Mega-host travel agency InteleTravel has successfully acquired the leading full-service global events agency MGME (McVeigh Global Meetings & Events).
Coming off of last year’s acquisition of corporate travel alliance Hickory Global Partners, the move positions the Delray Beach, Florida-based agency to excel in the lucrative MICE (meetings, incentives, conferences and events) market.
MGME, which is based out of New York, London and Canada, produces up to 1,000 events and conferences annually—whether in-person, virtual or hybrid—across more than 70 countries resulting in a travel and hospitality spend of over $500 million each year.
“The venture means Hickory, in particular, will expand its value proposition to members with a new, significant source of revenue. The MGME integration will empower Hickory member corporate agencies and travel departments to offer their clients award-winning event production, meeting planning, conference logistical services, and creative development,” InteleTravel said in Tuesday’s press release.
Like Hickory, MGME will continue operating as an independent brand but as a wholly owned unit of InteleTravel, which recently announced its return to the Travel Leaders Network.
However, the acquisition allows MGME and its clients to benefit from InteleTravel’s resources and scale, including its booking technology and automation as well as the recently launched Hickory Solutions365.
Together, the three companies will consolidate some supply partner contracts for hotel, air, car and cruise.
“The corporate and business travel market has rebounded fully, and the meetings, conferences and events industry has been a particularly strong area of growth with analysts projecting the rising importance of business networking opportunities, knowledge sharing and employee motivation and engagement, along with the expansion of tourism in general and the advancement of meeting technologies,” InteleTravel co-founder and President James R. Ferrara said in a statement.
“The MICE market is predicted to double to over a trillion dollars by the end of the decade,” said James R. Ferrara, President and co-founder of InteleTravel. “Getting behind a leader like MGME makes sense while being able to represent the top quality event and exhibition offerings is a strong competitive advantage for both Hickory members and InteleTravel advisors,” Ferrara added.
“The Hickory team is thrilled to align ourselves with MGME, a full-service meeting and events company,” added Hickory President Chris Dane. “This will allow our members and partners to have full access to top-to-bottom world-class event planning and coordination without having to engage with multiple vendors. With our services, like Hickory Solutions365 for staffing air and registration overflow, MGME’s added volume for key suppliers, and new sources of business all around, it’s a natural fit and a game changer.”
“I am incredibly excited to ally MGME’s professional storytellers and experienced designers with InteleTravel and Hickory’s travel professionals and clients,” MGME CEO Carvie Gillikin stated. “I know how much MGME can offer their agencies, and we are creating the next 30 years of leadership for MGME by being able to expand our travel and accommodations offerings for our global programs, and having access to all the other InteleTravel assets, technology and management.”
Following a record-breaking 2022, InteleTravel ended 2023 with nearly $1 billion in sales and a unique network of 100,000 travel advisors.
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