Informa’s Revenue Growth To Slow in 2025

By Kari McMahon • March 6, 2025

Informa PLC said revenue will increase 5% in 2025, less than half the 11% growth it saw in 2024 from the previous year. 

Revenue at the UK-based media and events company rose to £3.55 billion ($4.57 billion) in 2024 from £3.19 billion ($4.1 billion) in 2023, while adjusted operating profit jumped 16.5% to £995 million ($1.28 billion) from £853.8 million ($1.1 billion).

“On every measure, 2024 was an outstanding year for our company,” Stephen Carter, Informa’s chief executive officer, said. “Double-digit revenue growth, 20% plus adjusted operating profit growth, double-digit dividend growth. We knocked the ball out of the park on our free cash flow and the businesses feel strong. We grew internationally.”

“We feel very confident about 2025,” he said.

Other key facts and figures from Informa’s earnings include: 

  • Adjusted operating margin was 28%, up from 26.8% in 2023.
  • Free Cash Flow of £812.1 million ($1.05 billion) versus 2023’s £631.7 million ($785 million)
  • Informa Markets reported revenue rose 8.1% from a year earlier
  • Informa Connect reported revenue rose 8.7% from a year earlier
  • Informa Tech reported revenue rose 6.9% from a year earlier

Informa International 

One of the key drivers for Informa’s growth has been the company’s international footprint. Carter used the earnings call to reflect on the company’s growth over the past decade from an “effectively low to no-growth business” to, in 2025, expecting to have revenues just north of $5 billion.

“We were a UK-European-centric business,” Carter said. “Now we are not.” 

Informa’s top three markets are the U.S., China and the United Arab Emirates growth corridor, Carter said. The UK is its ninth market geographically, he said.

“We’ve followed where the growth is,” he said.

Informa continues its geographic expansion with a partnership with the Dubai World Trade Centre’s (DWTC) B2B events business, which will further accelerate business in the UAE and partner markets. It will create a market leader targeting revenues of over $700 million and adjusted operating margins of over 30%, according to Informa’s financial results. The partnership will be called Informa International and will sit within Informa Markets. Carter expects it will be a billion-dollar business within the next three years.

In 2025, Informa expects to generate about 45% of revenue from North America and 40% from the Middle East and Asia , and then 10% from Continental Europe.

Based on forward bookings and participation revenue, Carter does not expect any current or prospective trading issues with the U.S. market in light of geopolitical tensions.

“As we often say, we’re not oblivious to the macro in our business, but we trade in the micro,” Carter said. “And the appetite for engagement and discussion in moments of turmoil actually goes up.”

“We’re investing in our U.S. business and we feel confident that it will hit its growth numbers,” he added.

One Informa 

Informa has primarily had four divisions:

  • Informa Markets, which is its transaction-led live & on-demand b2b events business with over 300 brands across 20 markets.
  • Informa Connect, which is its content-led live & on-demand b2b events business with over 400 brands across six growth markets.
  • Informa Tech, which formed the basis for the Informa TechTarget merger.
  • Taylor & Francis, with various journals and imprints.

In the 2024 results, these have moved under three larger divisions:

  • Live B2B Events, which includes Informa Connect, Informa Markets and the recently created Informa Festivals.
  • B2B Digital Services, which includes Informa TechTarget — a publicly traded B2B data and market access platform.
  • Academic Markets, which includes Taylor & Francis.

“That’s more how we’re thinking about the business going forward because under One Informa, what we’re trying to do is trying to run those three elements of the business more closely together from a functional point of view and a back office point of view,” Gareth Wright, Informa’s finance director, said on the earnings call. “They are very much go-to market as three different divisions from a revenue point of view.”

At the end of the year, Informa Tech’s combination with TechTarget completed with Informa taking 57% ownership. As Informa TechTarget is publicly listed in the US, it was not covered in the earnings, but Carter highlighted it remained on plan versus guidance provided to markets.

End of a Chapter

The growth acceleration chapter of the company is over, said Carter. Now the next three years are focused on One Informa and how to maximize the growth and value generated through Informa’s B2B platform.

“We’ve built a great brand platform, we’ve built a great geographic position,” Carter said. “And our intention now is to maximize the benefits of that in marketing, in data, in analytics, customer engagement, in enterprise support, and therefore in performance.”

Informa PLC shares were down more than 4% in London on Thursday.