ICE changes ownership following £2.24 billion sale of Clarion Events to Informa
The organizer of ICE Barcelona and iGB Affiliate leaves the orbit of Blackstone and passes into the hands of Informa in one of the largest recent operations in the global business of B2B fairs and events.
Clarion Events, the company that owns Clarion Gaming and organizes ICE Barcelona, has been sold by Blackstone to Informa for 2,240 million pounds, about 3,000 million dollars, in an operation that represents a change of ownership of enormous relevance for the international gaming industry.
The agreement includes the acquisition of Clarion by Informa, one of the world's largest groups specializing in professional events, information and B2B services. The closing is scheduled for the fourth quarter of 2026, subject to the corresponding authorizations.
The transaction directly affects one of the most important brands in the global gaming calendar. ICE is part of Clarion Gaming, which in turn is integrated into Clarion Events, along with other sector assets such as iGB Affiliate and various events, conferences and specialized publications.
Informa will pay for the transaction in cash and finance part of the purchase through a capital increase of approximately £940 million, in addition to specific financing for the acquisition.
Clarion brings to Informa a portfolio of more than 100 B2B brands, including ICE, the IFA technology fair in Berlin and DSEI. With the integration, Informa expects to exceed £4.2 billion in revenue and operate around a thousand professional brands in more than 30 countries.
The move also marks the departure of Blackstone, which Clarion had controlled since 2017. The investment firm then acquired the company for an estimated figure of around £600 million.
Clarion Events' current CEO, Lisa Hannant, will continue to lead the company and is expected to join Informa's executive team upon completion of the transaction.
For ICE, the change comes at a particularly relevant time. The fair faces its third edition in Barcelona from January 18 to 20, 2027, after the move from London, while Clarion continues to increase both the exhibition dimension and the parallel program of conferences and content.
The purchase thus places ICE within an even larger group with enormous international weight in the business of major professional events, opening a new stage for a fair that constitutes one of the main commercial showcases of the global gaming industry.
