Snöcap April 18, 2025
Snöball correspondent
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It's Friday and here's another edition of Snöcap!
This is a weekly event industry news recap where we cover the peaks in the world of exhibitions and associations. Scroll down for more details 👇
Here are the top stories of this week:
- GL Events' revenue surges 11.3% in Q1 2025 to €430 million
- IEG acquires 51% stake in Brazilian agroindustry exhibition
- AEO strengthens members development with Leadership Connect Solutions partnership
- UFI celebrates 100th anniversary, powered by Snöball's peer-to-peer marketing
- Informa TechTarget projects EBITDA boost in 2025
- Business Events Sydney names Amanda Lampe as new CEO
- Who is hiring?
GL Events' revenue surges 11.3% in Q1 2025 to €430 million
GL Events reported first-quarter revenue of €430m ($465m), an 11.3% increase compared to the same period last year.
The exhibitions division led growth with a 23.5% revenue increase to €123.3m, while venues grew 18.1% to €111.2m. The live division reached €195.5m, up 1.6%.
Chairman and CEO Olivier Ginon attributed the performance to strong fundamentals in Brazil and France. "This double-digit growth confirms our strategic market position as an organizer of major world events," Ginon said.
The company secured contracts for mega events worth "several hundred million euros" to be delivered in 2025 and 2026.
First-quarter activities included the Saut Hermès jumping show, France's International Agricultural Fair, and fashion shows for luxury brands.
IEG acquires 51% stake in Brazilian agroindustry exhibition
Italian Exhibition Group has acquired a 51% stake in Brazil's International Agroindustry Feed & Food Fair, marking its largest transaction in the country to date.
IEG purchased Fenagra from Editora Stilo, adding the show to subsidiary IEG Brasil's portfolio. The acquisition targets Brazil's agribusiness, animal nutrition, oils and fats sectors.
The 18th Fenagra is scheduled for May 13-15, 2025, at São Paulo's Anhembi District with 230 exhibitors from 17 countries across five continents.
Brazil's agribusiness sector is valued at $170 billion, representing 50% of the country's exports. The animal nutrition sector, where Fenagra is positioned, combined with the compound feed market, totals approximately $45bn.
"The challenge of internationality is guaranteeing excellent results," said IEG CEO Corrado Peraboni. "Our strategy of geo-cloning our leading products or acquiring others abroad has proved successful."
"We aim to increase Fenagra's visibility for exhibitors and visitors," said Graziano Messana, head of IEG's operations in Brazil.
"The decision to acquire Fenagra is part of IEG Group's expansion plan aimed at strengthening its global presence in strategic sectors," explained Carlo Costa, IEG Brasil's President and IEG CCO, and Francesco Santa, IEG's International Business Development Director.
AEO strengthens members development with Leadership Connect Solutions partnership
The Association of Event Organisers announced a partnership with Leadership Connect Solutions Ltd Tuesday to provide members leadership development resources.
The collaboration offers tools for talent retention and team building through the consultancy founded by exhibitions industry veterans Siân Feuillade and Richard Lowther.
Members will receive workshops, expertise and opportunities to connect with the consultancy at AEO events, including the Partnership Summit on April 23 and Conference on September 4.
"Strengthening leadership and retaining talent are essential to future-proofing our industry," said Anna Golden, AEO's chief executive.
Feuillade, who spent 20 years in HR roles at RX Global before co-founding Leadership Connect Solutions, said the partnership will provide "practical tools to recruit and build resilient teams."
UFI celebrates 100th anniversary, powered by Snöball's peer-to-peer marketing
UFI, the Global Association of the Exhibition Industry, marked its 100th anniversary Tuesday, with industry professionals worldwide sharing celebratory messages through Snöball's referral marketing solution.
The organization, founded on April 15, 1925, has grown to represent exhibition industry interests across the globe. UFI CEO and managing director Chris Skeith OBE said on social media that it's "an honor and privilege to lead this incredible organization in its centennial year."
Established to unite international trade fairs and stimulate economic recovery after World War I, UFI has maintained its commitment to being a non-political organization. This stance enabled the association to facilitate trade between Western and Eastern blocs during the Cold War.
Industry professionals marked the milestone by sharing commemorations across social media platforms using Snöball's word-of-mouth marketing solutions with the hashtag #amplifiedbySnöball
Informa TechTarget projects EDBITDA boost in 2025
Informa TechTarget expects adjusted EBITDA growth in 2025 despite projecting flat revenue.
The company confirmed its 2024 revenue projections of $285m to $295m in reported revenues and $490m to $500m in pro forma revenues. The newly combined entity completed its merger on December 2, 2024.
"2025 will be The Foundation Year for Informa TechTarget, as we combine strengths in Brands, Products, Go-To-Market and Talent and overdeliver on operating cost synergies," said Gary Nugent, Chief Executive of Informa TechTarget.
The company cited geopolitical tensions and macroeconomic uncertainty for the subdued market conditions in 2024, resulting in flat underlying revenue performance.
For 2025, Informa TechTarget projects a low to mid-single digit revenue decline in the first half of the year, with improved performance expected in the second half as its expanded customer and go-to-market strategy gains momentum.
The company reports it is ahead of its first-year operating cost synergy target of $5m and expects to meet or exceed the $45m overall run rate synergies targeted by year three.
Business Events Sydney names Amanda Lampe as new CEO
Business Events Sydney (BESydney) has appointed Amanda Lampe as its new Chief Executive Officer, effective June 16, 2025.
BESydney Chair Professor Mary O'Kane AC said Lampe's combination of private and public sector experience and connections with industry and government will benefit the organization as the NSW Government prepares to release its Visitor Economy Strategy vision to 2035.
"This organization has a proud history of delivering strong economic and social impacts for Sydney and the state of New South Wales for 56 years," O'Kane said.
Lampe will succeed Lyn Lewis-Smith, who has led the company for 12 years and will depart on June 30, 2025.
"Sydney is one of the great global cities of the world, and we are ideally placed to continue to win more international business events," Lampe said. "Business events are an important driver of economic activity, job creation, lasting partnerships and social impact."
Lewis-Smith expressed confidence in the executive team working with Lampe "to continue to grow Sydney's reputation globally and to take the organization forward into a new era."
Who is hiring?
This section highlights the latest job positions in the events and associations industry. Here are some new roles that have opened up:
Informa Markets
Senior Account Sales
IEEE
Event Sponsorship and Activations Sr Manager
CyberRisk Alliance
Event Marketing Manager
CloserStill Media
Marketing Coordinator
Splunk
Sr Event Content Manager
Snöcap is your Friday weekly event news roundup. Follow us on LinkedIn to get regular news and job updates https://www.linkedin.com/company/snoball-events/
