Digital Signage Expo’s Assets Bought By NYC “Experience Economy” Firm; Plans TBD

March 30, 2021 by Dave Haynes

Well this is an interesting development – a live and virtual events company buying the assets of Digital Signage Expo.

New York-based Questex describes itself as the leading information and events company focused on the experience economy – which it in turn describes as “bringing people together in the markets that help people live better and live longer and the technologies that enable and fuel new experiences.”

From the PR:

Questex announces it has acquired the assets of Digital Signage Expo. The acquisition complements Questex’s business and aligns with its growth strategy including both acquisition and organic growth in the experience economy. It builds on the recent acquisition of LDI, which connects design, technology and production to the live audience experience, and with Questex’s Technology assets including Sensors Converge, StreamTV Show and Fierce Electronics.

“We’re starting 2021 in a very strong position with the right people, the right products and the right processes,” says Questex CEO Paul Miller. “We’ve created a strong foundation and strategy that is incredibly relevant to the disruptive trends currently in the market. Digital Signage Expo complements our portfolio perfectly and we’re excited for the opportunity to grow these properties as part of the Questex family. We hope to build upon the past success of the brand to connect suppliers with buyers across this very exciting market.”

The deal involves the rights to the live and digital assets of DSE, including all trademarks, tradenames, websites, domain names, databases as well as customer, vendor and attendee lists.

The PR says Questex will announce the go-forward strategy for these assets in the near future.

 An interesting development. The company is very well-established, has hundreds of employees, and is backed by a multi-billion dollar private equity group. It is a wildly different set-up than the family-run Exponation, which had a handful of employees in Atlanta and evidently didn’t have the financials to get through 2020 without running the live show.              

It is not clear what the Questex people have in mind, but they obviously see a gap in the trade show and conference market that organizations like AVIXA are also intending to fill via InfoComm and ISE.

I did a survey last month that suggested mixed feelings about the need for a focused event that replaces DSE.