UK events firm that hosts arms fairs and comic shows sold to rival for £2bn

A British events business that hosts arms fairs and conventions for comic book fans has been acquired by a FTSE 100 rival for over £2bn. Informa has finalized a £2.24bn deal to purchase the London-based events organizer Clarion from the private equity group Blackstone.

This takeover will expand Informa’s portfolio by adding more than 100 events, ranging from the defense and security exhibit DSEI, held at London’s ExCel, to the comic book and pop culture-themed Awesome Con in Washington. The DSEI event, which occurs every two years in London, Germany, and Japan, has faced protests in the past. Last year, hundreds demonstrated outside the four-day fair in London against the presence of Israel’s three largest arms companies at the event.