Issue link: https://tradeshowexecutive.epubxp.com/i/78074
MONTH IN REVIEW Northstar Travel Media Sold to Private Equity Group BY HIL ANDERSON, senior editor Secaucus, NJ – Northstar Travel Me- dia, LLC has been sold in a transaction between two private equity firms, it was announced July 9. Te Wicks Group of Companies, LLC acquired Northstar from BV Investment Partners, which purchased Northstar in 2001 from Reed Elsevier. Northstar, which had been known as the Cahners Travel Group in the 1990s, publishes several meeting and travel titles, including Meetings & Conven- tions, Successful Meetings and Travel Weekly. It also has a portfolio of 20 face-to-face events and owns the research and event organizing firm PhoCusWright, Inc. Te events roster includes PhoCusWright Con- ference, CruiseWorld and M&C; InterAct. "We plan to continue to expand our face-to-face event portfolio," said Tomas Kemp, chairman and CEO of Northstar. "Te [events] have gone from 2% of our business to 20% in the past three years." Kemp said the new ownership would provide the company with capital and investment skills. "Wicks possesses many of the same qualities as BV with their depth of experience investing in media and information industries," he said. "We are very impressed with the growth of Northstar Travel Media over the last few years during challenging economic conditions," said Dan Kor- IAEE Names DuBois as New President The Former PCMA Prez Comes Aboard October 5 Dallas, TX – Te International Associa- tion of Exhibitions and Events (IAEE) has selected David DuBois, president & CEO of the Fort Worth Convention and Visitors Bureau, as the organization's new president. DuBois will begin his new job October 4 and will replace Steven Hacker, who is retiring aſter more than 20 years at the helm of IAEE. DuBois' career in the association and destination sector stretches about 30 years. He is a former president and CEO of the Professional Convention Management Association (PCMA) and held executive jobs with Meeting Planners International (MPI) during two separate terms. His career also includes executive sales positions with the Sheraton and Ritz-Carlton chains. Up the Ladder y DuBois first joined PCMA in 1991 as senior vice president and oversaw the development of 15 new chapters. y He leſt PCMA in 1996 and moved to Dallas to become COO of MPI. 6 August 2012 | Trade Show Executive At the same time, he was executive vice president of the MPI Foundation. y In 2000, he was named president and CEO of PCMA at the time the association moved from Birmingham, AL to Chi- cago. He also represented PCMA on the executive committee of the Convention Industry Council. y It was back to Texas and MPI in 2002 to become vice president of corporate services and another term as EVP of the MPI Foundation. He was named vice president of sales and key account management in 2006. y In 2007, DuBois launched his CVB career by becoming president and CEO of the Fort Worth bureau. He worked with an $8.5 million budget and a staff of 42. During his time in office, Fort Worth saw its hotel stock grow by 1,000 rooms and downtown room nights grow 50%. DuBois has been a member of IAEE and a Fellow of the American Society of Association Executive. He holds certifica- tions as a Certified Meeting Professional and Certified Association Executive. "It is an honor and a pleasure to have been selected to become the new staff leader of IAEE," said DuBois. "Our association is the principle global resource for those who plan, produce and service the exhibitions and events industry. I enthusiastically look forward to working closely with the staff and volunteer leaders of IAEE." Like MPI, IAEE is headquartered in Dallas, which is adjacent to Fort Worth. IAEE has recently grown to an impres- sive 1,300 member organizations and 8,000 individuals. Reach David DuBois at (800) 433-5747 or daviddubois@fortworth.com; Steven Hacker at (972) 458-8002 or shacker@iaee.com tick, a managing partner at Wicks. "Te management team has done an excellent job of migrating its core business to an integrated information and marketing solutions company." Kortick said future growth would come from product devel- opment and strategic acquisitions. Kemp and the rest of the Northstar management team are expected to remain with the company. Kemp joined Northstar as chairman and CEO in 2009. Te Jordan, Edmiston Group, Inc. rep- resented Northstar in the negotiations. Reach Tom Kemp at (201) 902-2070 or tkemp@ntmllc.com