Tarsus Group Scores Second Acquisition in a Week with U.K.-based Smarter Shows

December 4, 2019

U.K.-based Tarsus Group, a global B2B media company, has acquired Smarter Shows, a U.K.-based exhibition and conference organizer.

The acquisition enables Tarsus to strengthen its position in the aerospace, automotive and manufacturing industry sectors while increasing its coverage of the related industry supply chains and opening up access to new verticals.

“Over the years, I have observed and admired what James [Reader] and the Smarter Shows team have achieved,” said Douglas Emslie, Tarsus Group CEO.

He added, “I’m pleased to be working with them to develop and expand the business going forward. This acquisition is a perfect fit with our strategy of combining organic growth, replications and strategic acquisitions to achieve our ambitious growth targets. I’m delighted to welcome the Smarter Shows team to Tarsus Group and look forward to an exciting future ahead.”

Founded in 2010, Smarter Shows has built a highly focused portfolio of B2B supply chain exhibitions and technical conferences held in North America and Germany, with a particular focus on the aerospace, automotive and materials industries.

Events in the Smarter Shows portfolio include FOAM Expo, Space Tech Expo, Ceramics Expo and other niche events.

“We’re delighted to announce the next phase of Smarter Shows’ development as part of Tarsus Group,” said Smarter Shows’ Co-founder and CEO James Reader.

He added, “We are proud of the reputation that we have built for delivering value to our customers along with our strong market knowledge and relationships; this deal represents a fantastic opportunity to further develop our events and international market presence, especially in China and the Middle East where Tarsus has very successful and established operations.”

James Reader will take up the role of non-executive chairman at Smarter Shows post acquisition, while joint Managing Directors Emma Stokes and Mindy Emsley will continue to run day-to-day operations from their offices in Brighton, England.

This is the second acquisition that Tarsus Group has made this week, with the first being New York City-based BizBash, a media and live events company that is part of Tarsus Connect.

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