Forge Announces New Portfolio Leadership Team To Boost Growth Across Key Markets

Welcome to the latest edition of Snöcap.

SPOTLIGHT: A little over two months after Apollo Funds brought Emerald and Questex together, the combined company is redrawing its map around the industries its customers work in.

Forge has named four group presidents, each running a portfolio that spans events, media brands, digital products and year-round communities: luxury, design and hospitality; healthcare and life sciences; lifestyle and outdoor; and technology, media and advanced industrials. The healthcare side is already growing, with Forge agreeing to buy Becker’s Healthcare and fold it into Fierce Healthcare and Life Sciences, a move that takes that business past 35 live events. “Our goal is simple: put the customer at the center, bring more of Forge to every relationship and create more opportunities to move markets,” said Forge CEO Paul Miller. Scroll below to read more.

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Forge Announces New Portfolio Leadership Team To Boost Growth Across Key Markets

Forge has appointed four executives to lead its market portfolios, reorganizing the B2B events and media company around the industries it serves to speed up growth and strengthen customer relationships.

Formed by combining Emerald and Questex after Apollo Funds acquired them in July 2026, Forge will now operate through four portfolios, each overseeing strategy, growth and performance across events, media brands, digital products and year-round communities:

• Gannon Brousseau, group president of luxury, design and hospitality
• Jessica Cole, group president of healthcare and life sciences
• Lindsay Hubley, group president of lifestyle and outdoor
• Rhiannon James, group president of technology, media and advanced industrials

All four report to Paul Miller, Forge’s chief executive officer.

“This is an important step in how we will operate and grow Forge,” said Paul. “We are bringing the company closer to the markets we serve, with leaders who understand the customers, communities and opportunities within them. This structure gives our teams greater focus and accountability while allowing us to leverage the scale, data, technology and capabilities of Forge across every market.”

The move follows Forge’s agreement to acquire Becker’s Healthcare from Pamlico Capital. The deal includes:

• 16 annual conferences
• More than a dozen digital publications
• Newsletters, podcasts and executive communities

Becker’s will join Fierce Healthcare and Life Sciences, Forge’s existing unit serving pharma, biotech and payer audiences, giving the combined business more than 35 live events.

“Becker’s sets the agenda for the business of healthcare,” Paul said when the deal was announced. “Its daily reporting reaches the leadership of every major health system, hospital and payer in the country, and its stages are where those leaders gather. Combined with Fierce Healthcare and Life Science’s reach, we will be able to serve healthcare decisionmakers across the full continuum of care, with significant opportunity to grow as these markets grow.”

“Forge brings together an extraordinary collection of brands, audiences and capabilities,” Paul noted. “Our opportunity now is to connect those assets in smarter ways — within markets and across markets — and turn our scale into meaningful growth for our customers and our business.”

The portfolio leaders will work with Forge’s centralized Centers of Excellence, Event Performance and corporate leadership teams, which handle content, experience, brand and digital architecture.

“Our goal is simple: put the customer at the center, bring more of Forge to every relationship and create more opportunities to move markets,” Paul added.

TSE Announces Gold 100 Award Winners, CES, KBIS and ProMat Win Big

Trade Show Executive has named the Kitchen & Bath Industry Show its Greatest Trade Show of 2025 and CES the year’s largest trade show, while ProMat collected two honors at the 2026 Gold 100 Grand Awards.

The winners, recognized for shows held in 2025, were announced at the TSE Gold 100 Awards & Summit at the Terranea Resort in California.

ProMat won for the largest attendance among non-annual Gold 100 shows and took the Staying Connected Award. WasteExpo also won twice, as the fastest-growing Gold 100 industrial show and the Gold 100 show with the greatest ascent. Informa was named Top Show Organizer of 2025.

Size

• Largest Trade Show: CES
• Largest Trade Show Managed by an Independent Organizer: World of Concrete
• Largest Non-Annual Trade Show by Net Square Footage: The Utility Expo
• Non-Annual Show with the Most Exhibitors: PACK EXPO Las Vegas
• Non-Annual Show with the Largest Attendance: ProMat

Growth

• Medical: AAD Annual Meeting
• Food: International Baking Industry Exposition
• Industrial: WasteExpo
• Construction: International Roofing Expo
• Retail: Cosmoprof North America Miami
• Greatest Ascent: WasteExpo

Performance

• Best Use of Technology and Data: SpaceCom
• Most Commendable Green Initiatives: ISC West
• Best Strategic Partnership: ITS World Congress
• Best Attendee Acquisition Model: StreamTV Show
• Best Exhibitor ROI: NATDA Trailer Show
• Best New Launch: PACK EXPO Southeast
• Staying Connected Award: ProMat
• Top Show Organizer: Informa
• Greatest Trade Show: Kitchen & Bath Industry Show

The gala also recognized TSE’s 2026 Women to Watch, find the full list below.

