International Confex moves to Olympia

International Confex, the exhibition for the UK events industry, is to make a return to west London, new owner Mash Media has revealed.

Mash Media, publisher of Exhibition News, acquired the show from UBM in a deal signed on 20th September.

Confex had previously been held at Earls Court before moving to Excel London in 2012. The 2014 edition will be held at Olympia from 12-13 March.

“Confex is a great show and beloved of the UK exhibition and meetings industries,” said Mash Media MD Julian Agostini.

“We are looking to build on the solid work done by UBM and feedback from visitors and exhibitors suggests the show will benefit from a return to west London. The market also tells us the show will be more attractive staged over two days instead of three.

“These are exciting times for Mash Media and I hope the industry will back us in our efforts to take Confex forward.”

Anna Golden, commercial director, Earls Court & Olympia, commented: “We are delighted to welcome back International Confex to our venues.

“Following Capco's extensive £30 million investment program at Olympia London, the venue provides inspiring spaces for this iconic show’s return."

International Confex, which celebrated its 30th anniversary in 2013, joins the Event Production Show in Mash Media’s growing live events portfolio.

“We won’t be making wholesale changes to the first show under Mash ownership, but we do feel that the move to Olympia and a more compact show will be welcomed by exhibitors and visitors,” added Agostini.

Mash Media publishes leading titles for the meetings, exhibition and live events industries, including Conference News, Exhibition News, Conference & Meetings World, Exhibition World and Access All Areas.

Financial terms of the deal have not been disclosed.

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