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Northstar Travel Media, the leading business-to-business information company serving the travel and meetings industries, has acquired PhoCusWright Inc., the premier global travel, tourism and hospitality research and events business.
PhoCusWright annually produces the acclaimed PhoCusWright Conference, a gathering of global travel industry leaders, visionary thinkers and innovators with the "next big idea."
PhoCusWright is the research authority at the intersection of the Internet and the global travel
industry, delivering industry-standard B2B and B2C marketplace intelligence through syndicated
subscriptions and custom research on market segments, trends and geographies.
PhoCusWright was founded by Philip Wolf in 1994, as the secular shift of online travel sales, marketing and distribution was unfolding. Wolf is an authority on the impact of technology on the travel industry and speaks frequently at events around the world. He will continue as chairman of PhoCusWright Inc. The company becomes a wholly owned subsidiary of Northstar Travel Media LLC.
Northstar Travel Media serves the retail travel, meetings and conventions, corporate travel management and incentive markets with leadership brands including Travel Weekly, TravelAge West, Meetings & Conventions, Successful Meetings, Meeting News, Business Travel News, Procurement.travel, and Incentive; database-driven electronic publications Hotel & Travel Index, Official Cruise Guide and M&C Facilities Search; and online subscription services The Beat, Travel42, Weissmann Reports, Intelliguide Corporate, BTP24 and Star Service Online. The company also produces more than 20 face-to-face events in the served markets of retail travel, corporate travel and the meetings industry.
“The addition of PhoCusWright provides Northstar with leadership in the fastest-growing segment of travel, tourism and hospitality: the convergence of digital technology and the travel industry,” said Thomas Kemp, chairman & CEO of Northstar Travel Media. “We’re very pleased that Philip and his talented team will be working in partnership with us to grow PhoCusWright’s event and research business through marketing and content synergies with Northstar.”
“After 17 years at the helm,” commented PhoCusWright founder and CEO Philip Wolf, “joining Northstar represents an ideal next step. Integrated smart marketing, targeted investments and more manpower will help us achieve significant new things for our clients.”
Terms of the acquisition were not disclosed.
This is the fifth acquisition that Northstar has announced in the last 18 months. Last year the company acquired the Nielsen Travel Group, the Home-Based Travel Agent trade shows, and ProMedia.Travel. Earlier this year, Northstar acquired the assets of the online information site, LuxuryTravel 360.
“We are actively investing in our business through organic initiatives and acquisitions that strengthen our position in core markets,” said Kemp. “PhoCusWright is strategically important to Northstar, particularly in growing proprietary paid information and face-to-face events,” he said.
Theodore is the Co-Founder and Managing Editor of TravelDailyNews Media Network; his responsibilities include business development and planning for TravelDailyNews long-term opportunities.
