Clarion Events becomes majority partner in Urban Expositions

(PRESS RELEASE) -- Urban Expositions today announced that Clarion Events of the United Kingdom has become a majority partner in the company. Clarion's global view and depth of resources further strengthen Urban's existing portfolio in addition to opening doors to new growth opportunities.

Urban Expositions will maintain its existing corporate identity, executive management team, event staff, brands and events. Clarion and Urban's portfolios are complementary in some cases and they have plans for collaboration on current events where that will benefit customers as well as on new launches and acquisitions. Managing Partners Doug Miller and Tim von Gal retain significant ownership in Urban and will continue to oversee all facets of the business.

Among many events produced by Clarion is ICE: Totally Gaming, the world's largest gaming technology exhibition at over 600,000ft2. Clarion's dedicated gaming division also delivers online-gaming-focused events EiG and GiGSE, the latter held annually in San Francisco, as well as events in Japan and Brazil and a specialist training business The Totally Gaming Academy.

Urban Expositions manages the Indian Gaming Tradeshow in conjunction with the National Indian Gaming Association. The Indian Gaming Tradeshow is the oldest gaming tradeshow in the U.S. and is the flagship event and most significant annual gathering for tribal gaming and the tribal gaming community. It is held annually in San Diego (CA) and Phoenix (AZ).

"We are thrilled to partner with such a well-established, international event organiser as Clarion," said Doug Miller president and CEO, Urban Expositions. "We look forward to working closely with the Clarion team to start a whole new chapter for our respective companies. Clarion's forward-thinking leadership, proven experience and extensive resources will allow us to build upon our current show propositions while also pursuing new opportunities to diversify and grow."

"We have been searching for a strategic U.S. partner that shared our growth vision and customer service commitment and Urban Expositions was the perfect match," added Simon Kimble, executive chairman, Clarion Events, which is headquartered in the U.K. "In addition to the synergy we'll find in industry spaces we share such as retail trade, arts and gaming, we each bring complementary skills and capabilities to the table in other areas that promise to fuel our growth. NIGA is hugely important and highly regarded event and we look forward to lending our support where we can add value."

"We are extremely excited about the new opportunities our Clarion partnership will deliver," adds Tim von Gal, COO, Urban Expositions. "The chance to reinforce our own assets and talented team with Clarion's global vision, expertise and versatile interests ensures that we're well positioned to seek out new ventures and proactively respond to the ever-changing marketplace."