Informa first-half results show event growth

UK – Informa has reported solid revenue and profit growth across its events and training business in its first half-yearly report.
 
The company chalked up group revenues of £634.8m (US$1,039m) in the six months to 30 June 2011, up 3.1 per cent rom £624m year-on-year (excluding the IPEX quadrennial show). Pre-tax earnings were also up from £164.7m to £170.4m, while pre-tax profits hit £66.5m, an increase of £100,000 on the first half of 2010.
 
Of this, events and training contributed 48.5 per cent, or £308.1m, in revenue over the six-month period an increase of £4m year-on-year. The division’s adjusted operating profits were also up by £3.9m to £59.5m.
 
According to Informa, growth stemmed from acquisitions as well as increased delegate and exhibitor numbers. The company acquired two Brazil-based trade exhibition businesses for US$133m in June. Twenty-two per cent of Informa’s events revenue now comes from emerging markets.
 
The company also singled out conferences and exhibitions in the finance and telecoms sectors as strong performers over the past six months.
 
“Our larger conferences across the finance and telecoms sectors have performed well with increasing levels of sponsorship attained,” the company said in its financial statement. “We saw double-digit growth at Funds International and IPTV, which gives confidence for the future. The smaller conference business remains tough.”
 
Informa chief executive Peter Rigby said the company had made a strong start to the year and was heading towards a solid full-year result. 
 
“While many global growth indicators remain a concern for a sustained economic recovery, the resilience of our publishing activities and larger events underpin our confidence around our full-year outlook,” he said.
 
“Furthermore, the more cyclical areas of our business are growing and we are confident would grow faster in a better economic environment.”
 
Informa united 10 global business companies under the Informa Exhibitions masthead in March.
 
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