Global exhibition organiser Informa Markets is expanding its luxury lifestyle portfolio in South Florida, USA, with the launch of a new regional market led by industry veterans.
The new market will aim to serve a variety of luxury industries: Art, Beauty, Boating, and Yachting.
The news comes on the heels of a management agreement with the National Marine Manufacturer’s Association (NMMA) to expand their Boating & Yachting portfolio in the Florida market.
Informa Markets has solidified its presence in the region in recent years, building a portfolio of events that attract an international audience. The Ft. Lauderdale Boat Show alone generated USD$1.3bn in economic impact for the region in 2019, more than USD$800m more than it had prior to Informa’s acquisition of the show four years earlier. Combined with the Miami International Boat Show and Miami Yacht Show, the economic impact to the South Florida region from just the Boating & Yachting portfolios is estimated at over $2.64bn.
Ken McAvoy, who has been with Informa Markets since 2015, will expand his role to serve as president of South Florida Ventures, in addition to his responsibility as EVP of corporate development for the North America region. Randy Field will join him as VP of marketing for South Florida Ventures. Field most recently served as portfolio group vice-president for Reed Exhibitions, where he spent 15 years.
In addition, Robert Correa has been promoted to SVP of operations for South Florida Ventures, where he will oversee a team that spans across the multiple industries the vertical serves.
“Over the years, Informa has proven to be ahead of the curve at every step, and expansion in this region and in these resilient sectors is evidence of that,” said Field.
The launch of South Florida Ventures signifies the integration of the array of luxury lifestyle brands based out of Informa’s Fort Lauderdale and newly opened Miami offices, under a single leadership structure.
“I am thrilled to formally launch the South Florida Ventures portfolio, a group of impressive shows we have been developing over the past several years. Now we have the opportunity to effectively integrate our talented teams to better serve our customers and work together toward common goals,” said McAvoy.
The evolution of Informa Markets’ portfolio in South Florida has been a swift one. In 2015, Informa acquired Yachting Promotions Inc (YPI), co-owners and operators of the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show, St Petersburg Power & Sailboat Show, Suncoast Boat Show, Miami Yacht Show and Superyacht Miami. In 2019, they acquired Art Miami Fair Group, which runs Art Miami, Art Wynwood, CONTEXT and Palm Beach Modern + Contemporary. Just this year, Informa entered into a management agreement with the NMMA to run the Miami International Boat Show and Tampa Boat Show, with NMMA colleagues joining the team. Now, the group is actively working on an expansion into Beauty, set to launch in 2022.
In addition, Nick Korniloff will continue to report to McAvoy as EVP, Art Miami, Andrew Doole will continue to report as president, US Boating for Informa Markets’ South Florida Ventures portfolio, and Ricardo Strul, Katrina Canady and Laura Pequignot will continue to report to McAvoy as CFO, VP, South Florida Ventures, and VP, Customer Service, respectively.
