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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Managing Director, Oaklins DeSilva+Phillips
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