Transaction Supports Accelerated Growth

LAS VEGAS and LOS ANGELES, Oct. 21, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — GES, a leading provider in the global exhibition and event industry, announced today that its parent company, Viad Corp, and Truelink Capital, a Los Angeles based private equity firm, have entered into a definitive agreement whereby Truelink will acquire the GES business. The acquisition is expected to close by the end of 2024, subject to applicable and customary closing conditions.  

Derek Linde, GES President said, “This is an exciting time for GES. The business has tremendous momentum, and our team is driving strong revenue growth, margin expansion, and client service. The publicly traded Viad conglomerate has been a great home to GES for decades and we are excited to start a new chapter as a private company with Truelink, who believes in our ability to continue delivering industry leadership, innovation and growth.”

With over 2,600 employees and thousands of active union partners across the globe, GES and its companies have a decades-long history supporting the world’s leading brands and events in robust business verticals, including healthcare, aerospace & defense, financial services, manufacturing, technology, and retail, in a variety of event marketing capacities.

“GES is a trusted brand with a proven track record of delivering best-in-class services to the global exhibitions and experiential marketing verticals. We look forward to collaborating with this talented team to help the company realize its full potential,” Truelink’s Co-Founder and Managing Partner Luke Myers said.  

Included in the acquisition are GES Exhibitions, a major provider of global exhibitions & logistics services; Spiro, a leading global experiential agency; and onPeak, SHOWTECH, and Visit, which provide event accommodation, power/lighting and registration services. Upon closing, GES will become a privately-owned, stand-alone company within Truelink’s business portfolio and continue to deliver a range of best-in-class and value enhancing experiential solutions to clients. 

Derek Linde, current GES President, will assume the role of President and CEO following the closing. He will be joined by Jeff Quade, GES NA Exhibitions President; Jason Stead, GES EMEA Exhibitions President; and Jeff Stelmach, Spiro President, who will continue leading the operating businesses post transaction.

Linde continued, “We remain dedicated to delivering extraordinary experiences to our clients across the globe. This partnership with Truelink will enable us to intensify our focus on innovation and enhance our capabilities across our differentiated global platform.”

About GES: 

The GES business entity is a dynamic collective of industry-leading companies and their distinctive specialties—GES Exhibitions, Spiro, onPeak, SHOWTECH and Visit—that deliver comprehensive experiential, strategic, creative, event management and accommodation, meeting planning and logistical solutions, as well as registration and engagement solutions. We empower brands to engage their audiences and elevate customer experience, using what we believe is today’s most powerful channel in an ever-competitive landscape: experiential marketing. Whether scaling together or independently, our companies strategically partner with brands and event organizers to transform business imperatives into measurable results that drive meaningful customer connections & bottom-line impact. 

www.ges.com 

www.thisisspiro.com 

www.onpeak.com 

www.showtech.ca 

www.visitcloud.com 

About Truelink Capital

Truelink Capital is a middle-market private equity firm based in Los Angeles.  Truelink pairs deep industry experience in the industrials and technology-enabled services sectors with a commitment to building partnerships that drive long-term value through an operationally focused strategy. Truelink partners with management, corporate sellers, and founders to accelerate growth through the execution of strategic initiatives and transformative add-on acquisitions.

Contacts:Marianne Szczech630-220-6102mszczech@ges.com

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