(Reuters) -Informa, a British events and academic publishing group, said on Thursday 2025 would be another year of double-digit percentage growth, after reporting an 11.6% rise in 2024 underlying revenue and agreeing a partnership with Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC).
The events sector has experienced a rebound in the last two years, with a notable resurgence in in-person business conferences and exhibitions, after the pandemic-induced disruptions.
Chief Executive Stephen Carter said Informa provided a range of services connected to its exhibitions and events, such as data analysis, accreditation and learning services, which were increasingly underpinned by AI.
“We’re in about 27 markets, and we have a big industry or market-leading trade show, which is the place where everybody in the industry connects, and we put other things around that,” he said.
Informa said it had agreed a partnership with DWTC to pursue opportunities in exhibitions and event management, targeting revenues of more than $700 million.
The deal will bring together leading brands in healthcare, energy, aviation, food and IT, Carter said, adding that the joint venture would also drive growth into adjacent markets.
Shares in the group, which hit an all-time high last month, fell by 4% to 784 pence.
Informa, the world’s largest exhibition group, said it expects double-digit percentage growth in group revenue and adjusted diluted earnings per share, including reported revenues of more than 4.1 billion pounds ($5.29 billion) in 2025.
For 2024, revenue came in at 3.55 billion pounds and it logged an adjusted operating profit of 995 million pounds, higher than the 975 million pounds it had forecast.
Informa also said it is restarting share buybacks with an initial minimum target of more than 200 million pounds in 2025.
($1 = 0.7744 pounds)
(Reporting by Raechel Thankam Job and Chandini Monnappa in Bengaluru and Paul Sandle in London; Editing by Mrigank Dhaniwala, Eileen Soreng and Louise Heavens)
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