The Assembly
The Assembly Events is a privately held UK event manager running B2B trade shows, consumer events, industry awards, and trade media (HairCon, The Jewellery Show, Design Mumbai, Craftworks, CrimeCon UK, Creative HEAD, FADED Magazine) serving professionals in hair, jewellery, design, and true crime.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2023
- HeadquartersShenfield, United Kingdom
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What The Assembly does
The Assembly Events is a privately held, UK-based event management company founded in 2023 by Michael Dynan following the sale of Media 10's Design portfolio to Clarion. It creates, launches, commercialises, and delivers live B2B trade shows, B2C consumer events, industry awards, and vertical trade media brands spanning professional hair and barbering, fine jewellery, design and interiors, arts and crafts, and true crime. The portfolio comprises HairCon (O2 Victoria Warehouse, Manchester), The Jewellery Show (ExCeL London), Craftworks (London Craft Week), CrimeCon UK (London and Manchester), Design Mumbai (India), Creative HEAD Magazine, the forthcoming FADED Magazine, the Most Wanted Awards (since 2001) and IT List Awards, Salon Smart, and the True Crime Awards.
The Assembly operates without a proprietary technology platform; the core offering is conventional event production covering venue sourcing, exhibitor and sponsor sales, speaker curation, audience registration, on-site logistics, and award programme management. Underlying systems comprise standard ticketing, registration, websites, social channels (Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube), and a print/digital publishing workflow rather than a distinct tech stack.
The company monetises through three streams: (1) ticket sales and exhibitor/sponsorship fees across trade and consumer events; (2) recurring subscription and advertising revenue from owned media brands, principally Creative HEAD Magazine (print, digital, live events, 20+ years standing) and the upcoming FADED Magazine (quarterly B2B print reaching 6,000 barbershops from April 2026); and (3) consulting/support work for existing events seeking refresh. The go-to-market is event-driven and segmented by vertical, targeting hair/barbering professionals, jewellery retailers and buyers, design and interiors professionals, craft makers, and true-crime enthusiasts. Named HairCon 2025 exhibitor/brand relationships include Wahl, Sassoon, Keune, Vagaro, Danger Jones, Menspire, Salon Evo, Fellowship, Dense, and Barber Evo. Headcount is reported in the 11–50 band; the company is founder-led and privately held with no disclosed external capital.
The Assembly firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- The Assembly
- Legal name
- The Assembly
- Website
- https://theassemblyevents.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2023
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- The Assembly Events is a privately held UK event manager running B2B trade shows, consumer events, industry awards, and trade media (HairCon, The Jewellery Show, Design Mumbai, Craftworks, CrimeCon UK, Creative HEAD, FADED Magazine) serving professionals in hair, jewellery, design, and true crime.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
The Assembly industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Event Management Services
- NAICS
- Convention and Trade Show Organizers (56192), Performing Arts, Spectator Sports, and Related Industries (711)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Exhibition & Trade Show Management (Conference-Adjacent) (THAHACAF)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Corporate Conferences & Sales Kickoffs (MPAGAGAC), Association & Society Conference Management (Nonprofit, Professional Bodies) (THAHACAA)
Keywords
Where The Assembly is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Shenfield
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
The Assembly business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Event Ticket Sales: Revenue generated from attendees purchasing tickets to consumer and trade events including HairCon, CrimeCon UK, Craftworks, and The Jewellery Show.
- Exhibitor and Sponsor Fees: B2B trade events generate revenue from exhibitor booth fees and commercial partnerships with brands. Nancy Baughen specialises in sponsorship and partnership management with major brands.
- Media Publishing (Creative HEAD Magazine): Leading media brand for hair professionals spanning print, digital, and live events. Revenue from magazine sales, advertising, and industry events.
