LONDON/NEW YORK, 18th March 2025: Collingwood, the leading value creation and M&A advisory firm, has advised JD Events on the sale of Plant Based World to Emerald Expositions.

JD Events is the premier privately-owned events incubator in the US, with Plant Based World – the US and Europe’s leading plant-based media event – being one of its flagship brands.

Its strategic partnership with Emerald Expositions will support Plant Based World’s continued growth and solidify its dominant market position, ensuring it continues to deliver sustained value to the rapidly expanding plant-based ecosystem and to serve the ever-increasing consumer demand for plant-based products globally.

Launched in 2019, Plant Based World has grown to become the largest exclusively plant-based B2B event in North America and Europe. Its most recent shows were held at ExCeL London and the Javits Center, New York, attracting over 5,000 attendees combined, and complemented by its digital news platform, PBW Pulse. Together, these platforms connect and empower businesses across the global plant-based supply network, enabling them to develop, source, and distribute plant-based products effectively.

Collingwood played a crucial role in simplifying the sale process for JD Events by providing clear, strategic advice at every stage. Leveraging its deep expertise in the B2B events sector, Collingwood identified and engaged the right partners in the bidding process and ultimately secured the best possible deal.

Joel Davis, CEO of JD Events, commented:
“The Collingwood team were outstanding partners throughout the process. Their expertise, dedication, and strategic advice ensured an excellent outcome for JD Events. We are grateful for their support and guidance in this pivotal transaction.”

Davis also shared his views on the transaction, adding:
“Partnering with Emerald will take Plant Based World to the next level, leveraging their resources and expertise to drive continued growth in this exciting and important growth market. We’re proud to have built a strong foundation for Plant Based World and are excited to see its future success under Emerald’s ownership.”

Daniel Pitchford, CEO of Collingwood and deal lead, remarked:
“This is a fantastic outcome for JD Events and a testament to the strength of Plant Based World as a market leader. Emerald is the perfect partner to drive its continued growth and success. We are proud to have supported Joel and his team in achieving their strategic objectives and we look forward to seeing the exciting next chapter for Plant Based World.”

 

About Collingwood
Collingwood is the only value creation and M&A advisory that is purpose-built to take information, media and events businesses on a complete journey through scaling up to sale. Collingwood’s experienced value creation, transformation and corporate finance experts work in partnership with clients, providing a powerful combination that gets them where they need to be, faster and more predictably. Our mission is to help our clients create value and realise value. Founded in 2006, Collingwood is headquartered in London with a US office in New York.
For more information, visit www.collingwood.group

About JD Events
JD Events specialises in developing, incubating, and growing innovative industry-leading tradeshows. The company connects qualified buyers with high-value educational content and networking opportunities, fostering business growth and advancing the markets it serves.
Since 2002, JD Events has successfully launched and scaled numerous tradeshows into established businesses. For more information or to explore partnership opportunities, visit https://jdevents.com.

Press contacts:
diane.perlman@collingwood.group
ahmed.omer@collingwood.group