Selling your events business

A strategy for founders, owners and senior executives

Author: Ken Sonenclar, Managing Director, Oaklins Desilva+Phillips

The selling your events business guidebook walks all key stakeholders through a sale process from beginning to end, with detailed prescriptions for how to prepare the company, how to maximize valuation, how to negotiate and how best to avert due-diligence problems. The guidebook investigates the impact of sustainability and AI on events companies and explores the special issues that affect healthcare & life-science events, hosted-buyer events and firms that supply support services to the events industry. 

Finally, Selling your events business reveals how buyers – both strategics and private equity firms – will approach acquiring your company.

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The decision to sell your events business is one of the most significant and complex undertakings you will face as an entrepreneur, as well as a major life event. Whether you’re the founder of a thriving trade show, the owner of a successful conference series or the visionary behind a cutting-edge virtual events platform, the process of selling your company requires careful planning, strategic thinking and a deep understanding of the unique dynamics and challenges of the events industry. KEN SONENCLAR, MANAGING DIRECTOR, OAKLINS DESILVA+PHILLIPS

Table of content

Introduction 4 

Chapter one — The events industry beyond the pandemic 6 

Chapter two — Are you ready for an exit? 8 

Chapter three — Valuing your events business 11 

Special consideration: Sustainability’s impact on sale value

Special consideration: Collateral lines of business

Special consideration: Harnessing the power of AI

Chapter four — Developing an exit strategy 20 

Special consideration: Healthcare and life-science events

Special consideration: Hosted-buyer events

Special consideration: Suppliers and support companies

Chapter five — Marketing your business to potential buyers 29 

Special consideration: The buyers’ point of view

Chapter six — Negotiating the deal 41 

Chapter seven — Navigating the due diligence process 44 

Special consideration: Working capital

Chapter eight — Closing the transaction and beyond 50 

About Oaklins 53

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Ken Sonenclar New York, United States
Managing Director, Oaklins DeSilva+Phillips
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