Clarion Events Makes Another Acquisition – Are More Deals Coming?

Clarion Events has acquired Eaton Hall Exhibitions, a company specializing in highly targeted, pre-arranged, face-to-face meetings. This acquisition launches a new division. Clarion Connect, dedicated to events that facilitate one-to-one meetings.

Eaton Hall, based in NJ, organizes forums for sectors such as banking, law enforcement, and hospital security.

Kelly Comboni, president of Quartz Network, Consero Events, LeftField Media, and now Eaton Hall will lead the new division. Comboni joined Clarion in 2016 with the acquisition of LeftField Media.

“Our goal has always been to create events that our customers love to be part of because the events are targeted, productive, and truly welcoming for the unique niches of people we serve,” said Scott Goldman, the founder of Eaton Hall. “Clarion, whose leaders I’ve known personally for over ten years, shares our commitment to ‘hugging our customers.’”

The Eaton Hall Exhibitions acquisition follows the recent Information Forecast (Infocast) deal, which brings a renewable energy event organizer into Clarion’s expanding energy portfolio.

Is Clarion eyeing future acquisitions? “We recognize that today’s evolving market opens the door for strategic acquisitions and mergers and have our focus on how we can complement our current portfolios as well as broaden our reach in industries and geographies,” said Liz Irving, president of Clarion Events North America.

Greg Topalian, chairman of Clarion Events North America, saw this trend coming when he predicted a rise in mergers and acquisitions during the Exhibition and Convention Executives Forum (ECEF) in Washington, D.C.

“The appetite to get deals done has never been higher,” he said.