BCD Meetings & Events acquires Grass Roots Meetings & Events to Strengthen Global Offering

UTRECHT – December 15, 2017 – BCD Meetings & Events (BCD M&E) has signed an agreement to acquire Grass Roots Meetings & Events from Blackhawk Network Holdings, Inc. Grass Roots Meetings & Events is a division of Grass Roots Group Holdings, Ltd. and specializes in strategic meetings management and delegate management. The acquisition will strengthen and diversify BCD M&E’s global service offering.

“We have been strategically investing to grow our global presence and service offering over the last three years,” said Scott Graf, BCD M&E Global President. “This acquisition is about strengthening local Event operations, offering new venue sourcing technology and expanding our delegate management solution.”

BCD M&E will welcome 220 employees, including respected leaders and industry professionals, with local expertise in the UK, Germany, US, Switzerland and Singapore. Additionally, BCD M&E can offer customers additional and expanded capabilities within its Events and venue sourcing services as well as an integrated delegate management solution.

“Grass Roots Meetings & Events has built a phenomenal offering across the globe—one that is a solid complement to our current business,” said Nigel Cooper, BCD M&E Managing Director, EMEA. “We saw a strong cultural fit with the organization and realized our services are stronger together than apart. In addition to the expanded capabilities, no other organization can offer an end-to-end delegate management solution such as this.”

With a strong brand reputation in the industry, Grass Roots Meetings & Events manages over £150m of meeting spend, drives compliance within organizations and focuses on improving the performance of meetings and events programs. The company operates meetings and events services from key locations in the UK (Fleet and London), New York, Dusseldorf, Zurich and Singapore. As specialists in strategic meetings management and delegate management, they work with three of the Big Four professional services firms, nine of the top 15 investment banks and many other global organizations.

“We have always focused on developing a team of experts with a deep understanding of not just the market but also what our customers need,” said David Taylor, Managing Director, Grass Roots Meetings & Events. “Being a part of a global organization that is focused on being a leader in corporate meetings and events will open new doors of opportunity for both our customers and our employees.”

Grass Roots was acquired by Blackhawk Network in 2016. Blackhawk previously shared its intention to sell the Grass Roots Meetings & Events division. Blackhawk Network will retain ownership of the Grass Roots parent company.