finance.brussels sells Artexis Easyfairs shares to company’s founder
Successful 20-year partnership provided a platform for further international growth.
Eric Everard, founder of Artexis Easyfairs, the Brussels-based events organiser and venue manager, has decided to buy back finance.brussels /Group SRIB current shareholding in the Group. The institution for governmental financial support of the Brussels-Capital Region, finance.brussels/Group SRIB has been a close partner of the Artexis Easyfairs Group since 1997, supporting its development from an SME based exclusively in Belgium to a major international player in the events industry.
The partnership enabled the Group to launch Easyfairs in 2004, develop this brand in Europe and beyond, acquire Flanders expo in 2007, and expand its activities in Sweden through the creation of the Artexis Nordic subsidiary in 2011. Artexis Easyfairs is now present in 19 countries.
Throughout the partnership there was a strong alignment between the interests of finance.brussels/Group SRIB and Artexis Easyfairs. “It was important for us to support a Brussels-based company in a sector that is vital for the development of Brussels. Our stake in Artexis Easyfairs has been much more than an investment. It has been a successful partnership lasting for 20 years,” commented Serge Vilain, President of finance.brussels/Group SRIB.
Artexis Easyfairs is keen to pursue further international expansion. The major acquisition of Evenementenhal in The Netherlands this summer has already put the Group among the exhibition industry’s Global Top 20.
Eric Everard, CEO of Artexis Easyfairs commented, “finance.brussels/Group SRIB was the perfect partner to support us as an SME. I would like to thank the institution but also all of the individuals involved for their commitment and fantastic cooperation over two decades. Recovering 100% of the shares will now allow us to take our destiny into our own hands and continue to develop the group worldwide.
About Artexis Easyfairs
Artexis Easyfairs enables communities to “visit the future” at must-attend events that anticipate their needs and present solutions in the ideal format.
Through Easyfairs, the Group currently organises more than 200 events in 19 countries (Algeria, Austria, Belgium, China, Denmark, Emirates, Finland, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Singapore, Russia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and the United States).
And through Artexis, it manages 11 events venues in the Benelux and Nordic regions (Ghent, Antwerp, 2 venues in Namur, Mechelen-Brussels North, Mons, Hardenberg, Gorinchem, Venray, Stockholm and Malmö). The Group employs more than 700 people and expects to generate revenues in excess of €169 million for its financial year 2016-2017.
Artexis Easyfairs strives to be the most adaptable, agile and effective player in the events industry by employing committed individuals, deploying the best marketing and technology tools, and developing strong brands. Visit the future with Artexis Easyfairs.
Contact Artexis Easyfairs:
Eric Everard
Group CEO
[email protected]
Anne Lafère
Group COO
[email protected]
About finance.brussels/Group SRIB
finance.brussels, the group which is formed by the Brussels Regional Investment Company and its subsidiaries, is the institution for governmental financial support of the Brussels-Capital Region. Its task consists in supporting the development and expansion of companies. By offering multiple types of financial assistances, such as loans, capital injections or co-financing, finance.brussels offers an adapted solution to candidate entrepreneurs and companies in Brussels in every developmental stage. finance.brussels has a particular attention for young, innovating businesses in the Brussels-Capital Region.
The investment approach of finance.brussels focuses on a lasting and constructive partnership with the company, by advising it through every developmental stage.
Contact finance.brussels/Group SRIB
Mélusine Baronian
Communication Manager
[email protected]