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This article was published in Trade Show Executive in November 2022.
CLEVELAND — In its bid to expand its portfolio into the UK and Europe, Blue Point Capital Partners and its portfolio company, Stax, a Boston-based M&A strategy consulting firm, has acquired AMR International, a London-based boutique strategy consulting firm specializing in buy and sell-side commercial due diligence across the technology, information, media and events industries. The deal marks another step towards market expansion when global equity continues to expand into the UK and Europe.
With offices in Cleveland, Charlotte, Seattle and Shanghai, Blue Point Capital Partners, a private equity firm managing over $1.5 billion in committed capital, acquired Stax in 2021. The recent AMR expansion across the proverbial pond is part of a long-term growth strategy for Stax intended to lay the foundation, increase momentum and solidify key relationships with the increasingly active private equity firms in the region.
“Though we cover a lot of verticals, Stax has a proud 12+ year history in the trade show and exhibition space, dating back to being the lead advisor in the bringing together of World Market Center and Highpoint under Bain Capital. Since then, we have supported over 30 engagements in the sector for most of the leading shows, operators, and sponsors in the sector, supporting such focuses as trade show acquisitions, strategy for participant and exhibitor engagement, digital transformation, and industry-leading whitepapers on the industry recovery through Covid. We look forward to combining forces with AMR in better supporting the trade show sector as the pace of change in the industry continues to accelerate,” Paul Edwards, Senior Managing Director, Stax, said.
AMR’s UK location and featured offerings make it the ideal inaugural acquisition for the Stax platform. Employing more than 275 employees in Boston, Chicago and New York, Stax provides corporate and private equity clients with consulting services in commercial due diligence, value creation and exit planning. AMR’s compatible consulting services include strategy, transaction support, performance improvement, digital, and advanced analytics, all key to a successful partnership.
“We are excited to see this extremely compatible partnership come to fruition,” Blue Point Partner Jeff Robich, said. “Geographic expansion through M&A is a key growth driver and an important component of our long-term strategy for Stax, and AMR’s reputation and presence in the UK is a true enhancement to the platform. We look forward to continuing to support this top-notch management team as they solve challenges and generate innovative ideas on behalf of clients worldwide.”
Founded in 1991, AMR’s UK position and service offerings made it an optimal primary acquisition for the Stax platform. “The AMR team is thrilled to be joining Stax as we embark on a new period of innovative growth,” AMR Executive Chairman and Founder Denzil Rankine, said, adding that the alignment between services offered and cultures, in addition to a compatible geographic coverage will ensure an even better client experience for cross-Atlantic private equity firms.
AMR International has supported the global trade show industry for 30 years providing growth strategy support. This included global growth strategies both by acquisition and organically, as well as performance improvement and event optimization.
“AMR’s mission over the past ten years has increasingly focused on supporting the transformation of the trade show industry, allowing it to benefit from the opportunities brought through the digital revolution. As the events industry is now seeking to benefit increasingly from the vast quantities of data that it generates and captures, we are delighted to join forces with Stax which has highly sophisticated data analytics capabilities, in addition to benefiting from Stax’s greater resources and more fully serving our combined client base in the event industry,” Rankine said.
This article was originally written by Kathy Monte, News Editor at Trade Show Executive.
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