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Informa is an integrated portfolio of businesses. It is founded on the creation and sale of high value information for commercial, professional and academic markets.
Informa's strategy is to build, maintain and develop a range of product and service formats with diverse and complementary revenue characteristics. The combination is designed to enable us to capture growth quickly during periods of positive conditions in cyclical markets while also demonstrating superior defensive qualities during periods of economic downturn.
Informa is uniquely distinctive within the media peer group. It has both:
- minimal reliance on client advertising and marketing spend
- minimal exposure to any one product or market
We aim to identify communities of business interest, often niches of specialist focus, and serve their information needs progressively with a variety of delivery formats. We do this by establishing and extending brands which are held in high regard for reliable, high quality and useful content, priced appropriately.
Our broad geographic strength allows us to exploit deep market-leading positions in a range of selected vertical markets and disciplines globally.
We seek to operate as far as possible with the focus and speed to market of a small company. This is allied to the efficiencies and strengths of a large group. Profit responsibility and profit share is fully devolved through the many small business units of group. At the same time we have the advantages of centralised resources, and capabilities in areas such as marketing databases, operating systems, electronic platforms, customer service and financial processing. One of the keys to our success is the constant and rigorous exporting of best practice throughout the businesses.
Informa has excellent cashflow properties and high visibility of earnings. Annually we convert more than 100% of operating profit to cash. Around half our turnover has very high visibility with revenues paid up to one year in advance. In all we receive c. 90% of revenue in advance of the delivery of the product. Some 70% of annual revenues come from recurring revenue streams.
The group is a negative requirer of working capital.
