Emerald Holding Acquisition, Valuation & Financials

Emerald Holding was acquired by Apollo Global Management for $1B in May 2026, a 1.6x multiple on $630M of revenue.

Emerald Holding acquisition price

$1B

Acquired by Apollo Global Management · May 2026

Emerald Holding revenue at acquisition

$630M

Last twelve months · May 2026

Emerald Holding revenue multiple at acquisition

1.6x

EV/Revenue · May 2026

Emerald Holding EBITDA multiple at acquisition

13.0x

EV/EBITDA · May 2026

Emerald Holding Overview

About Emerald Holding

Emerald Holding Inc is a business-to-business (B2B) event organizer principally in the United States. The company is engaged in three complementary business lines; Connections division consists of a collection of B2B trade show franchises and other live events that provide exhibitors opportunities to engage with buyers and expand their brand’s awareness in their industry; the Content division consists of B2B print publications and digital media products that complement existing trade show properties, and the Commerce division which offers software-as-a-service technology that enables year-round B2B buying and selling through Elastic Suite and Bulletin platforms for use by its customers. The Majority of the revenue for the company is generated from its Connections segment.


Founded

2013

HQ

United StatesUnited States

Status

Acquired

Customer focus

B2B

Revenue model

Services, Subscription

Revenue

$630M (May 2026)

Valuation

$1B (acquired May 2026)

Sectors

Emerald Holding Acquisition

Emerald Holding was acquired by Apollo Global Management for $1B on 10 May 2026.

The acquisition price implies a 1.6x revenue and 13.0x EBITDA multiple on $630M of revenue.

Apollo Global Management affiliates agreed to acquire Emerald Holding, Inc. (NYSE: EEX) for $1.5 billion, equivalent to $5.03 per share in cash, announced around May 9-11, 2026. Onex-backed holders provided written consent to approve the transaction, after which EEX stock is expected to be delisted upon closing, subject to regulatory and customary conditions. The acquisition values Emerald at approximately 11.8x–13x EBITDA, aligning with historical B2B events industry multiples. Apollo will combine Emerald with Questex, creating a portfolio of events generating ~$630 million in expected 2026 revenue, with 78% from Emerald. Post-acquisition, Apollo plans to place the Questex team in charge of the combined entity. Emerald's organic growth stagnated post-pandemic, with revenue gains driven by acquisitions and leverage above 4x LT debt/EBITDA. Emerald Holding operates in the B2B events sector, focusing on Connections events. Q1 2026 revenue reached $155.4 million, up from $147.7 million year-over-year, with Adjusted EBITDA of $52.7 million, flat year-over-year. GAAP net income declined to $7.2 million due to higher SG&A costs, including $17.9 million contingent consideration remeasurement and deal-related expenses.

Emerald Holding acquisition details
AcquirerDateTypePriceEV/RevenueEV/EBITDA
10 May 2026PE buyout$1B1.6x13.0x

Emerald Holding as a Public Company

Emerald Holding traded as STU: EM7 before it was taken private. Its acquisition was announced in May 2026. July 2026 is its last month on record as a listed company, with a market cap of $998M and an enterprise value of $1.4B.

Over the 4 years before that, its market cap grew from $218M in July 2022 to $998M.

Emerald Holding market cap while listed

Emerald Holding EV/Revenue (LTM) while listed

Emerald Holding financials and trading multiples by year while listed
As ofMarket capRevenue (LTM)EBITDA (LTM)EBITDA marginEV/RevenueEV/EBITDA
Jul 2026$998M-----
Jul 2025$984M$431M$114M26%2.8x10.7x
Jul 2024$1.2B$406M$107M26%3.4x13.0x
Jul 2023$311M$370M$82M22%1.4x6.4x
Jul 2022$218M$146M$46M31%3.4x10.8x

Market cap, enterprise value and last-twelve-month figures are month-end values, up to the last month Emerald Holding traded.

Acquisitions by Emerald Holding

Emerald Holding has acquired 15 companies to date.

Last acquisition by Emerald Holding was on August 8th 2025. Emerald Holding acquired Generis for $60M.


