Rangefinder Parent Company Announces Acquisition of HOW Design Events from F+W Media

October 14, 2015

By Laura Brauer

Today Emerald Expositions, the parent company of  RangefinderPhoto District News, PhotoPlus Expo and WPPI, announced the acquisition of HOW Design Live, the largest graphic design conference and expo in the nation, and the HOW Interactive Design Conference series. “HOW is an institution in the graphic design industry and Emerald looks forward to continuing to deliver highly inspirational and educational events to this growing professional community,” said David Loechner, Chief Executive Officer of Emerald, in a statement.

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Photo © HOW Design Events

Below is the full press release:

Emerald Expositions Acquires HOW Design Events from F+W Media, Inc.

– Strategic Relationship formed between Emerald’s HOW Design Events and F+W Media’s HOW Media Brands –

SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO, Calif. – October 14, 2015 – Emerald Expositions, LLC (“Emerald”) a leading business-to-business trade show and conference producer today announced its acquisition of HOW Design Live and the HOW Interactive Design Conference series (“HOW Design Events”) from F+W Media, Inc., a Content and e-Commerce company (“F+W”). HOW Design Live is the largest graphic design conference and expo in the nation, combining five separate conferences into a single event focused on creativity, business and inspiration for designers.

F+W’s retained HOW Media Brands, including HOW Magazine, Print Magazine, and HOW University, will continue to work closely with Emerald’s HOW Design Events. This long-term strategic relationship will enable both organizations to focus their respective resources and expertise on their core competencies and apply best practices across each product line. It also ensures that all products under the HOW brand will continue to provide high quality content and experiences to the market.

“Our strategy of supplementing organic growth with tuck-in acquisitions of industry leading, high-quality businesses makes the decision to add HOW Design Events to the Emerald portfolio a natural one,” said David Loechner, Chief Executive Officer of Emerald. “HOW is an institution in the graphic design industry and Emerald looks forward to continuing to deliver highly inspirational and educational events to this growing professional community.”

“I expect Emerald’s acquisition of the HOW Design Events to benefit the graphic design market enormously,” said Gary Lynch, former VP/Community Leader for the HOW Media Brands and now Vice President of Emerald Expositions. “Each organization’s expertise and talent is perfectly suited for the product lines they will own and operate. The transition of HOW Design Events from F+W will be seamless and we are intent on delivering even more value to our customers as part of the Emerald organization.”

F+W’s Interim CEO, Jim Ogle, noted that for more than 20 years, F+W has been dedicated to providing its customers with the very best conferences for designers. “We are confident the Emerald Expositions team will take these events to the next level, providing a best-in-class experience for attendees, partners, speakers, and exhibitors while staying true to the HOW brand promise.”

Corporate Solutions of Westport, Connecticut was the exclusive advisor to F+W in arranging, structuring and negotiating this transaction. The financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.
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About Emerald Expositions
Emerald Expositions is a leading operator of large business-to-business tradeshows in the United States, producing more than 80 tradeshows and conference events per year, connecting hundreds of thousands of buyers and sellers across ten diversified end-markets, including Gift, Home and General Merchandise; Sports & Apparel; Design; Jewelry, Luxury, and Antiques; eCommerce; Photography; Healthcare; Military; and Food. Emerald is headquartered in San Juan Capistrano, CA. The company’s shows are typically the most prominent and important for exhibitors and attendees within their various industries. For more information on Emerald, please visitwww.emeraldexpositions.com.

About F+W, A Content + eCommerce Company
F+W is an enthusiast-focused Content and eCommerce company. F+W serves 20 million consumers annually via the company’s print portfolio, ecommerce stores, extensive online education programs, trade and consumer events, popular consumer catalog brands, nationally-broadcast TV programs and more — all in service of passionate niche communities of professionals. (fwcommunity.com)

For further information:
Emerald Expositions:
Philip Evans, Chief Financial Officer
949.226.5714
philip.evans@emeraldexpo.com

F+W:
Stacie Berger, VP Communications
513.318.0371
stacie.berger@fwcommunity.com