UK events firm that hosts arms fairs and comic shows sold to rival for £2bn

Informa, a FTSE 100 company, has agreed to acquire Clarion from private equity firm Blackstone for more than £2bn. The purchase will bring over 100 events into Informa’s portfolio.

Clarion runs events including DSEI, a defence and security exhibition at London’s ExCel, and Awesome Con, a pop culture convention in Washington. DSEI drew protests last year over the presence of three major Israeli arms companies.

Informa chief executive Stephen Carter said the deal supports a stronger emphasis on live events. The company has also begun a formal review of options for separating Taylor & Francis, its academic publishing business, which generated about $1bn last year.

To help pay for the acquisition, Informa plans to raise £940m through a share sale, including an offer to individual investors via RetailBook. The review of Taylor & Francis is due to be reported with Informa’s full-year results in March next year.

Informa’s shares have been broadly unchanged so far this year, while conflict in the Middle East has led the company to reschedule several events in the region.