Expomedia Group Plc. and BBPG Conventions

British media-group Expomedia Group Plc. and Russian conference-operator BBPG Conventions have announced about the merger.

BBPG Conventions becomes a part of Expomedia according to the deal’s terms, and two businesses unite the resources in the sphere of administrative technologies, databases for development of business under the brands BBPG and Infor-media. The shareholder and manager of BBPG Conventions, Alexey Filatov enlarges the share in business and reserves a post of the managing director.

Expomedia as a result of the deal receives a controlling block of shares of the joint company. Konstantin Bridzhman becomes the head of the company.

In opinion of parties of the deal, the market of business actions and conferences in Russia is estimated in 75-100 million euros a year. As it is marked, cumulative number of participants of BBPG - Expomedia Plc. business actions has exceeded 9 thousand persons in 2006 in Russia.

As a result of merger BBPG plans to expand presence at such sectors as "the retail market", "consumer goods and services", "market HoReCE" and professional audiences. Moreover BBPG plans to enter the new markets and to develop sector of annual international conferences in Russia and Europe.

BBPG Conventions is engaged in the organization of business-forums, the summits in Russia and in territory of the former USSR in the field of retailing, FMNG, the industries of a feed, services and entertainments, telecommunications, bank and insurance activity, the industry, marketing, the corporate finance, PR and HR technologies.

Media-group Expomedia Group was found in 1999, since December 2001 shares of the company bargain in section of the alternative investment market (AIM) at the London stock exchange.

Expomedia Group controls a chain of exhibitions and conference centers EXPO XXI International Expocentres, organizes conferences through division infor-media, with the help of media-partner Mash Media Group publishes specialized magazines (Exhibition Bulletin, Exhibition News, Exhibition World, Conference News and others). In Russia the company is known as Infor-media.