Apollo announced that Apollo Funds is acquiring Emerald Holding and Questex in separate transactions and plans to combine them into a scaled North American B2B events and media platform valued at approximately US$1.5 billion for Emerald.
The acquisition will see Emerald stockholders receive US$5.03 per share in cash. This offer represents a 42.1% premium to the unaffected share price of the company.
Emerald is currently listed on the New York Stock Exchange.
Onex holds over 90% of Emerald’s outstanding shares and has agreed to vote in favour of the buyout.
The transaction will take Emerald private upon its expected completion in the second half of 2026. The combination of Emerald and Questex will create a consolidated portfolio of around 160 events.
Apollo aims to capitalise on the demand for in-person industry gatherings. The investor views physical events as increasingly valuable in a digitally driven business environment.
“As AI and digital tools rapidly expand the ways professionals connect and share information, they are simultaneously elevating the value of trusted in-person gatherings,”
said Shahid Bosan, Managing Director, Apollo.
The deal highlights growing institutional investor interest in consolidating the B2B media space.
Featured image credit: Edited by Fintech News Switzerland, based on image by Raisul via Magnific
