The merger of Informa and UBM will form the worlds largest exhibition organiser which will change the landscape of our industry. Tesi Baur had the chance to speak to Charlie McCurdy about his view and how he experienced the last month.
Tesi: Charlie, you are a senior exhibition manager from the USA, please tell me a bit more about your impressive career and how you ended up at Informa.
Charlie: In my 25 years of experience in events and business-to-business media, both as an investor and as a senior manager, I was responsible for transforming, expanding and creating value at companies such asGeorge Little Management and Canon Communications. I joined Informa Exhibitions as Chief Executive Officer in 2015 and focused on investing in people, technology and global markets, which has led us to be the number one exhibition organizer in the world.
Tesi: What was your first thought when it became clear that Informa could acquire UBM?
Charlie: That this combination would benefit the customers we serve and their respective markets and provide greater opportunities for colleagues in the combined organization. I have always been a firm believer that success as a major exhibition organizer has to involve promoting the commercial success of the markets we operate in. I was also excited to combine talents and resources and continue providing exceptional visitor and exhibitor insights and opportunities at our shows.
Tesi: What surprised you most when you started to work with the UBM colleagues and with the integration of the two companies what do you think are the biggest opportunities that can be tapped into?
Charlie: Both organizations are guided by a customer-first approach, and this remains at the heart of the combined group, however, each organization takes a slightly different approach to similar challenges. With the combination, we can evaluate and optimize these approaches to best serve our customers, continuing our evolution from exhibitions organizer to becoming a true Market Maker.
Tesi: Please complete the sentence: “Informa and UBM’s…”
Charlie: …combination will create the largest, highest performing events’ organizer in the world, leveraging the scale and resources for greater collective success, and the success of our customers.
