Former Tarsus Group chief Doug Emslie acquires minority stake in Jacobs Media
Investment will accelerate growth of travel and hospitality industry specialist
Doug Emslie acquires minority stake in Jacobs Media
The former chief executive of B2B events and media specialists Tarsus Group has acquired a minority stake in The Global Travel and Tourism Resilience Council parent Jacobs Media for an undisclosed sum.
The stake will see Doug Emslie join the board as deputy chairman alongside chairman and majority shareholder Clive Jacobs, who founded the business in 2009 with the acquisition of Travel Weekly Group from Reed Business Information.
Emslie joined the Tarsus Group on its formation in 1998 and went on to serve as chief executive for 25 years until its sale to Informa for more than $1 billion. His investment in Jacobs Media will see industry experts Colin Morrison and Ian Findlay leave the business, in addition to fellow founding shareholder, the late Michael East.
Jacobs Media celebrated its 15th anniversary this year and has grown from a single-brand business to one with a portfolio of nine brands across travel and hospitality and headquarters in the UK and Dubai. It will run 160 global events and exhibitions in 2024 in addition to producing its market-leading print and digital products. The acquisition comes amid a recent report that predicts a major expansion of the global travel market in the next four years. The industry is expected to grow at 6 percent, far outstripping predicted growth across the wider global economy and reaching pre-pandemic levels by the end of this year.
Jacobs said: “As we enter the next stage of our growth in the UK and internationally, I am delighted to work alongside someone who brings such a wealth of experience and knowledge of the events and media sector. Doug shares my vision for Jacobs Media and I am confident of the pivotal role he will play as we meet our ambitious strategic objectives over the coming years.”
He added: “I would like to take this opportunity to thank Colin and Ian for their support, belief and trust in the team and me over the past 15 years, and in particular Michael, who is deeply missed and without whom the opportunity to acquire Travel Weekly Group may never have presented itself.”
Emslie said: “Jacobs Media has some wonderful brands and a great team, and I am excited by the potential of what we can achieve working together. I can see opportunities in the UK and in overseas markets, with the international events opportunity particularly significant.”
He added: “In previous roles I oversaw an ambitious events strategy driven by quality content, and I can see that Jacobs Media shares those fundamentals and has grown notably in recent years as a result. I believe Clive has created a superb business in Jacobs Media, and I am looking forward to supporting the next step of its growth journey.”
Jacobs Media
Jacobs Media was formed in 2009 following the acquisition of Travel Weekly Group and its associated events and brands from Reed Business Information. The portfolio expanded further in 2012 with the acquisition of the UK’s leading multimedia brand for the hospitality industry, Caterer and Hotelkeeper, which was subsequently rebranded The Caterer. In addition to growth through acquisition, Jacobs Media has expanded significantly with the launch and development of an array of start-up brands and businesses within its portfolio. These include luxury travel brand Aspire, global B2B events specialist Connections Luxury, and the Association of Touring & Adventure Suppliers. In 2021 Jacobs Media opened an office in Dubai during the Covid-19 pandemic and launched the Connecting Travel brand for the GCC region, further expanding the company’s international reach. In April 2020, Jacobs Media received the Queen’s Award for Enterprise in recognition of its international growth.
Clive Jacobs
Clive Jacobs is a British travel and hospitality entrepreneur and investor whose businesses have consistently challenged and disrupted established practices. Well-known for building his company Holiday Autos into the world’s largest leisure car rental broker before its sale to lastminute.com, he is now chairman and owner of the Queen’s Award-winning Jacobs Media. The company, which is headquartered in London and has a regional headquarters in Dubai, has grown to become the global voice for the travel and hospitality industries, connecting, informing and inspiring through an unrivalled multimedia portfolio of leading industry brands such as Travel Weekly, Aspire, Connections Luxury, Connecting Travel, Travolution, The Caterer, ATAS, The Global Travel & Tourism Resilience Council and Online Travel Training. Clive is also executive chairman and majority shareholder of Tully Luxury Travel (formerly known as The Cruise Professionals), a leading North American luxury travel agency headquartered in Toronto, Canada and the recently formed Usturiun Luxury Travel headquartered in Dubai. Clive continues to invest in businesses, both established and start-ups, and acts as an advisor to banks and private equity companies. In his spare time Clive enjoys working with and mentoring aspiring entrepreneurs.
Doug Emslie
Doug was most recently chief executive of Tarsus Group for 25 years, having joined the business when it was launched in 1998. He previously held senior positions at Blenheim Group and, after its takeover, United Business Media. He is a past chairman and director of the Association of Event Organisers (AEO), as well as past chairman of the Events Industry Alliance. He is a board member of US industry advocacy body the Exhibition & Conference Alliance (ECA) and was also the first international board member of the US industry trade body, SISO, which he went on to serve as chair. Doug oversaw the acquisition of Tarsus Group by Informa plc for more than $ 1 billion. He is currently chairman of the events investment vehicle Cuil Bay Capital, exhibition organiser Raccoon Media Group, The Cuil Bay Foundation, which helps young adults with their physical and mental wellbeing, and chair of the trustees of the Green Hub project for teens.