Key Takeaways
- • Akin Gump advised Apollo-managed funds in the acquisition of Emerald Holding, Inc. and Questex, LLC, combining two complementary B2B experiential events and media businesses into a single platform.
- • The combined entity creates a leading B2B experiential events and media platform with enhanced scale, expanded capabilities, and a strengthened foundation for growth across the events and digital media sectors.
- • Akin's deal team was anchored by Gerald Brant, head of the firm's U.S. private equity practice, supported by private equity partners Jeffrey Kochian and Brittany Harrison, plus corporate counsel and associates.
Summary
Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld advised Apollo-managed funds in the acquisitions of Emerald Holding, Inc. and Questex, LLC, closing a strategic combination that consolidates two established players in the B2B experiential events and media landscape. The transaction brings together complementary business platforms designed to operate as a unified entity with expanded scale and operational capabilities.
The deal reflects Apollo's continued investment in alternative asset classes and represents a significant consolidation play within the events and media sector. By merging Emerald and Questex, the combined platform gains enhanced geographic reach, broader customer relationships across industries, and integrated digital and experiential offerings. This positions the newly combined business to compete more effectively in a fragmented market while creating operational synergies through shared infrastructure and capabilities.
Akin's engagement underscores the firm's prominent role in advising alternative asset managers on significant middle-market and large-cap transactions. The legal team was led by Gerald Brant, head of Akin's U.S. private equity practice, with support from private equity partners Jeffrey Kochian and Brittany Harrison. The broader team included corporate senior counsel Erika Cohen and associates Raneen Farooq and Emma Zazueta Lachenaud, demonstrating the full-service depth required for a transaction combining multiple business units and operational platforms.
The deal reflects Apollo's continued investment in alternative asset classes and represents a significant consolidation play within the events and media sector. By merging Emerald and Questex, the combined platform gains enhanced geographic reach, broader customer relationships across industries, and integrated digital and experiential offerings. This positions the newly combined business to compete more effectively in a fragmented market while creating operational synergies through shared infrastructure and capabilities.
Akin's engagement underscores the firm's prominent role in advising alternative asset managers on significant middle-market and large-cap transactions. The legal team was led by Gerald Brant, head of Akin's U.S. private equity practice, with support from private equity partners Jeffrey Kochian and Brittany Harrison. The broader team included corporate senior counsel Erika Cohen and associates Raneen Farooq and Emma Zazueta Lachenaud, demonstrating the full-service depth required for a transaction combining multiple business units and operational platforms.
Go deeper than the headline
Research every firm in this story, track the ones that matter and get the daily briefing — free for 7 days.