News
Centaur Media
continues spate of
porfolio sales
Centaur Media has
undergone a series of
sales and divestments
throughout April and May,
as the company looks
to simplify the Group’s
structure and to focus on
its leading brands.
On 1 April, Centaur
announced the sale of
its financial services
division for £5m in cash
to Metropolis Group. The
division comprises Money
Marketing, Mortgage
Strategy, Platforum,
Taxbriefs and Headline
Money.
On 10 April, the company
announced that Centaur
Travel and Meetings
Ltd, which includes the
Business Travel Show and
The Meetings Show, would
be sold to Northstar Travel
Media UK Ltd for a cash
consideration of £9.25m.
On 16 April, it was
announced that Centaur
had entered into a
conditional agreement
to sell Centaur Human
Resources, the owner of
the Employee Benefits
brand and the rest of its HR
business, to DVV Media
International for a cash
consideration of £5m.
Most recently, on 9 May,
the company announced
it had also agreed to sell
its engineering portfolio,
including The Engineer
and Subcon, to Mark Allen
Group. Mark Allen Group
paid a cash consideration
of £2.5m, completing the
sale on 31 May.
Andria Vidler, chief
executive of Centaur,
commented: “Throughout
the divestment process we
have been pleased with
the interest our businesses
have received.”
08 — June
The month at a glance
What stories, topics and trends have been making headlines in recent weeks?
Top stress
points
Event tech company
Cvent released a new
study for Mental Health
Awareness Week,
highlighting the top
stress points for event
attendees in the UK,
Germany and US.
UK attendees
Events industry recognises Mental
Health Awareness Week
Mental Health Awareness
Week took place from 13-
19 May, and a number of
initiatives and were held
across the industry. The
HBAA held a mental health
awareness event which saw
speakers touch on topics
surrounding mental health.
Paul Hussey, who works
with Samaritans, then
spoke about some of the
organisation’s work. He
discussed how there is
still a lot of work needed
to challenge stigma
surrounding men’s mental
health, but Samaritans
provide a crucial 24-hour
service that can be a lifeline
to those in need.
Mark Maher of Boulevard
events spoke about some of
the science behind mental
health, before keynote
speaker Vikie Shanks closed
the event. Shanks has seven
children, six of whom are
autistic, and her husband
Paul committed suicide
when her youngest daughter
was just six years old.
Her family was the subject
of BAFTA-nominated Netflix
documentary Kingdom Of
Us, and in the wake of its
release, Shanks has taken to
speaking on the subject of
mental health and autism
around the country. She also
delivered a TED talk called
‘Why my autistic children
don’t need a cure’ in 2016.
The inspiring stories and
practical advice delivered by
all speakers were a reminder
of the crucial importance of
managing our mental health.
The events industry is a
fast-paced and volatile one,
and eventprofs often feel
the need to be constantly on
the move, working around
the clock. Mental Health
Awareness Week was an
opportunity to slow down,
take some deep breaths, and
ask the person next to us
how they’re doing. And be
ready to properly listen, too.
1. Getting to and from
the event location
2. Being away from
home and loved ones
3. Networking
4. Not knowing anyone
5. Trying to fit in at the
event
German attendees
1. Having to choose
between two sessions
(both of which they
want to attend) but
occur at the same
time
2. Getting to and from
the event location
3. Being away from
home and loved ones
4. Translating key
learnings into
actionable takeaways
for the workplace
5. Finding one’s way
around the event/
exhibition floor
US attendees
1. Being away from
home and loved ones
2. Being away from the
office
3. Overextending
oneself
4. Networking
5. Getting to and from
the location