- Media Publishing (FADED Magazine): Premium B2B print magazine for professional barbers launching April 2026, reaching 6,000 barbershops nationwide. Published quarterly with social channel backing.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Pay-as-you-go | Craftworks - Free B2B Trade Entry |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels7 records
Marketing channels4 records
The Assembly product offering
Product offeringCore offering
The Assembly is an event management company that creates, launches, commercialises and delivers live events worldwide, operating a diversified portfolio of consumer conferences, B2B trade shows, exhibitions and industry awards. Its portfolio spans multiple verticals: professional hair and barbering (HairCon, Salon Smart, Creative HEAD, FADED, Most Wanted Awards, IT List Awards), jewellery (The Jewellery Show), design and interiors (Design Mumbai, Craftworks) and true crime (CrimeCon UK, True Crime Awards). The company also owns and operates long-running editorial media brands and awards programmes that provide recurring audience engagement beyond individual events.
Product overview
The Assembly is an event management company operating a diversified portfolio of consumer conferences, conventions, trade shows, exhibitions, and awards. The portfolio spans multiple industry verticals: professional hair and barbering (HairCon, Creative HEAD Magazine, FADED Magazine, IT List Awards, Most Wanted Awards, Salon Smart), jewellery (The Jewellery Show), design and interiors (Design Mumbai, Craftworks), and true crime (CrimeCon UK, True Crime Awards). The company's core offering centres on live event creation, launch, and delivery, supplemented by media brands (magazines) and awards programmes that serve as complementary platforms within their respective industries.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- HairCon: The UK's leading B2B event for the professional hair and barbering industry, held at O2 Victoria Warehouse in Manchester.
- Design Mumbai
- The Jewellery Show
- Creative HEAD Magazine
- FADED Magazine
- IT List Awards
- Most Wanted Awards
- Salon Smart
- CrimeCon UK
- Craftworks
- True Crime Awards
Products and services
- HairCon The UK's leading B2B trade show for the professional hair and barbering industry, held at the O2 Victoria Warehouse in Manchester, featuring stage shows, brand activations, expert panels and hands-on demos for stylists, barbers, salon owners, buyers and brands.
- Design Mumbai India's first B2B international contemporary trade show for design, architecture and interiors professionals, attracting over 9,000 visitors and 100+ exhibitors, curated in partnership with Montgomery Exhibition Group.
- The Jewellery Show The UK's premier jewellery trade event held at ExCeL Centre London, dedicated to retailers, buyers, manufacturers, designers and suppliers of fine jewellery, watches, precious stones and retail solutions.
- Creative HEAD Magazine The leading media brand for hair professionals across the UK and Ireland, spanning print, digital and live events, including the IT List Awards and Most Wanted Awards.
- FADED Magazine A premium B2B print magazine for professional barbers across the UK, launching in April 2026 and reaching 6,000 barbershops nationwide with quarterly publication.
- IT List Awards Awards created by Creative HEAD that celebrate the most exciting hairdressers aged 30 and under across the UK and Ireland, spotlighting emerging talent.
- Most Wanted Awards
Quantifiable outcome
- Design Mumbai attracted over 9,000 visitors and 100+ exhibitors
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use The Assembly
Customer profileNamed customers10 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles5 records
The Assembly technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
The Assembly partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Montgomery Exhibition GroupcoreThe Assembly partnered with Montgomery Exhibition Group to curate Design Mumbai, India's first B2B international contemporary trade show for design, architecture, and interiors. Montgomery's exhibition expertise combined with The Assembly's event management capabilities enabled the launch of this major industry event in Mumbai.
- CBS RealitycoreSince 2021, CrimeCon UK has partnered with CBS Reality to bring the true crime event to UK audiences. CrimeCon originated in the USA with Red Seat Ventures before this UK partnership was established.
- Red Seat VenturesminorRed Seat Ventures originated CrimeCon in the USA where it quickly gained a loyal following. The partnership established the format and brand before The Assembly partnered with CBS Reality for UK expansion.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights4 records
The Assembly competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- CloserStill Media: CloserStill Media is a UK-headquartered B2B event organizer specializing in niche professional verticals (veterinary, healthcare, learning, technology). Closely comparable in business model and approach — focused vertical trade shows for engaged professional audiences — though at larger scale and across different industries.
