengthen the international strategy of Comexposium in wines and spirits and will create value for all stakeholders, with bellwether events and an increasing presence throughout the world.” Supported by 13 interprofessional stakeholders, the Boards of Directors of Vinisud and of Vinovision Paris, as well as the Vinexpo Strategic Committee, the project should be finalised before this summer.
