Connecting Point Marketing Group, an organizer of nine senior executive level hosted buyer events focused on innovation within the hospitality, restaurant, healthcare, grocery and retail industries, has been acquired by Emerald Expositions Events Inc. (NYSE: EEX).
JEGI (www.jegi.com), the leading independent investment bank for the global media, information, marketing, software and tech-enabled services sectors, headquartered in New York, NY, was the exclusive financial advisor to CPMG in this transaction. The financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.
Founded by Nancy Splaine and Kim Haulk in 2004 in Rye, New Hampshire, CPMG’s four-day events are highly-curated, invitation-only forums that bring together leaders in each vertical market, with no exhibit component. The emphasis and differentiation of CPMG’s events are the intimacy and personal interaction created by the unique format and exceptional execution, resulting in demonstrable ROI for all participants. Under this “hosted-buyer” model, CPMG curates the buyer attendees and covers the cost of travel, hotel and meals for all attending buyers, and then generates revenue from the sale of supplier participation packages and sponsorship opportunities. CPMG’s proprietary technologies customize the event experience for both buyers and suppliers, and create significant internal efficiencies, a well-conceived user experience and broad data insights.
CPMG has demonstrated strong organic growth since its inception and, similarly to Emerald, benefits from very favorable cash characteristics and good visibility into future performance.
The CPMG team of 19 employees, all based in Rye, New Hampshire, has more than 165 years of combined experience working in the events industry. The entire team will join Emerald, and Nancy Splaine, Senior Vice President/General Manager of CPMG will report to David Loechner, Chief Executive Officer and President of Emerald Expositions.
“We have been innovators in the hosted trade event business, benefitting from growth and change in the industries we serve, and I expect our events to continue to be an important forum for business to be done in the future,” said Splaine. “At this point in CPMG’s evolution, we are excited to leverage the experience and market relationships of the various Emerald brand teams, and Emerald’s resources and infrastructure, to continue to drive our future success and growth.”
“Nancy, Kim and the entire CPMG team have built a great business with an impressive track record of organic growth,” said Loechner. “I am pleased to add CPMG’s best in class capabilities, industry relationships and technologies to the Emerald portfolio, to complement our existing expertise in trade shows, conferences and other face-to-face events.”
About CPMG
Connecting Point Marketing Group (CPMG) organizes and hosts trade events for executives in the retail, restaurant, healthcare and hotel industries. Each innovation-centric event is conducted in a business-intensive format that optimizes strategic interaction for senior executives. CPMG’s event portfolio currently includes RestaurantPoint West, RestaurantPoint East, StorePoint Fashion, StorePoint Fresh, StorePoint Retail, HotelPoint, BuildPoint, HealthPoint and NextPoint. For more information, visit www.cpmg-llc.com.
About Emerald
Emerald is the largest operator of business-to-business trade shows in the United States by net square feet, with most of our trade shows dating back several decades. Emerald currently operates more than 55 trade shows, as well as numerous other events. In 2016, Emerald’s events connected over 500,000 global attendees and exhibitors and occupied over 6.5 million NSF of exhibition space. For more information, visit www.emeraldexpositions.com.
About JEGI
JEGI has been the leading independent investment bank for the global media, information, marketing, software and tech-enabled services sectors for over 30 years. Headquartered in North America, with offices in New York City and Boston, as well as London and Sydney (through its partnership with Clarity), JEGI has completed more than 600 high‐profile M&A and financing transactions, serving global corporations; middle‐market and emerging companies; entrepreneurial owners and founders; and private equity and venture capital firms. For more information, visit www.jegi.com.
