Informa agrees £2.24bn takeover of ICE and iGB organiser Clarion

Informa has agreed to acquire Clarion Events, the organiser of ICE and iGB, from investment firm Blackstone for an enterprise value of £2.24bn. Informa announced the acquisition on 6 October 2026. The transaction is to be paid entirely in cash and has not yet completed.

Informa is financing the acquisition partly through financing raised specifically for the deal and about £940m in proceeds from the issue of new shares. The company expects the transaction to complete by the end of Q4 2026, subject to the usual regulatory approvals.

Clarion Events organises business-to-business events worldwide across several sectors. In gambling it is known for ICE and iGB. Informa names gaming explicitly as one of the markets where the acquisition strengthens its position. ICE is described as one of the largest international trade fairs for the gambling industry and moved from London to Barcelona in 2025. iGB, which organises the annual iGB L!VE among other events, is also part of Clarion's portfolio. Besides gaming, Clarion is active in consumer electronics, defence and security, energy and technology, and has more than 100 specialised B2B brands in total.

Informa expects Clarion to generate revenue of more than £575m in 2027.

Blackstone has owned Clarion since 2017, when the US investment firm acquired the events company from Providence Equity Partners. In December 2025 it was reported that Blackstone was examining a possible sale of Clarion, with a valuation of about £2bn mentioned. Blackstone reportedly considered several options for Clarion, including a full sale or an initial public offering. The agreed enterprise value of £2.24bn is slightly above the valuation mentioned for Clarion at the end of last year.

After completion, Clarion will become part of Informa. Clarion will initially continue to operate as a separate operating company within the group. Lisa Hannant will remain chief executive of Clarion and will also join Informa's Executive Leadership Team.