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A&O Shearman advises banks on Informa’s GBP940 million equity issue and financing for Clarion Events acquisition

A&O Shearman advises banks on Informa’s GBP940 million equity issue and financing for Clarion Events acquisition
Published Date
Oct 15, 2026
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Image of Maegen Morrison
Maegen MorrisonPartner, London
Image of James Strange
James StrangeAssociate, London
Image of Kabir Singh Randeva
Kabir Singh RandevaAssociate, London
Image of Sheryl Tan
Sheryl TanAssociate, London
Image of Greg Brown
Greg BrownPartner, London
Image of Marianne Mendes Webber
Marianne Mendes WebberSenior Associate, London
Image of Adam Wells
Adam WellsPartner, London
Image of Katrien Wilmots
Katrien WilmotsSenior Associate, London
Image of Lydia Challen
Lydia ChallenPartner, London
A&O Shearman has advised the underwriters on the cash box placing by Informa of 108,118,901 new ordinary shares. The shares were placed with eligible institutional investors at 860 pence per share through an accelerated bookbuild, raising gross proceeds of approximately GBP930m. 

The placing was part of a wider equity issue of approximately GBP940m. The equity issue also included a separate retail offer of 1,000,000 new ordinary shares to UK retail investors through RetailBook, and a subscription for 183,425 new ordinary shares by eligible directors and the executive management team, in each case at the placing price. 

The proceeds of the equity issue, together with a committed term loan bridge facility, will part-fund Informa's acquisition of Clarion Events (Clarion), a leading international business-to-business (B2B) live events business, for an enterprise value of approximately GBP2.24 billion. 

A&O Shearman also advised the lender on the accompanying committed bridge financing made available to Informa to support the acquisition, which was signed alongside the equity issue.

Informa announced the equity issue alongside its acquisition of Clarion and its plans to separate its academic markets business, Taylor & Francis. The placing and retail offer raised gross proceeds of approximately GBP938m and net proceeds of approximately GBP927m.  

Clarion is a leading B2B live events business with more than 100 specialist brands, including IFA Berlin, DSEI, and ICE. The acquisition is expected to complete in the fourth quarter of 2026, subject to customary regulatory clearances. 

“The strong investor response reflects both the quality of the deal and the close coordination between the banks, the company, and our equity capital markets and debt finance teams.”

Maegen Morrison, partner in the corporate practice in London, who led the A&O Shearman team, commented: 

“This was a significant and carefully structured transaction. Bringing together the equity issue and the bridge financing on the same timetable gave Informa the certainty it needed to announce a major strategic acquisition alongside its fundraising. The strong investor response reflects both the quality of the deal and the close coordination between the banks, the company, and our equity capital markets and debt finance teams. We are proud to have supported the banks on such an important deal for Informa.”

The A&O Shearman team was led by corporate partner Maegen Morrison alongside associates James Strange, Kabir Singh Randeva, and Sheryl Tan. 

The debt finance team was led by global head of fund finance Greg Brown alongside senior associate Marianne Mendes Webber and associate Iris Owyong. 

Global co-head of U.S. capital markets and global ECM Adam Wells advised on U.S. securities law alongside senior associate Katrien Wilmots and partner Lydia Challen provide tax advice. 

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