Informa Exhibitions acquires three major US Yacht Shows from Active Interest Media

Informa’s Global exhibition division has purchased Yachting Promotions Inc. (YPI) for $133million, announcing yesterday that the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show, Yachts Miami Beach and the Palm Beach International Boat Show have been added to its portfolio.

Informa Exhibition already has one of the world’s leading superyacht events, the Monaco Yacht Show, in its repertoire. With the acquisition of The Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show, Informa Exhbitions will now deliver the largest show of its kind, drawing 100,000 attendees, 1,300 exhibitors and more than 1,200 boats each November.

Charlie McCurdy, CEO said “With this acquisition Informa Exhibitions becomes the world’s leading yacht show organizer. Combining the world’s premiere show, based in Europe, with these five shows in North America creates a scale player in this attractive and growing vertical, further strengthening our relationship with leading yacht brokers and builders, providing good opportunities for cross promotion and extending customer relationships across platforms and geographies.” McCurdy also said that “Informa Exhibitions is now Informa PLC’s largest division by revenue and profit.”

Efrem ‘Skip’ Zimbalist III, chairman of Active Interest Media said, “We can think of no better company than Informa Exhibitions, with its global resources, to focus on the continued growth and success of these excellent boat shows while continuing to exceed the expectations of their exhibitors and attendees.”

Skip will advise Informa Exhibitions during the transition and the YPI team will continue with the company as it moves forward.

For more information, visit Informa Exhibitions.