Forum Events

What Forum Events does

Founded in 1996 and headquartered in Hertford, United Kingdom, Forum Events is a private event management company with more than 50 staff. It connects senior procurement professionals and other organisational decision-makers with suppliers through hosted-buyer Forums and Summits, seminars and peer networking. Its event coverage spans customer services, facilities and security, hospitality and events, human resources, marketing and eCommerce, supply chain, and technology.

During the pandemic, the company developed proprietary bespoke matchmaking software that prioritises buyers' meeting requests, matches them with appropriate suppliers and can synchronise live and virtual attendees across the globe. Forum Events has built a wider media portfolio around the event platform, including PA Life, Hotel Designs and Briefing, with magazines, websites, newsletters and event-related content.

Revenue is generated from suppliers paying for participation packages that include stands, pre-arranged meetings, meals and accommodation, and from subscriptions and advertising across the media brands. Its go-to-market is sales-led: inside-sales staff recruit and qualify suppliers and delegates by telephone, email and social media, while owned media and newsletter subscriptions support audience development. Qualifying buyers currently attend live or virtual events without charge because the stated nominal delegate fees are waived.

Name

Forum Events

Legal name

Forum Events & Media Group Limited

Website

https://forumevents.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1996

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Forum Events is a UK event management company that connects senior procurement professionals and other decision-makers with suppliers through hosted-buyer forums, summits and media brands, supported by proprietary matchmaking software.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Hosted-Buyer Business Events & Networking Media

NAICS

Convention and Trade Show Organizers (56192), Convention and Trade Show Organizers (561920)

akta.pro primary industry

Executive Summits & Invitation-Only Forums (MPAGAGAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Professional & Association Conferences (MPAGAGAB), Virtual/Hybrid Conference Production & Platform Management (THAHACAM)

Keywords

• Hosted-buyer events
• Business networking forums
• B2B matchmaking platform
• Corporate summits
• Industry media newsletters

Headquarters

HQ city

Hertford

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, Infrastructure, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Supplier Event Participation Fees: Revenue from suppliers who pay to attend Forums and Summits and participate in pre-arranged face-to-face meetings with buyers. Suppliers pay for packages that include stand space, meetings, meals, and accommodation for two-day events.
2. Buyer Organisation Fees: Revenue from Buyer Organisations at £500 plus VAT per live Delegate and £250 plus VAT per virtual Delegate. Currently waived so attendance is complimentary for qualifying buyers.
3. Media Brand Subscriptions and Advertising: Revenue from PA Life magazine subscriptions and Hotel Designs media brand, including digital newsletters and advertising across media platforms.
4. Briefing Newsletter Subscriptions: Revenue from industry-specific Briefing newsletters including FM Briefing (34,000 subscribers), HR Briefing (18,000 subscribers), Education Briefing (11,600 subscribers), and other sector-specific publications.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Forum Events organises hosted-buyer Forums and Summits that use proprietary matchmaking software to arrange pre-qualified, face-to-face and hybrid meetings between senior procurement professionals (buyers) and suppliers across 30+ industry verticals. The company monetises primarily through all-inclusive supplier participation packages (stand, meetings, meals, accommodation) and complements the events portfolio with owned media brands (PA Life, Hotel Designs) and a portfolio of 14+ sector-specific Briefing newsletters.

Product overview

Forum Events operates as a unified business networking and events platform with a core product (Forum Events) supported by multiple sub-brands including PA Life (media hub for PAs/EAs), Hotel Designs (hotel design media), and Briefing (industry news newsletters). The platform uses proprietary bespoke matchmaking software to connect procurement professionals with suppliers through over 30 distinct Forums and Summits spanning industries such as Customer Services, Facilities Management, Hospitality, HR, Marketing, Supply Chain, and Technology. The portfolio includes flagship events like the HR Summit, Hotel Summit, Contact Centre & Customer Services Summit, and numerous specialized summits. PA Life magazine and Hotel Space magazine are published under the media brands.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• PA Life: UK's leading and award-winning media hub for Personal and Executive Assistants, including bi-monthly magazine, website, weekly newsletter, and series of live events
• Hotel Designs
• Briefing

