Informa to acquire ICE owner Clarion in £2.24bn deal
ICE, the gaming industry's flagship trade show, will soon have a new owner. Informa has agreed to acquire Clarion Events for £2.24bn.
Deal details
Informa is paying around 11 times Clarion's forecast EBITDA, falling to roughly 9 times once £50m of planned savings are counted. The purchase is funded through a loan and a share placing of about £940m, with completion targeted for the end of Q4 2026, subject to regulatory sign-off.
- Price: £2.24bn.
- ICE 2027 takes place in Barcelona on 18–20 January.
- Clarion CEO Lisa Hannant moves into Informa's leadership team.
A European fixture
ICE left London's ExCeL for Barcelona in 2025, cementing its place as the main European meeting point for operators and game studios. Clarion also runs DSEI, IFA Berlin and Distributec. Informa CEO Stephen A. Carter said the deal strengthens the group's B2B events arm.
Why it matters for players
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Source: SBC News, 6 October 2026. This article is a short summary of the original report.