As the March issue of Event exclusively predicted, Stanco managing director Paul Slaney has sold to Opex in the aftermath of US contractor GES Exposition Services buying Melville and the arrival of French firm GL Events at Birmingham NEC.
Both Opex and Stanco will retain their brand identities but have combined resources and investment levels to compete more effectively in the UK contractor market.
Slaney has stepped down as managing director to take up the post of operations director for the group while Stanco deputy chairman Neil Jackson remains deputy chairman under Opex chairman Guy Morgan. Andy Gibb remains as group managing director.
Morgan said: "The UK exhibitions industry continues to evolve and change. There have been a number of new entrants recently and this merger will ensure that our customer focus, customer service and customer offerings will continue to be competitive, creative and add value to our clients' businesses."
Stanco's Jackson said: "This is a positive and a natural evolutionary move for Stanco in the 21st century. The calendar of events serviced by Opex and Stanco are almost completely complementary with minimal overlap, instantly making the new group more efficient with far less peaks and troughs throughout the year."
Stanco Exhibitions was established in 1957 and operates from bases in South Wales, Birmingham and London. By integrating it into the Opex Exhibition Group, it will now join the businesses of Opex Exhibition Services, Opex Creative incorporating Interactive New Media, Expo-Systems and Exoplan.