Expotel buys Swindon firm

MANCHESTER-based conference and hotels booking firm Expotel has bought Swindon-based competitor Venues Event Management for an undisclosed sum.

Venues Event Management will continue to trade under its own name. The deal, which is Expotel’s fourth acquisition since it completed a Phoenix Equity Partners-backed management buy-out in 2008, re-establishes a southern base for the company, which closed its former HQ in Stanmore last year.

The firm’s chief executive, Ian Burnley, said: “We have been looking for a strong business to take our conference and events business to the next level and Venues Event Management is a perfect fit.”