Event Guides

What Event Guides does

Event Guides Limited is a UK-based contract publisher founded in 2006 that produces official publications for trade shows and consumer exhibitions globally. Operating from Carlisle with a registered office in Rickmansworth, the company produces print catalogues, show guides, planners, directories, pocket maps, review publications, loyalty magazines, and digital/multimedia editions for events spanning defence, gaming, retail, sport, fashion, energy, and education sectors. Named marquee clients include Spring Fair, Bett, DSEI, and ICE London.

The core product is the official show publication, delivered as a combination of printed magazines and interactive PDFs/digital editions, with multimedia modules that combine video, text, graphics, and interactive elements, plus embedded data analytics for response tracking in digital formats. The company's value proposition addresses two customer segments: exhibition organizers, who outsource official publishing rather than build in-house capability, and exhibitors who purchase advertising and sponsorship placements within those official publications to gain visibility.

Revenue is generated through two streams: contract publishing fees paid by event organizers for producing official show materials, and advertising/sponsorship sales made by Event Guides' internal sales team directly to exhibitors. The go-to-market is sales-led and direct — the company is contracted by show organizers and then reaches out to exhibitors on their behalf. No pricing is publicly disclosed, and no external funding, acquisitions, leadership changes, or major strategic shifts are evidenced in the available data beyond the original 2006 founding and incremental product additions over time.

Name

Event Guides

Legal name

Event Guides Limited

Website

https://eventguides.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2006

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Event Guides is a UK-based contract publisher, founded in 2006, that produces official print and digital show publications (catalogues, guides, directories, multimedia editions) for exhibition organizers globally, serving enterprise events such as DSEI, Bett, ICE London, and Spring Fair, with revenue from publishing contracts and exhibitor advertising sales.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Contract Publishing for Exhibitions

NAICS

Convention and Trade Show Organizers (561920)

SIC

Services-Advertising Agencies (7311), Services-Mailing, Reproduction, Commercial Art & Photography (7330)

akta.pro primary industry

Trade Shows & Exhibitions (Booths, Show Management) (BPAFAGAD)

akta.pro secondary industry

General & Multi-Industry Trade Show Organizers (THAHABAA)

Keywords

• Contract publishing
• Exhibition publications
• Show guides
• Event catalogues
• Trade show media

Headquarters

HQ city

Carlisle

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Contract Publishing Services: Event Guides earns revenue as a contract publisher for exhibitions, producing official publications for UK, European and worldwide trade and consumer events. They are contracted by show organizers to create and publish exhibitor listings and materials.
2. Advertising and Sponsorship Sales: The company generates revenue by selling advertising and sponsorship opportunities within official show publications. Their experienced sales team implements financial structures to eliminate costs for show organizers while generating revenue from exhibitors seeking enhanced visibility.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Event Guides is a global contract publisher for the exhibition industry, producing official show publications in print and digital formats for trade and consumer events. The company is contracted by exhibition organizers to deliver catalogues, show guides, planners, directories, pocket maps, review publications, loyalty magazines, and multimedia/digital publications with embedded data analytics. It also sells advertising and sponsorship packages within these official publications on behalf of show organizers, with financial structures designed to make publications cost-neutral for organizers.

Product overview

Event Guides is a global contract publisher for the exhibition industry, established in 2006, offering official publications for international trade and consumer events spanning defence, gaming, retail, sport, fashion, energy, education, and other sectors. The core product is the Official Show Publications, a unified publishing solution that encompasses multiple format-specific modules: Print Previews and Catalogues, Show Guides, Event Planners, Directories, Pocket Maps, Review Publications, and Loyalty Magazines. The digital extension includes Multimedia Publications combining video and interactive content with traditional show imagery, plus Digital Publications with embedded data analytics for performance tracking. The company also offers an Advertising and Sponsorship Solutions add-on through its internal sales team to monetize official show publications. Notable client events include Spring Fair, Bett, DSEI, and ICE London.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Official Show Publications
• Advertising and Sponsorship Solutions

Named customers4 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves2 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Broad incumbents

• Freeman: Global event services company providing production, audiovisual, digital, and brand experience services for trade shows and exhibitions. Comparable as an end-to-end supplier to exhibition organizers — overlapping with Event Guides in digital event solutions and on-site brand experiences, though at much larger scale and broader scope.
• dmg events: International exhibition organizer operating major B2B trade shows across energy, construction, hospitality, and coatings sectors. Comparable as a large-scale exhibition organizer that produces and monetizes official publications internally, representing both a potential client type for Event Guides and a vertically integrated competitor.
• Informa Markets: World's largest exhibition organizer operating hundreds of trade shows across multiple verticals. Acts as both a client type for firms like Event Guides and a competitor producing official publications for its own events at scale, with a much broader portfolio including events, data, and media products.
• Easyfairs: European exhibition organizer operating a large portfolio of trade shows across multiple verticals, including the UK market. Overlaps with Event Guides in target verticals and produces official publications for its own events; relevant competitor for share of organizer wallet and published media inventory.
• Clarion Events: UK-headquartered global exhibition organizer running major events across defence, gaming, retail, and energy sectors — categories that overlap directly with Event Guides' named client verticals (DSEI-style defence shows, ICE-style gaming). Represents both a potential client base and a vertical-integrated competitor for official show publications.
• Messe Frankfurt: German-headquartered global exhibition organizer operating flagship shows in consumer goods, textiles, automotive, and lighting. Operates official publications and digital media for its own events at scale; comparable service offering to Event Guides but from an organizer perspective with proprietary in-house publishing capacity.
• RX Global (Reed Exhibitions): Major global exhibition organizer producing hundreds of trade and consumer events across dozens of industries. Operates official show publications for its own portfolio at significant scale; comparable to Event Guides in function (official publications for major shows) but from inside the organizer rather than as an external contract publisher.

Emerging players

• TradePub: Free trade publication aggregator distributing industry magazines and show-related publications across multiple verticals. Comparable as an alternative channel for reaching exhibitors and trade show audiences with advertising-supported content, though it operates more as a content marketplace than a contract publisher.
• Trade Show News Network (TSNN): Online trade show industry media outlet covering exhibition organizers, suppliers, and exhibitors globally. Adjacent to Event Guides' publishing remit — focuses on trade show news and listings rather than official show publications — but serves overlapping audiences and advertising buyers in the exhibition ecosystem.

Direct peers

• Expo Guide: Global contract publisher of official exhibitor directories and trade show catalogues distributed at exhibitions worldwide. Operates the same core business model as Event Guides — producing and monetizing official publications on behalf of exhibition organizers — making it the closest direct peer.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/eventguidesltd
• Facebookfacebook.com/eventguidesltd
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/event-guides-limited
• Instagraminstagram.com/eventguidesltd

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Event Guides