Diversified Communications announced the acquisition of Expo Management in the United Kingdom. Expo Management organizes three market leading events in the UK – the biennial Euro Bus Expo, Coach and Bus Live, and Best of Britain & Ireland. The twenty year old, privately owned company also publishes leading trade magazines – Route One and Coach Monthly, both supported by online platforms, for the UK travel sector; and produces two successful award ceremonies – The Route One Operator Excellence Awards and the National Coach Tourism Awards.
Mark Griffin, Managing Director of Expo Management, will continue to head the Expo Management team as Group Director, now with the added resources of Diversified Communications.
“This is a significant development for our UK business, adding 35 employees and two offices.” says Diversified Communications’ President & CEO, Ted Wirth. “Thanks to the business development drive of Carsten Holm, Managing Director of Diversified UK, we are welcoming the Expo Management team and their portfolio of products, led by Mark Griffin, to our global team.”
Including recent acquisitions and a series of new launches, Diversified Communications UK continues to strengthen its position as one of the fastest growing event organizers and publishers in the UK. The award-winning UK division of Diversified Communications now employs over 80 staff and has increased its brand portfolio by 127% over the past eighteen months.
Commenting on the news, Mr. Holm says: “We have always been very impressed with the success of Mark’s business, and feel that his personal approach, customer focus and attention to detail is very similar to our own way of doing things. With the existing team, a shared vision and added resources of Diversified, I know the industry will enjoy working with us as much as they have enjoyed working with Expo Management over the years.”
Mr. Griffin agrees: “We are really proud of what our team has achieved over the last twenty years. We have some fantastic events and publishing products, which have a strong reputation as market leaders in the bus, coach and domestic tourism markets. Being part of Diversified Communications will give us scale, which is essential nowadays to grow any business, and there are huge opportunities out there in our market. The reputation which the Diversified team has as an award winning company, passionate about branding and customer experience is well known. This will be a really exciting journey and is great news for our market.”
The next Euro Bus Expo is nearly sold out five months before the doors open, with extra space being taken to accommodate growing exhibitor demand. The event takes place in Birmingham, November 4-6, 2014 (www.eurobusxpo.com), with the Route One Excellence Awards ceremony on November 5. Coach & Bus Live returns to Birmingham in October 2015 (www.coachandbuslive.com) and Best of Britain and Ireland, also in Birmingham, will take place March 11-12, 2015 (www.britainandirelandevent.co.uk).
Diversified Communications UK – a division of Diversified Communications – is a fast growing trade event organizer and publisher based in Brighton. Diversified UK’s portfolio includes Natural & Organic Products Europe; Natural and Organic Awards; Natural Products Scandinavia; Nordic Organic Food Fair; lunch!; Casual Dining; GEO Business; Ocean Business; camexpo; office*; Marelec, SITS – The Service Desk & IT Support Show; Natural Products magazine; and the Natural Beauty Yearbook. For more information, visit: www.divcom.co.uk.
Diversified Communications is a leading international media company providing market access, education and information through global, national and regional face-to-face events, eMedia, publications and television stations. Diversified serves a number of industries including: seafood, food service, natural and organic, healthcare, commercial marine, and business management. Based in Portland, Maine, USA, Diversified has divisions in the Eastern United States, Australia, Canada, Hong Kong, India, Thailand and the United Kingdom. For more information, visit: https://www.divcom.com