Global exhibition and events organiser Hyve has announced that private equity firm Hellman & Friedman (H&F) is to acquire the company from Providence Equity Partners L.L.C. and Searchlight Capital Partners. The deal, according to the Financial Times, is thought to be worth $1.8bn, up from the $500m value when the company was taken private three years ago.

Mark Shashoua, CEO of Hyve said: “Hyve has demonstrated a consistent ability to identify the shifts shaping global business early and acting with conviction to capture the opportunity, from spotting high-growth markets in the early years, to pioneering the modernisation of the sector through tech enabled products and matchmaking and more recently expanding the boundaries of the traditional event model. We believe Hellman & Friedman’s investment marks the beginning of another exciting new phase for Hyve, as we respond to demand from the world’s leading companies for deeper ecosystems around the industries shaping the future global economy.

“We are excited to partner with H&F, an experienced and highly respected investor with deep expertise across media and growth businesses, as we enter the next phase of our growth, with strong momentum behind us, and significant opportunity ahead. I’d also like to thank Providence and Searchlight, who have been exceptional partners in accelerating our transformation, supporting us to scale Hyve into a faster-growing and more diversified business.”

The transaction is set to complete end of this calendar year and reflects strong investor confidence in events industry.

The move follows a period of growth for Hyve under Providence and Searchlight ownership. Since being taken private in 2023, Hyve launched a three year plan, GO27, to more than double the in size and has delivered three consecutive years of double-digit organic revenue growth and has expanded EBITDA beyond $100m.

Hyve runs a portfolio of globally renowned brands including HLTH, Shoptalk, Bett, POSSIBLE, Manifest and ASU+GSV Summit. It focuses on market-leading events with 31 events across 18 global brands.

In partnership with H&F, Hyve says it will now focus on accelerating international launches, expanding adjacent products and services, and continuing to scale into growing end markets via its acquisition strategy.

Hunter Philbrick, Partner at H&F, said: “As AI reshapes global commerce, we believe the ability to foster human connections and bring people together will be more valuable to businesses than ever.”

H&F’s investment reflects Hyve’s strong growth potential, underpinned by ongoing demand for premium B2B events and ecosystems which are central to Hyve’s business model.

Andrew Tisdale, vice-chairman and Robert Sudo, managing director at Providence, said: “Over the past three years, we believe Mark and the team at Hyve have achieved a tremendous amount – numerous high-calibre executive hires, seven strategic acquisitions and five key event launches, the roll-out of exciting new tech-enabled services, and significant investments in technology to support the rapid scaling of Hyve’s overall business. It has been really gratifying for us at Providence to work alongside Mark and his team to achieve such operating excellence and growth.”

RAN Advisory acted as financial advisor to Hellman & Friedman. Hyve, Providence and Searchlight were advised by LionTree and JP Morgan.