- Montgomery Exhibition Group: Montgomery Exhibition Group is an Indian exhibition organizer and The Assembly's strategic partner on Design Mumbai. Operates comparable B2B design and interiors trade shows in South Asia, making it both a partner and a directly comparable regional peer in exhibition organization.
- Media 10: Media 10 is a UK-based event management company behind consumer and trade shows including Grand Designs Live, Ideal Home Show, and 100% Optical. It is the company where founder Michael Dynan built his career and represents the closest direct peer in business model and vertical focus, particularly in design and home.
Broad incumbents
- Informa Markets: Informa Markets is the world's largest B2B exhibitions and events business, operating thousands of trade shows across beauty, fashion, jewellery, and design. A direct competitor across multiple verticals The Assembly serves, with substantially deeper resources and global footprint.
- Clarion Events: Clarion Events is one of the largest UK-based independent event organizers, operating trade shows across energy, retail, defense, and lifestyle verticals. It acquired Media 10's Design portfolio (the very assets Dynan originally built), making it a direct competitor in trade exhibition scale and capability.
- Hyve Group: Hyve Group is a UK-listed international events company running B2B exhibitions across technology, fashion, and home/gift sectors. Directly comparable as a mid-sized event organizer with similar B2B trade show focus, though at significantly greater scale across more verticals.
- RX (Reed Exhibitions): RX Global is the exhibitions arm of RELX and one of the world's largest event organizers, running trade shows across beauty, jewellery, gifts, and design. Comparable as a large-scale operator in many of the same verticals The Assembly targets (especially jewellery and beauty/hair).
- Haymarket Media Group: Haymarket is a UK-based media company producing B2B publications and events across automotive, marketing, and professional services. Comparable in operating niche-vertical media brands with adjacent events and awards, though at larger scale across more established trade audiences.
- Immediate Media: Immediate Media is a UK-based special interest content and events company publishing leading consumer brands (Radio Times, BBC Good Food, Top Gear). Comparable in the dual media + events model and UK market presence, with similar niche-audience monetization strategy.
Regional players
- Frieze: Frieze operates leading international art fairs (Frieze London, Frieze New York, Frieze Seoul) and media publications in the contemporary art market. Comparable as a high-end design/art exhibition and media brand operator, though focused on fine art rather than the broader design and interiors verticals The Assembly serves.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
The Assembly social profiles
Digital presenceThe Assembly financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
The Assembly leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles9 records
The Assembly funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
The Assembly M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about The Assembly
What does The Assembly do?
The Assembly is an event management company that creates, launches, commercialises and delivers live events worldwide, operating a diversified portfolio of consumer conferences, B2B trade shows, exhibitions and industry awards. Its portfolio spans multiple verticals: professional hair and barbering (HairCon, Salon Smart, Creative HEAD, FADED, Most Wanted Awards, IT List Awards), jewellery (The Jewellery Show), design and interiors (Design Mumbai, Craftworks) and true crime (CrimeCon UK, True Crime Awards). The company also owns and operates long-running editorial media brands and awards programmes that provide recurring audience engagement beyond individual events.
Is The Assembly a public or private company?
The Assembly is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was The Assembly founded?
The Assembly was founded in 2023. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is The Assembly based?
The Assembly is headquartered in Shenfield, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does The Assembly make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Event Ticket Sales are the primary driver. The others are exhibitor and Sponsor Fees, media Publishing (Creative HEAD Magazine) and media Publishing (FADED Magazine).
Who are The Assembly's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are CloserStill Media, Montgomery Exhibition Group and Media 10. Broad incumbents are Informa Markets, Clarion Events, Hyve Group, RX (Reed Exhibitions), Haymarket Media Group and Immediate Media. Frieze is listed as a regional player.
Does The Assembly have an API?
No public API is recorded for The Assembly.
What industry is The Assembly in?
The Assembly's product category is Event Management Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is THAHACAF, Exhibition & Trade Show Management (Conference-Adjacent), with a secondary code of MPAGAGAC, Corporate Conferences & Sales Kickoffs. Its NAICS code is 56192.