AEV Announces New Board Leadership, Elects Jeremy Rees As Chair

The Association of Event Venues (AEV) has elected Jeremy Rees, CEO of Excel London, as chair of its board, following a vote at the association’s annual general meeting at The NEC Birmingham.

Jeremy, who stepped down as the AEV’s treasurer to take the role, succeeds Ian Taylor, chief operating officer of NEC Group. The meeting took place on Sept. 17.

Members elected Lori Hoinkes, CEO of Manchester Central, as vice chair, replacing Kerry Villa, chief operating officer of Liverpool Experience Campus. Dan Thurlow, director of exhibition sales at Scottish Event Campus, was elected treasurer. Ian and Kerry have ended their leadership terms but will stay on the board.

Jackie Boughton, executive consultant for innovation and growth at The Barbican Centre; Paul Michael, managing director of Coventry Building Society Arena; and Kerry were re-elected to the board. Amanda Wrathall, CEO of EICC, joins the board for the first time, while Rowan Kitching, director of strategic partners at The Jockey Club, returns.

Paula Lorimer, director of Harrogate Convention Centre, has resigned from the board.

In his final report as chair, Ian said the association is in excellent shape

“We have had a record year for the newly branded focus groups, now running 23 in total, and hosting 77 meetings over the year amounting to 1,129 member interactions. We also welcomed eight new members bringing our total membership to 55, in addition to nine academic associate members. Our members contribute a great deal of time and expertise to our community and we are grateful for their commitment,” Ian said.

Jeremy thanked the outgoing leadership team and said, “The events industry contributes £11.7 billion to the UK economy; it is our role to continue engaging with government to ensure it is recognised and valued. Serving on the AEV board is a great privilege; the collective skill and expertise create a distinctive platform to highlight the appeal of our industry and, amongst other things, develop the skills agenda.”

Rachel Parker, CEO of the AEV, welcomed the incoming board members.

“I’d like to thank Ian and Kerry for their continued support of AEV, and wish Paula well. I am looking forward to working with the newly elected leadership and Board members as we continue our work in the year ahead, starting with our annual conference being held at ICC, Olympia in London on Thursday 26 November 2026,” Rachel said.

CloserStill Media Appoints Industry Veteran Nicola Hamann as Managing Director, Europe

CloserStill Media has named Nicola Hamann managing director for Europe, adding her to the company’s senior leadership team as it moves into a new period of growth and investment.

In the role, Nicola will lead CloserStill’s Learning & HR and Future Transport & Infrastructure business units across Europe, with a mandate to grow and develop both portfolios.

Nicola brings more than 20 years of leadership experience in international B2B events, spanning several sectors and regions. She was most recently senior director of guest events and locations at Messe München and previously served as managing director at both RX Global and Mack Brooks.

The appointment ties into CloserStill’s five-year growth plan, which the company intends to carry out through organic growth, new event launches, geographic expansion and acquisitions.

As part of the senior leadership team, Nicola will help carry out that plan in Europe, working to build on the company’s existing brands and to pursue entry into new markets.

Matthew Butler, group managing director of CloserStill Media, said, “I am thrilled to welcome Nicola to CloserStill. She joins two successful and fast-growing portfolios, backed by exceptional teams and with huge potential across Europe. Nicola’s energy, proven leadership and track record of growing market-leading events make her the ideal person to build on that momentum. I am excited about what we can achieve together in this next phase of growth.”

Nicola starts in the role immediately and will work from CloserStill’s London office.

dmg events Names Agop Niksarlioglu as New Chief Technology Officer

dmg events has named Agop Niksarlioglu its chief technology officer, putting him in charge of technology, data and digitization as the exhibitions organizer expands its digital investment across its international events portfolio.

Agop will direct the company’s technology, data and digitization strategy, building on digital tools already in use throughout the business to support its operations, customers and event communities. The company said the hire is part of its effort to keep pace with the changing role of technology in the exhibitions sector.

Agop has worked in technology for more than 20 years in international markets, with over a decade spent in exhibitions, conferences, business media and digital event communities. Before joining dmg events, he held senior technology and transformation positions at Hyve Group, previously known as ITE Group, as well as Searchlight Consulting and London Metropolitan University.

His background covers enterprise architecture, CRM, data, AI and cloud technology. He has also led technology programs at scale, along with acquisitions, carve-outs and integrations in several international markets.

“Technology is already deeply embedded in how we operate and deliver value to our customers. Agop brings exceptional industry knowledge alongside extensive technology and transformation experience, and his leadership will help us continue building on the strong digital capabilities we have established,” said Geoff Dickinson, CEO of dmg events.

Agop said: “dmg events has a strong foundation in digital adoption and an ambitious growth agenda. I look forward to building on that foundation and bringing together technology, data and AI to create measurable value for the business and our customers.”

Who is hiring?

Opus Agency | Sr. Event Manager

RX Global | Marketing Director, JCK and Luxury Events

TransUnion | Event Management and Experiences Manager

OpenAI | Global Head of Events

Sun Life | Associate Director, Events & Experience