UK-based events and intelligence company Informa announced a pair of transactions. The bigger of the two, its acquisition of B2B content syndication vendor NetLine, was covered in my blog earlier this week.

Informa also announced that it has taken a stake in UK event tech company Totem, an existing partner of its Informa Connect division.  In April, the firms launched ConnectMe, a bespoke licensing of Totem’s platform to support Informa’s virtual and hybrid events.

“With the launch of ConnectMe with Totem, Informa is preparing itself for the next stage in the events experience, one in which we can seamlessly curate and blend the physical and virtual, ensuring the two are complementary, not competitive. 

ConnectMe will ensure that we can cater for varying levels of audience readiness to re-enter physical spaces by ensuring that neither physical nor virtual audiences feel they are excluded from a truly optimal experience.  In 2021 and beyond, that is the service we aim to achieve, and ConnectMe will help us to do it.”

Informa Connect CMO Isobel Peck in April

Informa Connect hosts in-person and virtual events and training, online communities, digital content, and marketing services for the Finance, Biotech/Pharma, and other specialist markets.

“Totem has been an important partner over the last 18 months, and we’re pleased to be deepening this relationship,” said Informa Connect CEO Andrew Mullins.  “We want to keep enhancing our in-person events, adding smart features, technologies, and apps that give our customers an even better experience.  With Totem, we have a partner that is equally committed to outstanding experiences and bringing new innovation to events.”

Wrapping digital intelligence around trade shows is a logical extension of the digitization of sales and marketing. Live events came to a halt in 2020 and are still reeling, but in 2022 we should begin to see them re-emerge. Events should be hybrid, with digital content sharing from the event floor to virtual attendees.

Event attendees also should improve data capture. Loading a trade show scanned file from the exhibition floor has always been subject to delays, with reps following up a week later (if at all) to determine whether there was interest. Calendaring service Chili Piper recently announced Chili Events for setting up trade show meetings prior to an event and follow-up meetings with reps directly from the floor. It is a matter of striking while the iron is hot.

Informa did not disclose the pricing for either deal or the extent of its investment in Totem.