CloserStill Media has bought London-based events business ROAR B2B for an undisclosed sum. The deal adds five events to CloserStill’s portfolio: Environmental Services & Solutions Expo, Naidex, Contact Centre Expo, Customer Experience Expo and B2B Marketing Live.
The events will join CloserStill’s infrastructure, technology and healthcare divisions. Each will keep serving its current audience.
The largest of the five is Environmental Services & Solutions Expo, which is held every year at the NEC in Birmingham and attracts 15,000 attendees and 700 exhibitors, according to CloserStill.
Gareth Bowhill, CEO of CloserStill Media, said: “The sectors represented by these brands are a natural fit with CloserStill’s existing infrastructure, technology and healthcare portfolios.”
Duncan Kirk, CEO of ROAR B2B, said: “We are very excited about the future and feel that CloserStill is the natural home to harness the potential of our events and develop the careers of our team.”
From Prysm portfolio to CloserStill
Duncan Kirk founded the business as Roar Techmedia. Backed by Apiary Capital, it bought Naidex, RWM and B2B Marketing Expo from Prysm Media Group in 2019, and in 2021 it acquired Environment Media Group, the company behind letsrecycle.com and Letsrecycle Live.
The acquisition comes five months after Searchlight Capital Partners took joint control of CloserStill alongside Providence Equity Partners, in a deal that valued CloserStill at £1.35bn. CloserStill has 900 staff and offices in the UK, US, Germany, Spain and Singapore.
