Nineteen Group has acquired London and Hong Kong-based global trade show organiser, Oliver Kinross.
Formed in 2008, the Oliver Kinross business includes a series of Build Expos in New York, Chicago, Sydney and London.
The Oliver Kinross founders Neil McKenzie and James McKenzie, and the senior management team Barry Saysell and Adam Jaffe will continue to lead the business. The deal will see Nineteen now have headquarters in London and Hong Kong.
Nineteen Group CEO Peter Jones said: “From the moment we stepped into the Oliver Kinross shows, they felt right. Busy and engaging with a real festivalisation feel. The OK team could have been acquired by anyone, and we feel most privileged they chose us. This moment has been a long time coming, but only the beginning of a new journey together. We must now repay the trust by delivering on our promise to get behind, and support, OK’s talented people to keep growing, disrupting, and having fun.”
Neil McKenzie said: “For the last few years, Nineteen has clearly been the ones to watch in the UK exhibition industry. Their private equity backing, combined with a highly experienced management team has proven to be an incredible recipe for success. In a short space of time, they have become a major player in the UK Exhibitions sector and now harbor ambitious plans to go global.”
James McKenzie said: “We have some really exciting plans with Nineteen to grow our shows and further develop our global portfolio. We can’t wait to be teaming up with Peter, Alison and Jon and the wider Nineteen team and we have no doubt that as part of the Nineteen Group, we can take Oliver Kinross and our shows to the next level of success.”
Nineteen Group is backed by Phoenix Equity Partners.
