BREAKING NEWS: BCD M&E acquires Grass Roots M&E

BCD Meetings & Events has acquired Grass Roots Meetings & Events. The companies did not disclose the price paid. The event and delegate management agency’s owner Blackhawk Network Holdings, Inc. had been trying to sell the meetings and events division of Grass Roots Group Holdings, Ltd for several months, as revealed by CMW on 24 March. “We have been strategically investing to grow our global presence and service offering over the last three years,” said Scott Graf, BCD M&E global president. “This acquisition is about strengthening local event operations, offering new venue sourcing technology and expanding our delegate management solution,” he added. BCD M&E will welcome 220 Grass Roots employees, including respected leaders and industry professionals, with local expertise in the UK, Germany, US, Switzerland and Singapore. CMW understands there are to be no redundancies. “Grass Roots Meetings & Events has built a phenomenal offering across the globe – one that is a solid complement to our current business,” said Nigel Cooper, BCD M&E managing director, EMEA. “We saw a strong cultural fit with the organisation and realised our services are stronger together than apart. In addition to the expanded capabilities, no other organisation can offer an end-to-end delegate management solution such as this.” Grass Roots Meetings & Events manages over £150m of meeting spend, drives compliance within organisations and focuses on improving the performance of meetings and events programmes. The company operates meetings and events services from key locations in the UK (Fleet and London), New York, Dusseldorf, Zurich and Singapore. As specialists in strategic meetings management and delegate management, they work with three of the Big Four professional services firms, nine of the top 15 investment banks and many other global organisations. “We have always focused on developing a team of experts with a deep understanding of not just the market but also what our customers need,” said David Taylor (pictured), managing director, Grass Roots Meetings & Events. “Being a part of a global organisation that is focused on being a leader in corporate meetings and events will open new doors of opportunity for both our customers and our employees.” Grass Roots was acquired by Blackhawk Network in 2016. Blackhawk Network will retain ownership of the Grass Roots parent company.