Global event organiser CloserStill Media has acquired a majority stake in the Trailblazer Summits group in Germany. Terms of the deal have not been disclosed.
Trailblazer Summits GmbH (Trailblazer Summits) produces a series of two-day, content-led confex events serving several key German market verticals including logistics, accounting, procurement, digital marketing and construction.
Trailblazer founder and CEO Thomas Promny will continue to lead the business and its 30-strong team from its Hamburg base. Astrid Jaeger, CloserStill’s managing director for Germany, joins the Trailblazer board of directors.
The addition of Trailblazer’s portfolio of 10 events means that CloserStill now organises more than 25 exhibition and conference events in Germany including Zukunft Personal Europe (Cologne), Automotive Testing Expo (Stuttgart), Frankfurt Tech Week, Hydrogen Technology Expo (Hamburg), Passenger Terminal Expo (Frankfurt), Online Educa Berlin, Tire Technology Expo (Hannover), Electric and Hybrid Aerospace Technology Symposium (Frankfurt), Professional Motor Sport Expo (Cologne), ADAS & Autonomous Vehicle Technology Expo Europe (Stuttgart).
Promny said: “We are proud of the business we have built and are delighted about the opportunity this partnership brings to us. Despite its size and global footprint, CloserStill is an entrepreneurial business, and it clearly understands our business and shares our ambition to be one of Germany’s largest event businesses with innovative formats.
“CloserStill’s expertise in the global tech sector and their successful track record in launching and growing events makes this a powerful combination. We are excited to see how this partnership will ignite our business and allow us to get to lots of new opportunities for our team to expand the business and better serve our customers and communities.”
Commenting on the acquisition, Gareth Bowhill (pictured), CEO of CloserStill Media, said: “We have made no secret of our continued ambition for the German market and its untapped potential, and this partnership is another important stepping stone to expand our presence in Europe’s largest economy.
“Trailblazer is a uniquely entrepreneurial and disruptive events business in Germany, with dynamic leadership and an ambitious, talented team and we are excited about the potential growth opportunities our partnership will unlock.”
