History
Informa is a young company with deep roots. Formed in 1998, some of our brands trace their history back decades and in some cases, centuries.
2025 – Created new businesses
Informa entered 2025 with two newly-created businesses: Informa Festivals, focused on experience-led events, and Informa TechTarget, a NASDAQ-listed specialist in B2B digital services
2024 – Digital Services expansion
In January 2024, we reached an agreement to combine our Informa Tech digital businesses with TechTarget. This proposed combination will help us serve our B2B customers at scale digitally
2023 – Specialist markets expansion
During 2023 we expanded our B2B portfolio, acquiring Tarsus and its specialist live events, Winsight, a specialist in Foodservice and the HIMSS Global Health Conference & Exhibition, a specialist in healthcare IT
2022 - Informa Intelligence divestment
As part of GAP 2, Informa focuses on Academic Markets and B2B Markets, divesting our portfolio of Intelligence businesses including Lloyd’s List, Citeline and EPFR
2021 - Sustainability progress
Informa is ranked top of the global media sector for sustainability for the first time, by the Dow Jones Sustainability Index
2021 - Launch of GAP 2
At the end of 2021 Informa launched GAP 2 - the 2021-2024 Growth Acceleration Plan 2 - a programme to grow further, faster and sustainably through digitisation and further market specialisation
2021 – New intelligence brand
Launch of Curinos, a brand providing competitive intelligence and decision making tools in retail banking, created through the combination of Financial Intelligence’s FBX business with the company Novantas
2020 – Moving FasterFoward
Informa launched FasterForward, our approach to becoming an ever more sustainable business, with a series of activities and commitments running between 2020 and 2025
2020 - Specialist brands & markets
Launch of Omdia, the new brand for all our specialist Tech data and research products and services
F1000 Research joins Taylor & Francis, expanding our capabilities in open research publishing and our services to the research community
2019 - Performance & Growth
As part of the Accelerated Integration Plan, Informa updates its Group brand identity and the identities of several business divisions and creates a new fifth operating division, Informa Tech
2018 - Informa acquires UBM
Informa acquires global events company UBM in June 2018 to create a leading business-to-business information services Group, and launches an Accelerated Integration Plan to combine the business
2017 - Informa acquires YPI
Informa expands its position in the specialist International Yachting market through the purchase of YPI, a Florida-based exhibitions business
2016 - Informa enters the FTSE 100, acquires Penton
Informa becomes a member of the FTSE 100, an index of the largest UK-listed companies
Walk the World, Informa's annual global charity initiative launches
Informa completes £1.2bn acquisition of US based Penton Information Services
2015 - Informa expands in the US
Informa acquires specialist US exhibitions organisers Virgo and Hanley Wood, strengthening the Exhibitions business
2014- GAP 1 launched
Informa launches GAP 1 - the 2014-2017 Growth Acceleration Plan - which sees the business reorganise into four operating divisions, refocus on our chosen markets, add management talent and invest in products, people and platforms
2013 - China Beauty addition
Informa acquires a stake in Baiwen, organiser of China Beauty Expo, expanding its exhibitions and Asia presence
2012 - Informa acquires MMPI
Informa expands exhibitions business by acquiring Canadian exhibitions business MMPI
2007 - Informa acquires Datamonitor
Informa acquires Datamonitor, a publicly listed provided of business information
2005 - Informa acquires IIR Holdings
Informa acquires IIR Holdings and becomes the world's largest publicly-owned event, conference and training business with a presence in the Middle East
2004 - Informa and Taylor & Francis merge
Informa and academic publisher Taylor & Francis agree an independent merger
1998 - Informa is formed
Informa is formed with the merger of IBC Group plc and Lloyd's of London Press
1973 - IIR established
The Institute for International Research (IIR) is founded. Initially producing newsletters and then specialist conferences, which are now part of Informa Connect
1852 - Taylor & Francis founded
Richard Taylor, a publisher and Dr. William Francis, a chemist join forces to create the Taylor & Francis publishing company
1798 - Philosophical Magazine published
The Philosophical Magazine, now published by Informa's Taylor & Francis division, is produced by Richard Taylor