Biz weekly parent buys stake in sports business company

American City Business Journals, the parent company of more than 40 weekly business newspapers, has acquired a 50 percent stake in Leaders, one of the world’s largest international sports business-to-business and networking companies, reports Michael Sheffield of the Memphis Business Journal.

Sheffield writes, “‘Because of our ownership of Sports Business Journal, Sports Business Daily and our own sports conference group, we knew first-hand of Leaders,’ Whitney Shaw, CEO of ACBJ, said. ‘What we loved most about the company was the strength and flexibility of its brand, the international reputation of its events and the fact that the business has shown year-on-year growth in a competitive sector every year from its start seven years ago.’

“Leaders hosts five international events in New York, London and Lisbon, and annually engages more than 3,000 pre-screened senior executives from 45 sports in 50 countries across the sports business and performance communities. The company’s clients include the National Football League, National Basketball Association and Ultimate Fighting Championship.

“Financial details of the deal were not disclosed.”

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