Products and services

• Forum Events Hosted-Buyer Forums and Summits The core business of Forum Events: a portfolio of hosted-buyer Forums and Summits that match senior procurement professionals with suppliers through pre-arranged face-to-face meetings, seminars and networking across 30+ industry verticals.
• Contact Centre & Customer Services Summit Two-day event hosting one-to-one meetings between senior contact centre and customer service professionals and sector suppliers.
• CX Solutions Summit Opportunity for customer experience specialists to attend educational seminars and meet with innovative suppliers in the CX sector.
• Care Forum Two-day forum where senior care procurement professionals attend pre-arranged meetings with innovative suppliers, seminars and peer networking.
• Security IT Summit / Cyber Secure Forum Full day of pre-arranged face-to-face meetings with suppliers, seminars, and networking for cyber security professionals.
• Total Security Summit Two days of pre-arranged face-to-face meetings between senior security executives and suppliers, free for security professionals.
• eTailing Summit / eCommerce Forum One-day event for eCommerce professionals encompassing meetings with industry solution providers, seminars on latest tech trends and peer networking.
• Smarter Payment Summit Unique event for senior payment transaction professionals to meet with innovation and budget-saving suppliers, attend inspirational seminars and network with peers.
• HR Summit Leading event for senior HR professionals, matching buyers with suppliers for pre-arranged meetings, seminars and networking.
• Employee Benefits & Rewards Forum Highly-focused one-day event for senior HR and employee benefits professionals with matched solution providers, seminars and networking.
• Training & Development Summit Highly-focused two-day event for senior learning and development professionals with pre-arranged meetings and seminars.
• Facilities Management Forum Event specifically for senior professionals directly responsible for FM and related services for their organisations.
• FM Technology Forum Forum connecting innovative solution providers with industry professionals across all stages of an FM cycle.
• Energy Management Summit Two-day event bringing energy procurement professionals together with suppliers for hosted meetings and networking.
• Total Supply Chain Summit Free event for supply chain, logistics, distribution and transport professionals to meet suppliers, attend seminars and network.
• Fleet Services Management Summit Two-day event tailored for senior professionals responsible for fleet requirements, with matched supplier meetings and seminars.
• Hotel Summit / Tech In Hospitality Summit Senior hospitality professionals meet suppliers for pre-arranged face-to-face meetings, seminar sessions, and networking, including the Tech In Hospitality Summit.
• PA Life Summit Over a decade of bringing together senior PAs and EAs with relevant suppliers for business meetings, interactive seminars and networking.
• Interior Design & Architecture Summit One-day event connecting senior executives with product and service suppliers for face-to-face meetings and business networking.
• Event Organisers Summit Over a decade of bringing event professionals together with leading venues and solution providers for business meetings and networking.
• London Venues Summit One-day venue sourcing event in London for venue bookers to meet suppliers and attend seminars.
• Elevate.Tech Summit Summit bringing together innovative solution providers with industry professionals to build business relationships in the IT sector.
• Fraud Prevention Summit Summit assisting merchants with fraud projects through meetings with specialists and innovative suppliers.
• Event Technology Forum Forum connecting innovative and competitive solution providers with industry professionals in event technology.
• Education Forum / Ed.Technology Summit Two-day event matching education procurement professionals with relevant suppliers for pre-arranged meetings, seminars and networking.
• Proprietary Bespoke Matchmaking Software Proprietary matchmaking platform that prioritises decision-makers' meeting requests, ensures itineraries are full of appropriate suppliers, and facilitates meetings between live and virtual attendees synchronising peers across the globe.
• PA Life Media Brand UK's leading award-winning media hub for Personal and Executive Assistants, featuring a bi-monthly magazine, website, weekly newsletter, and live events including the PA Life Summit.
• Hotel Designs Media Brand Leading international hotel design website and media outlet for interior designers, architects, hoteliers and industry suppliers, delivering daily news and hosting events including the Hotel Summit.
• Briefing Newsletter Portfolio Portfolio of industry-specific fortnightly Briefing newsletters covering Facilities Management (34,000 subscribers), HR (18,000), Education (11,600), Digital Marketing (14,800), eCommerce & Payments (9,400), Contact Centre (9,000), Care (4,600), IT Security (7,000), Supply Chain (8,000), Security, Fleet Management, Energy Management, Health & Safety, and Event Organisers.

Quantifiable outcome

• 98% of delegates agree that Forum Events are a better way to find new suppliers than traditional trade shows
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Feature1 record

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Hyve Group: UK-headquartered, publicly listed events company operating a portfolio of trade shows and conferences across multiple industry verticals. Highly comparable as a multi-vertical UK B2B events organiser with a shared horizontal strategy.
• CloserStill: UK privately-held B2B events business running focused trade exhibitions and conferences across professional verticals. Comparable as a UK-based portfolio events operator targeting professional audiences with a similar horizontal model.
• Marcus Evans: International B2B events, conferences, and training company with a portfolio of summits targeting senior executives across multiple industries. Comparable hosted-buyer-style summits model.
• Terrapinn: International B2B events and media business running focused industry conferences and exhibitions. Comparable as a multi-vertical professional events organiser with media extensions.
• Questex: Global B2B events and information services company operating hosted-buyer events, conferences, and media brands across multiple verticals. Comparable as a hosted-buyer events plus media model.

Broad incumbents

• Informa: Global B2B events, publishing, and intelligence group and a market leader in professional trade shows and conferences. Overlaps with Forum Events' multi-vertical B2B events portfolio but at significantly greater scale and geographic reach.
• Reed Exhibitions (RELX): World's largest events organiser and a division of RELX, running hundreds of trade and consumer events globally. Overlaps in B2B exhibitions but at vastly greater scale and international footprint.

Emerging players

• Bizzabo: Event experience and technology platform providing hybrid event software, registration, and networking tools. Adjacent to Forum Events' bespoke matchmaking software and represents the digital-native competitive threat.
• Swapcard: AI-powered event matchmaking and networking platform for in-person, virtual, and hybrid events. Directly comparable as a technology-led event matchmaking solution provider.
• Hopin: Virtual and hybrid events platform offering networking, matchmaking, and streaming capabilities. Comparable as a technology-driven alternative to physical hosted-buyer event formats.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks4 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/forumeventsltd
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/forum-events-ltd
• Facebookfacebook.com/ForumEventsLtd

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Subsidiaries3 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 Forum Events