Latest Acquisitions by Emerald Holding

Generis
Plant Based World Expo
Insurtech Insights
This isBeyond
Description
Generis is a London-headquartered organizer of executive summits and virtual events for life sciences and technology sectors. The company hosts annual gatherings like the Generis Pharma Summit in Barcelona, connecting over 5,000 professionals yearly. Events feature keynotes from Pfizer and Novartis leaders, focusing on drug development and digital health innovations across Europe and North America.
Plant Based World Expo is a trade show connecting foodservice professionals, retailers, distributors, buyers, investors, and manufacturers in the plant-based sector. Held annually in New York City, it features exhibits, conferences, and networking on meat alternatives, dairy substitutes, and related innovations.
Insurtech Insights is an Amsterdam-headquartered organization delivering market research, business development, and networking events for the global insurtech sector. The platform hosts summits in London, New York, and Singapore, attracting over 5,000 executives annually. Founded in 2017, it publishes reports on AI adoption and regulatory trends while offering talent matchmaking for carriers and startups.
This isBeyond is an Amsterdam-headquartered digital agency dedicated to increasing e-commerce website conversions through user testing and optimization. Core services encompass multivariate A/B experiments, heatmapping analysis, and custom funnel redesigns. The firm partners with European online retailers to refine checkout processes and product recommendation engines based on behavioral data.
HQ CountryCanadaUnited StatesUnited KingdomUnited Kingdom
HQ City
Toronto
New York City, NY
London
London
Deal Date8 Aug 202515 Apr 202517 Mar 202514 Mar 2025
Valuation$60Mundisclosedundisclosed$140M
EV/Revenue
EV/EBITDA

This data is available for Pro users. Sign up to see all Emerald Holding acquisitions and their M&A valuation multiples.

Start Free Trial

Emerald Holding Competitors

Emerald Holding competitors include listed companies like Grupo CIE, GL Events and Funshine Culture Group, and private ones like Movile, Alisports and Premiership Rugby.

Public and private companies comparable to Emerald Holding
CompanyHQStatusRevenueEBITDAValuationRevenue Multiple
MovileBrazilSão PauloPrivate--$1B-
AlisportsChinaChinaPrivate--$1B-
Grupo CIEMexicoMexicoPublicly listed$317M$99M$1B-
Premiership RugbyUnited KingdomLondonPrivate--$944M-
GL EventsFranceFrancePublicly listed$2B$791M$899M1.1x
Funshine Culture GroupChinaChinaPublicly listed$36M$1M$786M-

Emerald Holding Public Comps

Emerald Holding is no longer listed, but its public comps include Grupo CIE, GL Events, Funshine Culture Group, PVR INOX, Ollamani, Pursuit, Fiera Milano, Maoyan Entertainment, Beijing Jingxi and Avex.

Last FYEV/RevenueEV/EBITDA
RevenueEBITDALast FYLTM2027ELast FYLTM2027E
Grupo CIE$317M$99M2.5x-7.9x-
GL Events$2B$791M1.2x1.1x3.0x7.0x
Funshine Culture Group$36M$1M10.2x-263.3x-
PVR INOX$689M$225M2.8x2.7x8.7x8.3x
Ollamani$378M$39M2.1x1.9x20.5x11.3x
Pursuit$452M$110M3.6x3.4x14.7x12.6x
Fiera Milano$437M$150M1.9x1.8x5.5x6.2x
Maoyan Entertainment$691M$124M0.1x0.1x0.7x1.0x

This data is available for Pro users. Sign up to see all Emerald Holding competitors and their valuation data.

Start Free Trial

Common questions about Emerald Holding

When was Emerald Holding founded?Emerald Holding was founded in 2013.
Where is Emerald Holding headquartered?Emerald Holding is headquartered in United States.
Is Emerald Holding publicly listed?No, Emerald Holding was acquired by Apollo Global Management in May 2026.
Who acquired Emerald Holding?Emerald Holding was acquired by Apollo Global Management in May 2026.
How much was Emerald Holding acquired for?Emerald Holding was acquired for $1B in May 2026, a 1.6x revenue multiple.
Which companies are comparable to Emerald Holding?Companies comparable to Emerald Holding include Movile, Alisports, Grupo CIE, Premiership Rugby, GL Events and Funshine Culture Group.
What was Emerald Holding's market cap before the acquisition?Emerald Holding had a market cap of $998M in July 2026, its last month on record as a listed company.
How many companies has Emerald Holding acquired?Emerald Holding has acquired 15 companies, including Generis, Plant Based World Expo, Insurtech Insights, This isBeyond and GRC World Forums.
What was the largest acquisition by Emerald Holding?The $140M acquisition of This isBeyond in March 2025 is the largest acquisition Emerald Holding has made to date.

See companies similar to Emerald Holding

Start Your
Free Trial Today

Try Multiples for free for 3 days. Got questions or need a demo? Schedule a call with us below.

Start Trial