Diversified Exhibitions has announced  that it has acquired all the Australian assets involved with dmgworldmedia, (excluding Imedia, Evanta and Adtech) further strengthening its increasingly dominant position in the local exhibition industry. 

With the addition of flagship event designEX (including Form & Function), FoodPro and Building Services & Maintenance Expo, Diversified has now added eleven new shows to its portfolio in 2009.

“It has been a tremendously exciting year for Diversified, with a series of acquisitions and new show launches enhancing our position in key sectors, particularly design, construction and food,” said Diversified Exhibitions Australia’s managing director Matthew Pearce, “designEX is Australia’s pre-eminent design show and a perfect complement to DesignBuild which focuses more on building and construction. Our plan is to more effectively service these two distinct markets and we are particularly fortunate that Danielle Fischer, who was designEX’s show director before she joined us, will be driving this process.”

Pearce said that the transition would be smooth as both designEX and DesignBuild already run alternate years in Sydney and Melbourne. Under Fischer’s leadership, the brands will become more clearly defined and less competitive with each other, thus better servicing their exhibitor and visitor base.

FoodTech, which Diversified announced this year, will be merged into FoodPro, rather than split the market with two exhibitions.

“Our intention with FoodTech was to solidify our leading position in the food market with a better food technology event. These plans will now be rolled into an enhanced FoodPro offering at the next show in 2011,” said Pearce.
This year, Diversified has launched three new shows: Good Food & Wine Show in Adelaide, Fine Food New Zealand and Hotel Hospitality and Design (2010).

Acquisitions included the biennial Australasian Oil & Gas Expo which ran so successfully in Perth in February that it will now be staged annually. Other brand acquisitions for 2009 were Irresistible Gluten Free Food Shows and Restaurant. Diversified also opened in Hong Kong, having acquired Hong Kong Restaurant & Bar Show and Retail Asia.