United Business Media Expands Events Presence in China

United Business Media Expands Events Presence in China

March 27, 2006

       
    LONDON, March 27 /Xinhua-PRNewswire/ -- United Business
Media plc today announced that its CMP Asia division has
expanded its events business in China with the joint
acquisition of a majority stake in the Guangzhou Beauty
Fair.  The acquisition is being made with BolognaFiere
Group, CMP Asia's joint venture partner for its Asian
beauty industry events.  CMP Asia and BolognaFiere Group
will also launch a new event, Cosmoprof Shanghai, with the
first show scheduled for January 2007.

    The Guangzhou Beauty Fair, formally known as the
Guangzhou International Beauty & Cosmetic Import-Export
Expo, attracts more than 3,000 exhibitors and 200,000
visitors to each show.  The Fair has been held since 1989,
twice a year since 1996, and is the biggest such event in
mainland China.

    CMP Asia and BolognaFiere Group will work with the
organisers of the Guangzhou Beauty Fair to promote this
all-China event to build the presence of international
manufacturers and buyers as both exhibitors and visitors.

    Both the Guangzhou Beauty Fair and the new Cosmoprof
Shanghai event will serve as strong regional extensions of
CMP Asia's existing exhibition Cosmoprof Asia which it
co-owns with the Bolognafiere Group.  Held annually in Hong
Kong, Cosmoprof Asia is the leading Asia-Pacific
international beauty industry event.

    CMP Asia and Bolognafiere Group are acquiring the
majority stake in the Guangzhou Beauty Fair from its owner
for $7m.

    Notes to Editors:

    1. Selected UBM events in China

    -- September Hong Kong Jewellery & Watch Fair -- 
       http://www.jewellerynetasia.com/exhibitions --
Asia's largest 
       jewellery fair and one of the top three events of
its kind in the  
       world

    -- Asia Pacific Leather Fair -- http://www.aplf.com --
the world's most 
       international trade fair for the leather industry

    -- Furniture China --
http://www.cmpsinoexpo.com/furniture -- the 
       largest international furniture exhibition in China

    -- Marintec China -- http://www.marintecchina.com --
the largest 
       and most important international maritime event in
China

    -- Cosmoprof Asia -- http://www.cosmoprof-asia.com --
the largest  
       international beauty trade event in the Asia-Pacific
region

    -- Food Ingredients Asia -- China -- 
       http://asiachina2006.fi-events.com/ -- Food
professionals from 
       around the world gather in Shanghai for a three day
business  
       gathering in food ingredients marketing

    -- CPhI China -- http://www.cphi-china.com -- the
international 
       pharmaceutical industry event held in Shanghai

    -- Hotelex Shanghai --
http://www.cmpsinoexpo.com/hotelex -- China's 
       largest trade fair for the travel and hotel
industries

    -- ExpoBuild China --
http://www.cmpsinoexpo.com/expobuild -- the 
       biggest group of events serving China's
construction, building 
       materials and interior fittings industries

    -- International IC-China Conference & Exhibition
--               
       http://www.english.china.iicexpo.com/ -- the largest
showcase of 
       embedded solutions, IC technologies and EDA &
test tools in China

    2. About United Business Media plc

    United Business Media is one of the world's leading
global business information companies.  UBM brings together
the world's buyers and sellers, helping their markets work
effectively and efficiently through PR Newswire's news
distribution network and CMP's portfolio of events, print
and on-line publications.  For more information, go to
http://www.unitedbusinessmedia.com .

    About PR Newswire -- PR Newswire is the world's leading
corporate news distribution service. Headquartered in New
York, PR Newswire distributes news globally on behalf of
over 40,000 customers, including many of the world's top
companies and agencies, helping them take the latest news
to the media, the investment community, and the general
public. For more information, go to
http://www.prnewswire.com .

    About CMP -- CMP's portfolio of more than 200
newspapers, magazines and directories, 200 websites and 300
events brings together buyers and sellers from a range of
global sectors including technology, healthcare, the built
environment, lifestyle, fashion and ingredients. Our
customers come to us for direct access to their key
audiences: business decision-makers.

    CMP operates globally through four divisions:

    CMP Media: the USA's leading high tech B2B media
company and provider of healthcare education and
information.  For more information, go to
http://www.cmpmedia.com .

    CMP Information: the European magazine and events
business, based in the UK.  For more information, go to
http://www.cmpinformation.com .

    CMP Asia: a leader in exhibitions and publications in
key markets in Asia.  For more information, go to
http://www.cmpasia.com .

    CMPMedica: leading drug information provider,
pharmaceutical marketing solutions including medical
information and trade press in Europe and Asia.

    For more information, go to http://www.cmpmedica.com .

    For more information, please contact:

    Media: 
     Peter Bancroft, 
     Director of Communications
     Tel:   [phone]
     Email: [e-mail]

     Chris Barrie, 
     Citigate Dewe Rogerson
     Tel:    [phone]
     Mobile: [phone] 
     Email:  [e-mail]

    Analysts:
     Catherine Southgate, 
     Head of Investor Relations
     Tel:    [phone]
     Mobile: [phone]
     Email:  [e-mail] 

SOURCE  United Business Media Plc