By Max Fellows, Founder of allpoints
September saw a wave of consolidation and expansion across the worlds of publishing, events and experiential, each move underscoring a shared ambition: scale with purpose.
Haymarket Media Group strengthened its hold on the UK marcomms landscape with the acquisition of Marketing Week, Creative Review and Festival of Marketing. Global events agency emc3 expanded stateside with the launch of its new emc3 Collective. Experiential heavyweights Identity and Smyle united under one powerful brand.
And accommodation management specialist bnetwork extended its global reach into Switzerland through the acquisition of Hotel Management International Europe (HMI Europe).
Together, these deals point to a sector in motion where integration, creativity and connected ecosystems are driving growth across every touchpoint, from media to live experience.
emc3 launches the emc3 Collective following US acquisition
Global events agency emc3 has expanded its international footprint with the acquisition of Boston Experiential Group (BEG) a full-service B2C experiential agency based in the US, and used the move to launch a new umbrella entity: the emc3 Collective.
The new structure brings together three specialist arms, emc3, BEG and sustainability consultancy from now under one purpose-led platform that unites creativity, collaboration and scale.
Alistair Graham, CEO of the emc3 Collective, said:
“The emc3 Collective represents the next chapter of our journey, bringing together bold, creative, and values-led agencies that can scale with intention.”
Daniel Curtis, Chief Strategy Officer, added:
“This is just the beginning. With BEG, we’re stepping into the B2C space and actively exploring further acquisitions to expand our capabilities for clients worldwide.”
With B Corp credentials and a new global structure, emc3 is positioning itself as a purpose-led powerhouse in experiential marketing, balancing creative ambition with sustainability and scale
bnetwork acquires HMI Europe, launching bnetwork Switzerland
Accommodation management specialist bnetwork has acquired Hotel Management International Europe (HMI Europe), the Switzerland-based arm of HMI Canada. The business will now operate as bnetwork Switzerland, offering clients both HMI’s regional services and bnetwork’s full global portfolio.
Co-founders Stéphane Filone and Stéphane Teboul called the move “a significant step forward,” strengthening capabilities and global reach while enhancing agility for clients.
HMI Canada executives Conrad Doucet and Luc Myre praised the partnership, while Leonor Lopes Gil, Group MD at bnetwork, highlighted HMI’s “deep local knowledge and trusted relationships in Switzerland and across Europe.”
The acquisition comes as bnetwork celebrates its 20th anniversary, supporting more than 150 events annually, generating 1.5 million overnight stays across a 2,400-hotel network, with clients including Informa, RX Global, MWC Barcelona and Festival de Cannes.
A timely and strategic expansion that gives bnetwork a stronger foothold in Europe’s event-heavy markets. By combining local expertise with global infrastructure, bnetwork continues to set the pace in sustainable, scalable accommodation solutions for major live events.
Haymarket Media Group acquires Marketing Week, Festival of Marketing and Creative Review
Haymarket Media Group has acquired Marketing Week, its flagship event Festival of Marketing, and sister title Creative Review from Centaur Media Plc — strengthening its position as one of the UK’s most influential players in marketing and communications publishing.
These powerhouse titles now join Haymarket’s existing portfolio including Campaign UK, PRWeek, Performance Marketing World and In.Comms, creating one of the most comprehensive ecosystems for marketing and creative audiences globally.
Russell Parsons, Editor-in-Chief of Marketing Week and Festival of Marketing, commented: “Marketing Week will continue to be the go-to source of news, insight, and analysis for marketers, championing and challenging the industry in equal measure. I look forward to working with the team at Haymarket to enhance our offering and provide even more value to our audience.”
This move cements Haymarket as the dominant voice in UK marcomms publishing, bringing once-competitive titles under one roof and setting the stage for a more connected ecosystem of content, events and insight. Expect sharper cross-brand collaboration and richer audience data as the group deepens its influence across the sector.
Identity and Smyle consolidate under one powerful brand: Identity
Launching November 2025, this strategic unification between Identity and Smyle marks a major moment for the events and experiential industry: creating one powerhouse agency designed to deliver greater creative innovation and seamless experiential solutions at scale.
The move demonstrates that scale and specialism can coexist, providing smarter, more efficient event experiences for clients worldwide. As the market evolves, clients demand more, more creativity, more value, more impact, and this consolidation answers that call by combining world-class talent, technology and global reach under one cohesive brand.
Michael Gietzen, CEO of Identity, explained: “Both Identity and Smyle are performing exceptionally well on their own, but clients expect more as the market evolves. Unification unlocks real value, disrupting the notion that scale means expense.”
Olivier Vallee, Managing Director of Identity, added: “This is a moment of strength. By unifying, we combine scale with specialism, delivering enhanced experiences for clients efficiently, while keeping our teams’ talent at the core of everything we do.”
With expanded global operations, including new US East Coast offices, the refreshed Identity will lead the industry into a new era of creative innovation and operational impact.
Final Take
From Haymarket’s bold publishing consolidation to emc3’s global collective launch, from Identity x Smyle’s unification to bnetwork’s expansion into Switzerland, September’s M+As reveal an industry focused on connection, capability and clarity.
What this means for the industry:
- Rapid consolidation creating end-to-end ecosystems across media, events and experiential
- Stronger international links with Europe, North America and Asia-Pacific increasingly integrated
- Purpose-driven growth balancing creativity, sustainability and commercial scale
- Rising client demand for simplified partnerships delivering greater value and speed
- Continued blurring of boundaries between media, brand and live experience
Congratulations to all the teams shaping this next chapter, proving that collaboration, clarity and creativity remain the ultimate growth drivers.