The leading event agency group in the Nordics, LIWLIG, has acquired Danish event agency Welcome A/S. It is one of the largest event agencies in Denmark, with revenue of around €7 million. Welcome A/S provides event and meeting services for most industries, with special emphasis on the healthcare, IT, finance, industry and shipping industries. The acquisition is an important strategic milestone for LIWLIG Group, as it enters the Danish market and completes its Nordic expansion. Welcome A/S’ owners will continue working in the company, while becoming shareholders of the LIWLIG Group.
Welcome A/S joins Finnish and Swedish market leaders Tapaus and Eventyr Nine Yards in the LIWLIG Group, as well as previously acquired Norwegian 6. Sans, making all LIWLIG Group services available in the continental Nordic region. LIWLIG Group event agencies produce over 1 000 events in around 50 countries yearly. The group aims to reach an annual revenue of around €100m in 2023 with around 260 employees.
New acquisition Welcome A/S will provide new services within LIWLIG Group in the form of facilitated events, which will be available in all the Nordic markets. In addition, the acquisition brings the global competencies of LIWLIG Group to Welcome A/S’ clients, bringing a real competitive advantage in a Danish market mostly populated by local event agencies.
“We are incredibly excited to announce this strategic milestone, and finally being able to call LIWLIG a truly
Nordic event agency group. Welcome A/S is a great fit from cultural, management and business perspectives, strengthening the whole LIWLIG Group and giving us the perfect entrance into the Danish market. With this talent, we can offer unmatched creative event services for our customers, in the Nordics and all around the world,says Timo Aalto, Managing Director and CEO of Tapaus & LIWLIG Group.
“This is the perfect match at the perfect time for Welcome A/S. We have seen increasing
internationalization from our customers for some years, and as part of LIWLIG Group, we can offer more global event services. We are very much looking forward to becoming part of LIWLIG Group’s ambitious growth plans and contributing with our knowhow – in addition to being able to serve our customers even better”, says Jannik Seifert, Partner at Welcome A/S.
The pandemic made events more important than ever – with no growth limits in sight
After the initial shock of the COVID-19 pandemic paved the way for a drastic decrease in physical events and the rise of virtual events, the industry has bounced back. LIWLIG Group has grown significantly, gaining more customers and projects, recruiting new employees and continued strategic investments.
“You could say the pandemic was the best and worst thing that could have happened to the event industry. Companies used to take events for granted before, but when pandemic made in-person events impossible, businesses really understood how important these gatherings actually were in creating engagement, commitment and trust among people. Now, events are more popular than ever, as companies have rediscovered the value of in-person meetings between colleagues, customers and other stakeholders”, Timo Aalto continues.
“The global event market has changed as companies use events in a more versatile way than before. The days where businesses would send people around the world without hesitation is over. Companies value their employees’ time more than ever and virtual meetings and gatherings are used to communicate important information and create bond between employees. At the same time, Nordic companies are fighting for new business and the best talent on a global scale, and events are a great way to create new encounters”, says Sofi Franzén, CEO of Eventyr Nine Yards.
LIWLIG Group on track to becoming the first carbon-negative event agency in the Nordics
In addition to becoming the largest and leading event agency in the Nordics, LIWLIG Group is also showing the way regarding sustainable development. The company’s carbon footprint related to its own operations and offices is already carbon neutral. Around 50% of LIWLIG arranged customer events are now compensated with a goal to reach 100% by year 2025. As the only event agency in the Nordics, the group has developed an emission calculator to identify climate impacts of event productions. In addition, LIWLIG also has a re-use rate calculator for calculating how much material can be reused and recycled, as well as a guide to low-emission event production, available to anyone who wishes to use them.
“We want to be a pioneer in the event industry and make it more sustainable with solutions that really work. The days where event materials were thrown away after a single use are long gone – nowadays an increasing amount of materials can be recycled and reused. Every industry needs to do its part to tackle the challenge of climate change, and this at LIWLIG Group, we want to be part of the solution, not the problem,” Timo Aalto concludes.
Author: Adam Parry
Adam is the co-founder and editor of www.eventindustrynews.com Adam, a technology evangelist also organises Event Tech Live, Europe’s only show dedicated to event technology and the Event Technology Awards. Both events take place in November, London.
