San Juan Capistrano-based Emerald Expositions LLC acquired Digital Dealer Conference & Expo from Dealer Communications in Boca Raton, Fla., on undisclosed terms.
The biannual, three-day event in Las Vegas showcases digital products that automotive professionals can use to gain and retain customers. It attracts more than 1,000 people and about 100 exhibitors.
Internet auto sales are “one of the fastest growing segments within the automotive industry,” said Darrell Denny, executive vice president of the business-to-business trade show and conference producer. “We’re pleased to expand the Emerald portfolio of markets into the world of e-commerce solutions for retail dealerships.”
Emerald also acquired Dealer Magazine, a publication for franchised automotive dealership owners and managers.
Dealer Communications’ staff will join the Emerald organization, Denny said.
Emerald, which produces more than 80 trade shows and conference events each year, posted $307 million in revenue in 2015, according to Onex Corp., a Toronto-based private-equity firm that acquired it in 2013 from Nielsen Holdings NV.
—Mediha DiMartino
