London based Clarion Events, one of the world’s leading independent event organizers and portfolio company of Blackstone, has announced it has acquired California based, Quartz Events, the fastest growing producer of invitation-only, executive summits.
JEGI | CLARITY (www.jegiclarity.com) represented Quartz Events in this transaction, the first B2B events-related transaction of scale to be completed since the Covid -19 lockdown began in March 2020. JEGI | CLARITY is the leading independent investment bank for the global media, information, marketing, software and tech-enabled services sectors, with a global reach from New York, Boston, San Francisco, London and Sydney.
Clarion has seen strong growth in demand for its digital and virtual products, as Covid-19 has impacted customers ability to connect through live events. Quartz Events’ tech enabled platform has been an industry leader in successfully transitioning customers online, and creating high value virtual summits in attractive end markets. With the resumption of in-person events in parts of the world, Quartz Events will further bolster Clarion’s ability to support its customers digitally, as well as strengthen its position in the fast-growing executive summit segment.
“The addition of Quartz further enhances Clarion’s ability to serve our customers digitally, and deliver exciting new products and services” commented, Russell Wilcox, Clarion Events CEO. “We look forward to working with the highly talented team at Quartz, to leverage our global reach and apply their proven proprietary technology to our virtual strategy.”
Together, the acquisition will provide Clarion with enhanced capabilities, and complements its existing executive summit product offering – MATCH. Quartz Events President & CEO, Toby Harris, commented, “I am excited at the opportunity to further expand our reach under the Clarion umbrella. We’ve developed some innovative new ways to build audiences and grow our current markets. With Clarion’s global reach, we are well-positioned for future market growth as well. As an entrepreneur, I was drawn to Clarion because of the cultural fit and the entrepreneur mindset within the organization.”
Quartz Events will continue to work in the current organizational structure with Toby Harris remaining as President & CEO working alongside the global senior leadership team within Clarion.
About Quartz Events
Quartz Events produce industry leading Summits for senior level executives. Their extensive portfolio of events service key corporate job departments including: IT, Finance, HR, Marketing, Supply Chain, Procurement, Operations and R&D. Their innovative model and technology stack connects department heads with relevant solution providers through a curated and white glove experience. They have recently pivoted their offerings to include Virtual Summits facilitating tens of thousands of meetings over video conference. For more information, visit www.quartzevents.com.
About Clarion Events
Clarion Events operates over 180 events in 50 countries around the world. Clarion can trace its roots back to 1947 and takes great pride in being one of the oldest independent event organizers in the UK. More recently the firm has developed an international portfolio of brands and now has interests in a number of global vertical industries including energy, security and defense, electronics, technology, fashion, retail, gaming and marketing. The teams at Clarion create uniquely effective and stimulating environments that can serve as a platform to build businesses, enhance customer relationships and accelerate product awareness. For more information, visit www.clarionevents.com.
About JEGI | CLARITY
JEGI | CLARITY is a leading independent investment bank serving companies in the global media, marketing and information sectors. With a global reach from New York, Boston, San Francisco, London and Sydney, we have closed more than 700 transactions during our 30+ year history. For more information, visit www.jegiclarity.com.
