DWTC and Informa partner to form ‘inD’, a new B2B Live Events business

Hi folks, our weekly edition of Snöcap is ready, swirling with the latest updates in events and exhibitions.

The top story this week is Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC) and Informa’s new collaboration to create ‘inD‘, a new B2B Live Events entity. The move is aimed at expanding Informa’s event operation in the UAE across several industry verticals. Read more about it below.

Here are all the headlines of this week:

Get the full stories below:

DWTC and Informa partner to form ‘inD’, a new B2B Live Events business

DWTC and Informa have signed a partnership agreement to create inD, a new business-to-business live events company.

The partnership, first announced in March 2025, combines DWTC’s event properties with Informa’s scale to expand operations across the United Arab Emirates, the region and internationally.

The new entity inD will operate more than 40 B2B brands across healthcare, energy, aviation, food and beverage, technology and information security. Major brands include WHX, Middle East Energy, Dubai Airshow, Gulfood, GITEX Global and GISEC.

Financial projections:

• Expected revenues: more than $650 million in 2026

The partnership launches as Dubai expands venue capacity. The Dubai Exhibition Centre expansion will add 140,000 square meters of event space in 2026.

Gulfood will be the first inD event, running Jan. 26-30 across Dubai International Convention & Exhibition Centre and Dubai Exhibition Centre with more than 8,500 exhibitors from 195 countries.

WHX Dubai and WHX Labs Dubai will run Feb. 9-13 across both venues, featuring more than 4,800 exhibitors and 270,000 healthcare professionals from more than 180 countries.

Helal Saeed Almarri, CEO of DWTC, said: “Dubai has long been the world’s leading destination for global business events. This partnership now elevates that position further by transforming Dubai into an IP and knowledge hub that not only accelerates international growth opportunities for DWTC’s flagship brands but also strengthens Dubai’s long-term GDP impact, further cementing its role as a leading global player in B2B events. Together with Informa, we are building a platform for sustained growth, innovation and global reach.”

Stephen A. Carter, CEO of Informa Group, said: “The creation of inD deepens our partnership with DWTC at a time of structural growth for our industry, strong economic growth across the region, and dynamic market growth in the UAE in particular, as the supply of high quality venue space increases to meet growing demand for B2B Live Events.”

Snöball becomes first peer-to-peer event tech marketing company to achieve SOC 2 Type II certification

Snöball has achieved SOC 2 Type II certification, becoming the first peer-to-peer event marketing platform to earn the security designation.

The certification, developed by the American Institute of CPAs, validates how companies manage security, reliability and data protection. An independent auditor conducted a multi-month review of Snöball’s operations, including platform security, access controls, system monitoring and internal processes.

SOC 2 Type II certification requires companies to demonstrate they protect data from unauthorized access, manage sensitive information access, operate reliable systems and follow documented processes.

The review examined how Snöball secures its platform and infrastructure, controls internal access and permissions, manages systems and monitoring, documents operational processes and handles sensitive information.

Rachel Stephan, snöballer-in-chief at Snöball, said: “Our customers trust us with their events, their communities, and their data. SOC 2 Type II certification confirms that the way we operate behind the scenes — from security to internal processes — meets the standards serious organizations expect. And being the only peer-to-peer event marketing platform with this certification makes it easier for teams to choose growth without compromising on trust.”

The certification addresses security requirements that have prevented some organizations from adopting peer-to-peer marketing. Procurement, legal and IT teams can now review a recognized security standard when evaluating the platform.

Informa projects 6% revenue growth for 2026, recognized as one of Britain’s Most Admired Companies

In its latest market update, Informa has announced it expects 6% underlying revenue growth for 2026 and launched a £200 million share buyback program while being named one of Britain’s Most Admired Companies in an annual study sponsored by The London Stock Exchange.

The international business-to-business events and digital services company confirmed it delivered results in line with or ahead of market guidance for 2025, with revenues expected to reach £4.0 billion.

“2025 was a strong year for Informa and we have set ourselves the target of delivering another strong performance year in 2026,” said Stephen A. Carter, group chief executive at Informa.

Stephen A. Carter added: “Across the world, the Power of Live is driving strong demand for our B2B brands, whilst ongoing growth in specialist research is underpinning the strength of our academic business. First party data, AI development and international expansion continue to create new growth opportunities, including through our UAE partnership Informa International, that launches today as a separate operating business, inD.”

2025 Financial Results:

• Group revenues: £4.0bn+
• Reported revenue growth: 12.5%+
• Underlying revenue growth: 6.25%±
• Adjusted earnings per share: 55.5p±
• Year-on-year EPS increase: 10.5% to 11%
• Adjusted free cash flow: £860m+

2026 Targets:

• Underlying revenue growth: 6%±
• B2B Events underlying growth: 7%+
• Booked/committed revenues: £1.5bn±

The company completed its 2025 share buyback program of £350m in December, purchasing 42.8 million shares at an average price of 817 pence. The 2026 buyback program begins immediately with a minimum investment of £200m.

