Even as the downturn persists, Reed Exhibitions is looking to acquire trades shows in the U.S., said Mike Rusbridge, chairman-CEO of Reed Elsevier’s $1.4 billion trade show arm, at Thursday’s DeSilva & Phillips Media Dealmakers Summit.
Even at its size, Reed Exhibitions controls just 5% of the worldwide exhibitions market. “It’s a highly fragmented market,” Rusbridge said.
Rusbridge said Reed Exhibitions had 20% of its business in the U.S., a percentage that he described as “underweight.” “We’re already looking for more deals in the U.S. to bolster that,” he said.Through acquisitions and organic growth focused in the U.S., Brazil, Russia, India, China and the Middle East, Rusbridge said he hopes to double Reed Exhibition’s market share in the trade show sector.
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