Hemming Group

What Hemming Group does

Hemming Group Limited is a privately held, family-owned UK B2B media and events company headquartered in London (Fourth Floor, 3 Dorset Rise), operating as a single legal entity through two divisions: Hemming Media (publishing) and Brintex Events (exhibitions, conferences, awards, founded 1963). The company runs a portfolio of 25+ brands across four specialist verticals: Local Government (The MJ, LocalGov), Transport & Infrastructure (Traffex, Bridges Scotland, Road Expo Scotland, Highways Awards, Cold Comfort), Building Services (BMN, Executive Hire Show, Builders' Merchants Awards), and Healthcare (Healthcare Management). It monetises through six revenue streams: print and digital magazine advertising, exhibition/exhibitor fees and delegate registrations, awards ceremony sponsorships and entry fees, digital advertising and lead generation, niche recruitment advertising on dedicated job boards (MJ Jobs, LocalGov Jobs, Highways Jobs, Healthcare Management Jobs), and bespoke digital content services such as whitepapers, webinars, and web development. The technology stack is conventional B2B media infrastructure — HubSpot CRM, Google Ad Manager, Google Analytics, LinkedIn for data enrichment, YouTube/Facebook for promotion, and approved enterprise AI tools (ChatGPT Business and Claude for Work) used internally for content drafting, editing, summarisation, translation, and workflow efficiency rather than as customer-facing product features.

The company is led by Chairman Nick Service, Group Managing Director Bill Butler, Group Finance Director James Cook, Director of Strategy/Culture/Environment Sophie Service, Editorial Director Mike Burton (30+ years covering local government), Director of Content Delivery Matthew Hobley, and Marketing Director Kieran Found. Go-to-market is event-driven and community-led: industry exhibitions (Traffex, Bridges, Parkex, Executive Hire Show), CPD-certified conferences, and exclusive invite-only forums (MJ Future Forum with North and Midlands regional editions) anchor customer engagement, supplemented by specialist magazines and digital products. The customer base is distributed across four verticals and includes both public sector buyers (West Oxfordshire District Council) and private sector building materials firms (LBS Builders' Merchants, Resapol), with no single anchor enterprise customer identified. Hemming Group holds GDPR/ICO compliance (Z7609582), has a zero-tolerance Modern Slavery Act policy, has committed to the Science Based Targets initiative (50% emissions reduction by 2030, net zero by 2050), and is privately held with no VC, PE, or institutional investor ownership.

Name

Hemming Group

Legal name

Hemming Group Limited

Website

https://hgluk.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1894

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Hemming Group is a 130+ year-old, family-owned UK B2B media company operating 25+ brands across Local Government, Transport & Infrastructure, Building Services, and Healthcare verticals through magazines, exhibitions, conferences, awards, and niche recruitment job boards.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

B2B Publishing and Events

NAICS

Newspaper, Periodical, Book, and Directory Publishers (5131)

SIC

Periodicals: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2721)

akta.pro primary industry

Business, Finance & Industry Trade Magazines (MPAJAEAM)

Keywords

• B2B publishing services
• Trade exhibitions events
• Industry magazines
• Specialist media conferences
• Vertical market publishing

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Magazine Publishing: Industry-leading magazines providing advertising and editorial opportunities across Building Portfolio, Public Sector Portfolio, Transport Portfolio, and International Portfolio
2. Exhibitions and Conferences: Industry leading exhibitions, CPD certified conferences, forums, roundtables, and managed events generating revenue from exhibitor fees, sponsorships, and delegate registrations
3. Awards Ceremonies: Industry awards recognizing excellence in various sectors including Builders Merchants Awards, Highways Awards, and MJ Achievement Awards
4. Digital Advertising: Bespoke advertising solutions providing clear ROI through website banners, digital products, lead generation, and recruitment solutions
5. Recruitment Solutions: Specialized recruitment advertising across industry job boards including MJ Jobs, LocalGov Jobs, Healthcare Management Jobs, and Highways Jobs
6. Digital Content Services: Whitepapers, case studies, webinars, and web development services for client content distribution

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Hemming Group is a B2B media company that publishes specialist industry magazines (print and digital), operates trade exhibitions, conferences and award ceremonies, and runs recruitment job boards across four vertical markets: Local Government, Transport & Infrastructure, Building Services, and Healthcare. Through its two divisions, Hemming Media and Brintex Events (since 1963), it sells advertising space, exhibitor and sponsorship packages, delegate registrations, recruitment advertising, and bespoke content services such as whitepapers, webinars and lead generation to professional and government buyers.

