UK-based marketing agency CI Group has snapped up meetings industry and consumer PR consultancy Clareville in a bid to push annual sales beyond the £20m mark by the end of 2020.
Clareville, also based in the UK, includes IMEX Exhibitions, German Convention Bureau, Thailand Convention & Exhibition Bureau, and Hamburg Convention Bureau amongst its clients.
This acquisition follows the earlier takevover of data analytics consultancy Pearl Analytics and digital marketing specialists CI. Diginut. CI Group now comprises six agencies, with Corporate Innovations specialising in experiential, live events and reward programmes, Roundtable in digital strategy and brand development, and Ellipsis, a design and creative agency.
David Watt, CEO, said: “The Clareville team and their talents have added a new extra dimension to our wide range of communications expertise, skills that will be valuable to many of the Group’s clients. It’s an exciting addition but not, I expect, the last. We continue to search for talent, skills and expertise that will further enhance the capabilities of the Group.”
Clareville has been developing and implementing media relations and more recently influencer programmes for major consumer and B2B brands since it was established 30 years ago by John Starr and Val Mumby. The company also has staff in North America, Germany and the Middle East.
John Starr, co-founder and managing director, said: “For quite a while we’ve been wanting to offer a wider range of services to the market by partnering with a bigger organisation with compatible but not competing skills. After working together with the CI Group agencies on projects on an informal basis for several months, we’ve formalised the arrangement and become part of the Group.”
Written By
James Lancaster
AMI editor James
Lancaster is a familiar face in the meetings industry and international
association community. Since joining AMI in 2010, he has gained a reputation
for asking difficult questions and getting lost in convention centres. Proofer, podcaster, and panellist - in his spare time, James likes to walk,
read, listen to music, and drink beer.