Informa proposed a 2025 ordinary dividend of 22 pence per share, a 10% increase from the prior year. Year-end leverage is expected to be 2.4 times net debt to EBITDA.

Britain’s Most Admired Companies is an annual study conducted by Echo Research in partnership with the London Stock Exchange.

NürnbergMesse seeks record-breaking 2026 after reaching new sales high in 2025

NürnbergMesse Group generated sales of €350m in 2025, a record for an odd-numbered events year, and expects to reach €390m in 2026.

2025 performance:

• Sales: €350m (2023: €265.1m)
• Events: 150 worldwide
• Exhibitors: 31,000+ (up 12%)
• Visitors: 1.4m (up 12%)
• Exhibition space: 1.1m square meters (up 18%)

2026 outlook:

• Expected sales: €390m (previous record: €367.8m in 2024)
• Planned events: 150 worldwide, including 66 in Nuremberg

Peter Ottmann, CEO of NürnbergMesse Group, said: “We’re delighted that in 2025, we generated the highest sales figure yet for an odd-numbered events year – and our international customers contributed a solid half of that amount. In the new year, we’ll be holding steady to our programme of investing in our analogue and digital products, as well as our exhibition centre, to ensure we remain one of the most solidly scheduled exhibition venues in Europe. We’re looking forward with great confidence to the 2026 year, and expect to set a new sales record in the history of NürnbergMesse: about EUR 390 million.”

The company plans to invest €500m in its exhibition center over the next 10 years, focusing on modernizing Hall 11 and replacing Hall 3.

RainFocus unveils AI agent framework for event tech industry

RainFocus on Jan 20 announced the launch of RainFocus Nexus, an AI agent framework designed for event management, at its annual INSIGHT conference.

The platform introduces specialized AI agents for event workflows, built on open standards including the Model Context Protocol and Agent-to-Agent communication protocols. The company positions the system as a shift from AI features to integrated AI agents that operate across the event lifecycle.

“The key differentiator is that RainFocus Nexus was designed for the agentic web, ensuring interoperability, governed autonomy, and vendor neutrality,” said Brian Gates, senior vice president of industry strategy at RainFocus.

The framework includes a Configuration Agent for registration and branding setup, a Concierge Agent for attendee guidance, a Growth Agent for pipeline acceleration, an On-Site Agent for event metrics, and an Integration Agent for data orchestration across marketing and revenue operations platforms.

Key Claims:

• Configuration Agent: Up to 50% reduction in time-to-launch
• Built on Context Layer intelligence system
• Uses Model Context Protocol developed by Anthropic, now part of Linux Foundation’s Agentic AI Foundation
• Human-in-the-Loop governance approach
• Cloud-agnostic architecture

The Model Context Protocol has been adopted by OpenAI, Google, Microsoft and Amazon Web Services and integrated into Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini and Microsoft Copilot.

Ashleigh Cook, chief marketing officer at RainFocus, described the announcement as moving from “AI as a feature” with isolated tools like chatbots to “AI as a workforce” with integrated agents.

The framework addresses integration challenges in event technology, allowing organizations to connect agents with existing enterprise systems. Select agents are available now for certain clients, with additional agents scheduled for release through 2026 and 2027.

ImpactXM and Jack Morton merge to create new global experiential agency

Impact XM and Jack Morton have announced a merger to create a global brand experience agency supported by The Riverside Company.

The combined agency will operate under the Jack Morton name and employ more than 1,000 specialists across 20 offices in North America, Europe, Middle East and Asia Pacific.

Merger details:

• Expected closing: Q1 2026
• Combined brand: Jack Morton
• Ownership: Private, supported by The Riverside Company
• Leadership: Jared Pollacco (CEO), Craig Millon (Global President)
• Scale: 1,000+ specialists across 20 offices

The agency will provide experiential services including conferences, digital engagement, sponsorship, brand activations, trade shows, corporate events and healthcare congresses. Clients include Fortune 100 companies.

Jared Pollacco, CEO of Impact XM, said: “Impact XM has been evolving toward a more integrated, global model for years. We’ve always believed that creativity, innovation, and exceptional execution are what move people, and this union accelerates that vision for both our clients and our teams. The merger brings together Impact XM’s unified experiential approach and Jack Morton’s global scale and creative strength.”

Craig Millon, CEO of Jack Morton, said: “This is a pivotal moment. Together, we’re building an agency ready for a marketing landscape reshaped by AI – one that keeps real, human experience at the center. With combined creative, strategic, and executional capabilities, we can offer deeper expertise, broader scale, and a cohesive end-to-end model for clients. And because our cultures share the same people-first values and passion for delivering extraordinary experiences, we’re stronger together and so is the work we’ll create.”

Jared will serve as CEO of the unified agency and Craig will serve as Global President. Josh McCall, former CEO of Jack Morton, will serve as Executive Chairman.

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