Informa has agreed to buy Clarion Events from Blackstone for an enterprise value of £2.24 billion. The deal was announced on 6 October 2026 and remains subject to customary regulatory approvals; Informa expects it to complete toward the end of Q4 2026. Separately, the company has begun reviewing options for Taylor & Francis, but has not announced a decision to sell, spin off or otherwise separate the academic business.
Who is Informa buying from Blackstone?
The buyer is Informa PLC, a UK-based business-to-business events and information company. The target is Clarion Events, a UK-based B2B live-events company established in 1947. Informa described Clarion as operating more than 100 specialist event brands. Informa’s announcement and Reuters’ report identify the transaction as an acquisition from Blackstone.
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What is Clarion Events?
Clarion organizes trade shows and other live events for professional audiences across sectors including electronics, defence and security, gaming, energy and technology. Informa cited IFA Berlin, DSEI, ICE, Distributech and ITC among the brands in the portfolio. The proposed deal would add Clarion’s events to Informa’s existing B2B portfolio; the combined business is not yet operating as a completed combination.
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How much is Informa paying for Clarion?
Informa announced an enterprise value of £2.24 billion, including certain tax benefits. That is the deal’s stated enterprise value, not a separately stated cash payment to Blackstone. Informa described the value as equivalent to 11.1 times expected 2027 EBITDA before identified synergies. On its forecasts, the multiple is about 9 times after expected cost synergies and about 8 times after expected cost and revenue synergies. These are company transaction metrics based on forecasts and assumptions, not realized results.
How will Informa pay for the deal?
The announced funding plan combines committed acquisition financing with the net proceeds of an approximately £940 million equity placing and retail offer. Informa said the equity issue represents about 9% of its issued ordinary share capital. It also plans to pause its current share buyback and redirect that capital toward the acquisition.
Why does Informa want Clarion?
Informa’s stated rationale is to expand its reach in B2B live events and strengthen its position in selected growth sectors. It says the businesses could create opportunities for cross-marketing, international brand syndication and geographic adaptation, lead generation, sponsorship, digital and data services, and partnerships with hotels and cities. Those are prospective benefits identified by management, not established outcomes.
Informa forecasts that the combined B2B Live Events business would generate more than £4.2 billion, or $5.7 billion, in revenue across around 1,000 brands, more than 40 market categories and over 30 countries. It also projects group revenue of more than $6 billion following the announced changes. These figures are forecasts, not current results for a completed combined company.
What remains uncertain before closing?
- Regulatory clearance: The acquisition is subject to customary regulatory approvals. Informa expects completion toward the end of Q4 2026; until closing is confirmed, Clarion should be described as a proposed acquisition.
- Financing and integration: Informa has announced its funding plan, but execution and integration remain ahead. The company estimates approximately £50 million in one-off costs to deliver expected synergies.
- Synergy timing and returns: Informa expects full run-rate operating and revenue synergies by the third full year of ownership, 2029. It forecasts post-tax return on invested capital above 10% by that year. These are management targets, not achieved savings or returns.
- Other financial forecasts: Any projected earnings-per-share enhancement, revenue growth or leverage trajectory depends on the company’s assumptions and should not be treated as guaranteed.
Is Informa spinning off Taylor & Francis?
Not yet. Informa has started a formal review of options for separating Taylor & Francis, its academic business, but has not selected or announced a specific outcome. The company said it expects to report the review’s outcome alongside its 2026 full-year results in March 2027. Reuters reported that Taylor & Francis had annual revenue approaching $1 billion and growth of about 4%, citing Informa’s figures.
The two announcements are related to Informa’s plans for its portfolio, but they are distinct processes: the Clarion acquisition is an agreed transaction awaiting approvals, while Taylor & Francis’s future structure remains under review. Informa chief executive Stephen A. Carter framed the plans as “further expansion in B2B” alongside the “planned separation” of Taylor & Francis.
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