Comexposium, a leading international event organiser, today announced it entered into negotiations to acquire the majority stake of Coalition Media Group (CMG), founded and managed by Marc Laufer. CMG is notable for its brand l’Etudiant, which annually organises over 110 events focused on the needs of the student communities in France. L’Etudiant, a 45 year old brand, is the leading source of information for students between the ages of 15-25 years old, from selecting a college through to their first job.
L’Etudiant offers content and community connections to students through events, digital, print, and direct marketing. It has deep expertise in the education sector, providing high quality information and connections to both students and their families. In addition to the l’Etudiant events, CMG also organises 10 recruitment events, as well as the Salon du Travail.
“We are very proud of the quality of content and services that L’Etudiant has provided to the student community over many years. Chrystèle Mercier, Director General of l’Etudiant, and I are pleased to remain with the business as we look to join Comexposium. We look forward to working closely, and sharing best practices, with the Comexposium teams to continue the development of the brand and events, creating even better experiences for our customers,” said Marc Laufer, President of Coalition Media Group.
“I am delighted to have the opportunity to welcome CMG to Comexposium. Their events are the leading student events in France, adding a new sector of expertise and experience to Comexposium’s already expansive set of community networks,” said Renaud Hamaide, Chairman of Comexposium. Simon Foster, CEO of Comexposium, added, “In addition to adding a new sector to our diverse portfolios, we are also pleased to have the opportunity to strengthen our expertise in multi-show organisation with CMG.
This adds another facet of opportunity for our future growth plans.”
Comexposium
Comexposium is one of the world’s leading event organisers. Globally, it hosts more than 177 B2B and B2C events across many different sectors, including food, agriculture, retail, e-commerce, fashion, security, digital, construction, high-tech, optics and transport. In over 30 countries, Comexposium welcomes more than 3 million visitors and 45,000 exhibitors annually. Headquartered in France, Comexposium’s nearly 800 employees operate in 16 countries, Australia, Canada, China, Denmark, Germany, India, Indonesia, Japan,
Mexico, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, UAE, UK and USA. Comexposium aims to be seen as the place to be, building bridges between people and business.
www.comexposium.com
Coalition Media Group
Coalition Media Group (CMG) was founded in 2016. Marc Laufer is the main shareholder, and along with his partner Philippe Lhomme, they control 75% of the business. SFR Press, a subsidiary of SFR Group controls the remaining 25%. In addition, CMG also owns 100% of NewsCo, a professional information group that publishes 10 magazines, hosts several websites and organises over 30 events. CMG organises, l’Etudiant and Job Rencontres, leading multi-sector trade fairs in France for future graduates, students, and public and
private higher education. An expert in the sector for more than 45 years, l’Etudiant is supported by a number of public and private partners as well as the national and regional media.
www.letudiant.fr ; www.jobrencontres.fr ; www.newsco.fr