Informa buys into $6.8T wellness economy with Global Wellness deal
What's the deal? InformaDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → is acquiring the Global Wellness SummitDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → and the Global Wellness InstituteDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, folding an annual industry gathering and a research organisation into a new Global Wellness GroupDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → inside its medical division. Financial terms have not been disclosed.
Who's who? The Global Wellness Summit is an invitation-only annual gathering; this year's 20th edition runs November 10-13 at Angsana Laguna Phuket in Thailand. It draws executives from business, government, academia, and science. The Global Wellness Institute is a research organisation that puts the global wellness economy at $6.8 trillion.
What changes? Susie Ellis, who founded both organisations, will step down. Nancy Davis, currently chief creative officer and executive director, becomes head of the Global Wellness Group on January 1, 2027. Both companies say the existing team stays and the two brands continue.
What could go wrong? The Global Wellness Institute operates as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. Neither company has said how that status will function inside a publicly traded events company, or whether the research arm will be restructured, spun into a for-profit unit, or left intact. It's a governance question with real implications for how the Institute's research is funded and perceived.
Why now? For Informa, the acquisition extends a health-focused expansion that already includes medical, longevity, and aesthetics businesses. The Institute says the wellness economy grew 7.9% from 2023 to 2024, with a projected 7.1% share of global GDP by 2029.
What's the endgame? Informa gains an annual event, a research operation, and an industry network in one move. "As Informa builds out a complete health ecosystem, it's been looking to add wellness to its portfolio — recognising the size and impact of the wellness economy," said Ellis.
The signal: The deal lands as wellness becomes a focus of meetings and events planning, with agendas adding sleep, exercise, food, and personal time. "Now, together with Informa, we have an extraordinary opportunity to lead what comes next — with events, education and research on a whole new scale," said Davis.
Read more: meetings.skift.com
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