EMERALD EXPOSITIONS ACQUIRES SWIM COLLECTIVE AND ACTIVE COLLECTIVE TRADE SHOWS

Trade show and conference producer Emerald Expositions, LLC has acquired the Swim Collective and Active Collective trade shows from founder Shannon Leggett for an undisclosed sum.

Swim Collective, created in 2010 and now held seasonally twice a year, is the leading swimwear trade show on the West Coast. Active Collective, launched in 2014 and also held twice a year, is recognized as the first activewear-only trade show and has built a national reputation for leading this fast growing vertical category.

“It is gratifying to see how critical the Collective shows have become to the swimwear and activewear markets,” said Leggett. “I am confident that Collective’s exhibiting brands and attending retailers will benefit from Emerald’s presence in overlapping and adjacent markets, and also from Emerald’s scale, resources, infrastructure and industry relationships.”

“The Collective trade shows have grown strongly over the last few years under Shannon’s leadership and we are excited that they will now join Emerald’s Specialty Sports and Apparel Group, which includes leading trade shows such as Surf Expo and Outdoor Retailer. The Collective shows are truly must-attend events and share many like qualities with our existing brands,” said Darrell Denny, executive vice president of Emerald Expositions. “Bringing Collective events into Emerald will allow us to quickly leverage the strengths of all our shows to enhance each individual show and create new and better opportunities for brands and retailers to succeed.”