In its first acquisition under new private-equity ownership, London, UK-based Hyve Group, whose flagship events include Shoptalk, Fintech Meetup and Bett, bought POSSIBLE, a two-year old brand marketing event for corporate marketers. The acquisition, announced on July 26, sees Hyve enter a new market sector and further cements its presence in the U.S., following the launch of its U.S. headquarters in New York City last year. 

“I am in awe of what the team has achieved in just two years, and I am encouraged by the incredible advocacy for POSSIBLE from the marketing community,” said Hyve CEO Mark Shashoua. “All of us at Hyve can’t wait to be a part of their future success.”

Bringing together forward-thinking marketing, media, and technology industry leaders focused on collaboratively shaping the future of marketing, POSSIBLE offers robust content combined with innovation, emerging technologies, and plentiful opportunities for corporate marketers from all industries – including meetings and events – to network with industry peers, share ideas, present visions, create business opportunities, and discuss mutual challenges.

Context: Acquired in March 2023 by Providence Equity Partners L.L.C. and Searchlight Capital Partners, Hyve’s growing global portfolio of 24 events, including seven in the U.S., comprises well-known brands, including Shoptalk, its largest U.S. show designed for the retail industry; Fintech Meetup, a U.S. fintech event held annually in Las Vegas, launched in the summer of 2023; Bett, an EdTech event based in London; and CWIEME (Coil Winding, Insulation & Electrical Manufacturing Exhibition), held annually in Berlin.

Backstory: Powered by MMA Global, a marketing trade association representing the entire ecosystem of brand marketers and industry solution providers, POSSIBLE has access to a global member database of more than 800 member companies spanning the full marketing community, according to Hyve officials.

What they are saying: “At Hyve, we are motivated by our purpose, which is to create game-changing impact for our customers, their businesses and industries, through our unmissable in-person events,” said Hyve CEO Mark Shashoua. “It is crystal clear that POSSIBLE has become the go-to event for its community and is a fantastic fit for our business.”

By the numbers: The event is also a steadily growing one. POSSIBLE’s attendance at its 2024 edition, held April 15-17 at Fontainebleu Miami Beach, drew more than 3,600 registered attendees, up more than 49% compared to its inaugural event, also held at the Fontainebleau, April 17-19, 2023.

Why it matters: “We are incredibly excited about the acquisition of POSSIBLE by Hyve, as it provides an even more powerful platform for MMA to share transformative insights with the marketing community, helping marketers to embrace the possibilities of the new future of marketing,” said MMA Global CEO Greg Stuart, co-founder of POSSIBLE. “There is no better partner for the MMA than Hyve with their track record in innovating and transforming the event attendee experience.”

Need to know: POSSIBLE Co-founder Christian Muche, CEO and co-founder of Beyond Ordinary Events, expressed enthusiasm about Hyve’s acquisition of the event he created and will continue to lead under the Hyve umbrella as global president, POSSIBLE. “Hyve and POSSIBLE share common values and a deep desire to reimagine the event space by creating experiences that deliver business value and inspiring outcomes for our customers,” Muche said. 

The big picture: Joining an event ecosystem focused on disrupting the sectors they represent, POSSIBLE will feature Hyve’s signature super-scale meetings program, designed to drive robust ROI by connecting like-minded professionals for pre-arranged, double-opt-in, one-on-one, 15-minute meetings. This format enabled Shoptalk to achieve more than 75,000 meetings over three days at its most recent edition in Las Vegas – a winning strategy that Hyve officials believe will be embraced by the forward-thinking marketing community. 

Zooming in: “We are excited about the opportunity that the backing of industry expert Hyve presents for us, in particular with regards to scaling our meetings program that we trialed so successfully this year,” Muche said. “We believe this will add enormous value for our customers, by multiplying the number of connections they make and opening up a world of opportunities.”

Looking ahead: The third annual edition of POSSIBLE will return April 28-30, 2025 to the Fontainebleau Miami Beach.

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