Product overview

Hemming Group is a publishing and events business with a 130+ year history serving specialist markets through a portfolio of magazines, events, exhibitions, and digital products. The company operates as one legal entity with two divisions: Hemming Media (publishing, magazines, digital content) and Brintex Events (B2B exhibitions, conferences, awards since 1963). The product portfolio spans four core market sectors: Building Services (Builders' Merchants News, Executive Hire Show, Builders' Merchants Awards), Public Sector (The MJ, LocalGov, Healthcare Management, and associated jobs/awards/forums), Transport & Infrastructure (Traffex, Road Expo Scotland, Bridges Scotland, Highways Awards, Cold Comfort), and International (Bridge Design & Engineering). Additional services include lead generation, webinars, recruitment solutions, digital content, managed events, roundtables, forums, and web development. The company leverages AI tools including OpenAI's ChatGPT Business and Anthropic's Claude for internal content and workflow operations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Hemming Media: Publishing division covering magazines, digital content, and editorial products across specialist B2B markets.
• Brintex Events
• BMN - Builders' Merchants News
• Builders' Merchants Awards
• Executive Hire News
• Executive Hire Show
• The MJ (Municipal Journal)
• LocalGov
• LAPV
• Healthcare Management
• Traffex
• Road Expo Scotland
• Bridges Scotland
• Highways Awards
• Cold Comfort
• Bridge, Design & Engineering
• MJ Future Forum
• National Children & Adult Services Conference
• LGA Exhibition

Products and services

• Industry Exhibitions
• CPD-Certified Conferences
• Awards Ceremonies

Quantifiable outcome

• CPD certified conferences for professional development

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration7 records

AI capability5 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• PPA (Periodical Publishers Association)minorOthersTrade association membership providing industry representation and standards alignment for publishing operations
• AEO (Association of Event Organisers)minorOthersTrade association membership for event organisers providing industry best practices and standards
• TraceminorOthersEvent sustainability tracking and measurement service supporting environmental reporting for exhibitions and events
• RISEminorOthersIndustry organization supporting responsible business practices

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Informa plc: Global B2B events, publishing, and intelligence company (owner of B2B brands and major exhibitions). Comparable as the dominant UK-headquartered B2B events/publishing platform, but at vastly greater scale and geographic reach.

Direct peers

• Wilmington plc: UK-listed B2B media, events, and information services group serving regulated and professional verticals. Highly comparable in scale and business model — multi-vertical B2B information, events, and training for niche professional audiences.
• Haymarket Media Group: Privately held UK-headquartered B2B and consumer media company operating across multiple specialist verticals. Comparable multi-brand B2B portfolio approach and London headquarters.
• William Reed: Privately held UK B2B media, events, and data company serving specialist industries. Comparable family-owned model with vertical B2B titles, exhibitions, and intelligence products.
• Metropolis International Group: UK B2B media publisher producing trade titles, awards, and events for professional sectors. Comparable in operating model and target audience of senior decision makers in niche verticals.
• DVV Media Group: International B2B media group specializing in transport, rail, and logistics publishing and events. Directly comparable to Hemming's Transport & Infrastructure vertical (Traffex, Highways, Bridges).
• CloserStill Media: UK-headquartered B2B exhibition and conference organizer focused on specialist professional verticals. Comparable event-led B2B model targeting niche industry buyers.

Emerging players

• B2B Marketing: UK B2B marketing media and events company serving marketing professionals with publications, awards, and events. Comparable as a specialist UK B2B media/events business, though Hemming operates in different verticals.
• Mash Media: UK B2B events and publishing company focused on the exhibitions and events industry itself. Comparable events-publishing model, though operating at smaller scale and in an adjacent vertical.

Others

• PPA (Periodical Publishers Association): UK trade association for magazine and B2B publishers. Not a direct competitor but a peer organization that Hemming Group is a member of; comparable only as an industry-ecosystem participant.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/hemming-group

Compliance6 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Hemming Group