Special Events

What Special Events does

Special Events operates Cater+Event (formerly Catersource), a B2B media and events platform serving catering and event industry professionals. The brand is positioned as a division within Informa Connect, the events and media arm of Informa PLC, a publicly listed company on the London Stock Exchange (registered office 5 Howick Place, London SW1P 1WG, company number 8860726). Cater+Event publishes ongoing editorial content across five core verticals — Event Management, Business Operations, Event Trends & Styles, Event Types, and Food & Beverage — and hosts the annual Art of Catering Food conference in Chicago. The platform also offers a free newsletter subscription and maintains a presence on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram.

The product portfolio consists of three pillars: the Cater+Event digital news publication, the Art of Catering Food annual conference (scheduled for August 10-11, 2026 in Chicago with tiered Early Bird registration), and the newsletter subscription. No proprietary technology platform is disclosed; the business is a content and events media property rather than a software company. Distribution is delivered through the digital platform (cater-event.com), in-person conferences, organic social channels, and advertising sold through Informa Connect's foodservice advertising platform (informaconnect.com/foodservice/caterevent/).

Revenue is generated through two streams: advertising and sponsorships sold via the Informa Connect foodservice platform, and paid conference/event registration. The primary customer segment is catering industry professionals (caterers and food service operators), with a secondary segment of event planners and event management professionals. Cater+Event's individual financial performance is not separately disclosed within Informa PLC's group reporting, and the property operates as a non-standalone division of the parent conglomerate.

Name

Special Events

Legal name

Informa PLC

Website

https://specialevents.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1982

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

5,001–10,000 employees

Short description

Special Events operates Cater+Event, a B2B media and events brand serving catering and event industry professionals through editorial content, a newsletter, and the Art of Catering Food conference, as a division of Informa Connect.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

B2B Trade Media

NAICS

Caterers (722320), Caterers (72232)

SIC

Services-Advertising (7310), Services-Advertising Agencies (7311)

akta.pro primary industry

Full-Service Catering (Off-Premise) (HSACAGAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Corporate & Business Event Catering (THAHAKAA), Wedding & Social Event Catering (THAHAKAE)

Keywords

• B2B event media
• Catering industry news
• Event industry conferences
• Trade publication content
• Industry newsletter service

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Advertising and Sponsorships: Operates an advertising platform (informaconnect.com/foodservice/caterevent/) offering brand visibility to the catering and event industry audience through display advertising, sponsorships, and promotional content placement on the digital platform.
2. Conference and Event Registration: Generates revenue through paid conference attendance including Art of Catering Food events. Offers tiered pricing with Early Bird discounts and standard registration fees for industry professionals to attend educational and networking events.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Special Events operates as Cater+Event (formerly Catersource), a B2B media and content platform serving catering and event industry professionals. The company publishes news articles, industry insights, and newsletters, and runs in-person industry conferences including the Art of Catering Food Conference. The platform functions as an information resource and networking hub for caterers, event planners, and hospitality professionals.

Product overview

Cater+Event (formerly Catersource) is a content publication and event platform operated by Informa Connect's Foodservice division. The offering consists of a professional news publication providing industry-specific articles and insights across categories including Event Management, Business Operations, Event Trends & Styles, Event Types, and Food & Beverage. The company also hosts the annual Art of Catering Food conference. This is not a software product but rather a media/education platform serving catering and event professionals.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Cater+Event News Publication

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Informa ConnectcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCater+Event operates as part of the Informa Connect Division of Informa PLC, leveraging the parent company's events, media, and marketing infrastructure. Informa is a major global events and publishing company providing operational scale and brand credibility.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Skift: Skift is a larger B2B media company covering travel, hospitality and meetings/events. It competes for the same advertising and sponsorship dollars and serves an overlapping audience of event professionals, but operates at a broader travel-industry scale.
• Informa Markets (parent's broader events division): Informa Markets, the sibling division of Informa Connect within Informa PLC, runs large-scale B2B exhibitions and conferences across many industries. It is comparable as the broader-events platform within the same parent that hosts Cater+Event.

Direct peers

• BizBash: BizBash is a B2B media brand covering the event industry, producing editorial content, research and live events for event professionals — directly comparable to Cater+Event's content-plus-conference model, but with a broader event-planning focus rather than catering-specific.
• MeetingsNet: MeetingsNet covers the MICE (meetings, incentives, conferences, exhibitions) space with editorial content, research and events. It targets the same planners and corporate buyers that Cater+Event reaches, with significant overlap in conference and advertising monetization.
• Event Marketer: Event Marketer is a B2B publication and awards platform serving corporate event and experiential marketing professionals. It mirrors Cater+Event's focus on a vertical professional audience monetized through advertising, sponsorships and industry events.
• Event Industry News: Event Industry News is a UK-based B2B publication covering the events industry, with editorial content, awards and industry directories. It is a direct peer in the events-media category, with similar audience and revenue model.
• Trade Show News Network (TSNN): TSNN is a B2B media platform covering the trade show and exhibition industry with news, calendars and advertising. It targets event professionals in a closely adjacent vertical and uses a comparable ad-supported media model.
• Convene Media: Convene Media (formerly Convene magazine) covers the meetings and events industry with editorial content and live events. It is a direct peer in editorial reach and revenue model, positioned for planners and event suppliers.

Regional players

• Mash Media: Mash Media publishes industry titles (such as Conference News and Exhibition News) and runs UK-based events for the MICE industry. Similar editorial-plus-events model, but with a UK regional focus.
• The Planner: The Planner is a UK-focused B2B media publication for event planners and suppliers, with print and digital reach. It overlaps with Cater+Event's audience, but competes primarily in the UK market rather than the US.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/special_events
• Facebookfacebook.com/SpecialEvents

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Special Events