Informa is doubling down on live events — buying a rival for £2.24 billion while preparing to separate the academic publisher it has owned since 2004
October 6, 2026 — Informa PLC said on Tuesday it has agreed to buy events organiser Clarion from Blackstone for an enterprise value of £2.24 billion, and has launched a process to separate its academic business, Taylor & Francis. The London-listed group said the two moves focus it on its core business-to-business, or B2B, operations.
Image: A busy B2B exhibition hall with abstract booths and academic books in the foreground. Credit: Red Eye Eagle News / original AI illustration.
Editor's Highlight: This is two deals in one announcement. Informa is buying scale in live events — more than 100 Clarion brands, including IFA Berlin, DSEI and ICE — while starting the exit from academic publishing, a steadier business that no longer fits its events-first strategy.
Table of Contents
- Key Facts
- A £2.24 Billion Bet on Live Events
- What Clarion Brings: IFA, DSEI and ICE
- How the Deal Will Be Paid For
- Taylor & Francis: A Publisher Prepares to Stand Alone
- What the Market Made of It
- Bottom Line
- FAQ
- Sources
Key Facts
| Detail | Information |
| Buyer and seller | Informa PLC buying Clarion from Blackstone |
| Price | £2.24 billion enterprise value, paid in cash |
| Valuation | 11.1x Clarion's expected 2027 EBITDA, before synergies |
| Funding | Acquisition financing plus a c.£940 million equity placing and retail offer |
| Clarion scale | 100+ B2B brands; £575 million+ revenue expected in 2027 |
| Combined events business | Over £4.2bn / $5.7bn revenue, c.1,000 brands, 30+ countries |
| Completion | Towards the end of Q4 2026, subject to regulatory approvals |
| Second move | Separation process launched for Taylor & Francis; outcome due March 2027 |
A £2.24 Billion Bet on Live Events
Informa describes itself, according to the company, as becoming the UK-listed international leader in B2B live events once the deal completes.
According to the company, annual group revenues would exceed $6 billion, with underlying revenue growth of about 7%.
Newsroom Focus: The strategic logic is concentration. Informa is trading breadth — events plus publishing — for depth in one business it believes can grow faster.
What Clarion Brings: IFA, DSEI and ICE
Clarion was founded in 1947 and is headquartered in the UK, according to Informa. It owns and operates more than 100 specialist B2B brands.
Its best-known franchises include IFA Berlin in electronics, DSEI in defence and security, and ICE in Barcelona, described by Informa as a global leader in gaming.
Clarion is expected, according to the company, to generate revenues of £575 million+ in 2027, with adjusted operating profit margins above 30%.
| Category | Clarion brand | Why it matters |
| Electronics | IFA Berlin | Scale entry into a major consumer-tech event |
| Defence / Security | DSEI | Leading international defence brand |
| Gaming | ICE, Barcelona | Global leader in gaming events, per Informa |
| Energy | Distributech | Deepens North America energy offer |
How the Deal Will Be Paid For
The consideration will be paid in cash, according to the company. It will be funded through dedicated acquisition financing and the net proceeds of a placing of about £940 million.
That placing is about 9% of Informa's issued ordinary share capital. It comprises an accelerated bookbuild for institutions and a separate retail offer through RetailBook.
Informa said it will pause its current share buyback programme to redirect capital to the transaction.
On synergies, the company says it has identified about £50 million in annual run-rate cost savings. It also targets about £25 million of additional operating profit from revenue synergies by 2029, with one-off delivery costs of about £50 million.
Analysis Note: The valuation tells the story in one line. At 11.1 times expected 2027 EBITDA, the multiple falls to about 9 times including cost synergies, and about 8 times including revenue synergies — so the price depends, in part, on savings that still have to be delivered.
| Date | Event |
| 6 October 2026 | Deal and Taylor & Francis separation process announced |
| Late Q4 2026 | Clarion acquisition expected to complete, subject to approvals |
| 2027 | Mid-single-digit EPS enhancement expected, per Informa |
| March 2027 | Taylor & Francis separation outcome due with full-year results |
| 2029 | Full synergy run rate and 10%+ post-tax return target |
Clarion chief executive Lisa Hannant will remain in her role, according to the company, and join Informa's executive leadership team.
Taylor & Francis: A Publisher Prepares to Stand Alone
Taylor & Francis is approaching $1 billion in revenue and growing at about 4%, according to Informa.
Informa has launched a formal process reviewing all options for the academic business. The outcome will be reported alongside the group's 2026 full-year results in March 2027.
Practical Takeaway: Nothing changes yet for Taylor & Francis authors, editors or customers. A review has started; no sale, listing or spin-off structure has been announced.
What the Market Made of It
At 0930 BST on Tuesday, Informa shares were up 3.9% at 895.40p, Sharecast reported.
Dan Coatsworth of AJ Bell, quoted by Sharecast, noted a trade-off: publishing is arguably more defensive, so a pure events group could be bumpier if in-person gatherings are disrupted again.
Bottom Line
Informa is making its biggest strategic choice in years: pay £2.24 billion for Clarion, raise about £940 million in new equity, and prepare to separate Taylor & Francis. What to watch next is regulatory clearance and completion late in Q4, the placing price, and — in March 2027 — what separation actually means for the academic publisher.
FAQ
What is Informa buying, and from whom?
Informa has agreed to buy Clarion, a UK-based B2B events organiser with more than 100 brands, from Blackstone for an enterprise value of £2.24 billion in cash.
When will the Clarion deal complete?
Towards the end of the fourth quarter of 2026, according to the company, subject to customary regulatory approvals.
How is Informa paying for it?
Through dedicated acquisition financing and a roughly £940 million equity placing and retail offer, about 9% of its issued share capital. Its share buyback programme will pause.
What happens to Taylor & Francis?
Informa has launched a separation process reviewing all options. No structure has been chosen, and the outcome is due alongside full-year results in March 2027.
Who will run Clarion inside Informa?
Current Clarion chief executive Lisa Hannant will remain in her role and join Informa's executive leadership team, according to the company.
Sources
- Investegate — Informa PLC RNS announcement, 6 October 2026: http://www.investegate.co.uk/announcement/rns/informa--inf/growth-focus-international-expansion/9807667
- Sharecast — Informa to buy Clarion for £2.24bn, separate academic business, including AJ Bell comment and share price: https://www.sharecast.com/news/news-and-announcements/informa-to-buy-clarion-for-pound224bn-separate-academic-business--23765112.html
- iGaming Business — Informa targets gaming growth with acquisition of Clarion: https://igamingbusiness.com/strategy/ma/informa-targets-gaming-growth-clarion-acquisition/
- ADVFN — Informa to acquire Clarion for £2.24 billion and review Taylor & Francis separation: https://uk.advfn.com/market-news/article/24109/informa-to-acquire-clarion-for-2-24-billion-and-review-taylor-francis-separation
- YouTube — US & Global Market Updates, Oct 6 morning edition, Informa segment at 60:18: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=53sbuI-VSEY
- Hero image — original AI illustration by Red Eye Eagle News, as credited in the article.
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