DALLAS, Texas (Oct. 20, 2015) – Freeman, the leading global provider of brand experiences, announced that it has completed the acquisition of Staging Connections Group Limited (SCGL), a global event services company.
Founded in 1986, Staging Connections is an international business with centers of excellence in Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, China and Fiji. With its 15 offices and 600 employees throughout ANZPAC, Staging Connections provides Freeman with an immediate presence throughout the region.
“As our clients are expanding globally, they want the same level of Freeman quality, service, technology and support in markets around the world. This acquisition provides us with an immediate presence in ANZPAC and connects us with an organization and team that shares our values and our design-driven, customer-centric approach to business,” said Joe Popolo, CEO of Freeman.
“There are tremendous growth opportunities by combining these two great companies. Staging Connections has strong relationships with the leading brands in ANZPAC and a reputation for superior production design. Together, we will continue to deliver an unparalleled suite of services to our clients around the world,” continued Popolo.
Staging Connections is aligned with Freeman’s value system and culture, and brings a customer-centric approach focused on innovation, partnerships, employee development and customer success.
“There are a lot of synergies between Staging Connections’ culture and that of Freeman, particularly our customer-centric approach to event delivery. We’re confident that we will fit together seamlessly,” said Tony Chamberlain, managing director of Staging Connections.
“We’ve been working with Staging Connections over the years and have been impressed with their people and their culture. There couldn’t be a better fit for Freeman as we continue to expand into global markets. I’m excited to have them join our audio visual division and thrilled to have managing director, Tony Chamberlain, as a partner,” said Ken Sanders, president of Freeman Audio Visual.
The acquisition was approved by Staging Connections’ shareholders at their shareholder meetings on September 24, 2015 and by the Federal Court of Australia on October 1, 2015. Staging Connections is now part of Freeman’s audio visual division and will retain its brand.
For more information about Freeman’s approach to creating global brand experiences, download “Going Glocal: Successful Global Event Strategies,” at http://freemanxp.com/insights/insights-papers/going-glocal-successful-global-event-strategies
About Freeman
Recognized by Advertising Age as the world’s largest brand experience company, Freeman uses the power of integrated digital and live brand experiences to move markets, connect people, support growth and generate revenues for the world’s leading organizations. A design-driven company, Freeman generates insights that define program strategies, target audiences and deliver messages that generate meaningful results. Through its expansive network of offices, talent and global partnerships, Freeman has the reach and access that is unmatched in the industry. A family- and employee-owned company, Freeman is known for its 87-year history of stability, strength and customer service achievements. Freeman is a values-driven company with a strong and purpose-built culture that is dedicated to connecting people in meaningful ways. This is accomplished through a process of continuous innovation and improvement. Freeman produces more than 4,300 expositions annually and 11,000 other events worldwide. Freeman has been awarded six consecutive J. D. Power awards for the excellence of its Customer Call Center. For more information, visit www.freeman.com.
About Staging Connections
Staging Connections has been creating unforgettable events for nearly 30 years. As the leader in event staging they offer a total event management solution for audio visual, styling and theming, set design and multimedia content through to digital and social media event services such as webcasting, Event Feed and Event Poll. For more information on Staging Connections visit: www.stagingconnections.com
