Emerald Announces New Division Dedicated to Driving Growth through New Brand Experiences

Xcelerator division is poised to accelerate Emerald’s market diversification strategy by launching dynamic brands that inspire and serve communities for growth

Emerald Holding, Inc. (NYSE:EEX) ("Emerald" or the "Company") today announced the creation of a new division dedicated to launching dynamic brands that curate year-round communities through face-to-face and digital experiences. Emerald Xcelerator will build upon the Company's broader capabilities across a diverse portfolio of brands and services, including more than 150 events, media, content, market intelligence, lead generation, and digital transactional solutions.

"We will harness the power of discovery, innovation, and actionable insights to help us pioneer into new and emerging markets while driving transformational growth within our industries – and Xcelerator is our channel to achieve this," said Hervé Sedky, Emerald's President and CEO. "The formation of Xcelerator not only serves as our opportunity to uncover new ways to create value and advancement for our customers, but underscores Emerald's commitment to supporting the industries we serve and the communities in which we operate."

In March 2022, Emerald launched SIAL America, the first-of-its-kind cross-category food and beverage show in the U.S., hosting domestic and international exhibitors and over 4,600 industry professionals from both the U.S. and 60 international countries at the Las Vegas Convention Center. Additionally, Xcelerator plans to bring to market new brands in the mental health, Web3, and breakthrough medicine industries in 2022 and is actively developing additional launches for 2023 and beyond.

Led by 15+ year industry leader Issa Jouaneh, Emerald Xcelerator plans to build both B2B and B2C brands in emerging industries, focusing on developing deep connections, delivering meaningful content, and driving commerce 365 days a year.

"Ultimately, our goal is to drive growth by creating dynamic brands that represent the emerging communities and industries around us," said Issa Jouaneh, Executive Vice President of Emerald Xcelerator. "We're very proud of the pipeline of opportunities our team has curated and look forward to announcing details about the first official brand launches in the coming months."

The announcement closely follows Emerald's recent acquisitions of MJBiz and Elastic Suite, demonstrating the Company's commitment to technology and innovation. Additionally, Xcelerator serves the wider business and events communities by contributing research and analysis resources to develop industry insights, such as Emerald's recent B2B Events Industry Outlook 2022 Report.

Those interested in exploring collaborations with the Xcelerator team can contact xcelerator@emeraldx.com.

Cautionary Statement Concerning Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains certain forward-looking statements, including, but not limited to, Emerald’s expectations regarding the strategic and financial benefits from the launch of Emerald Xcelerator. These statements involve risks and uncertainties, including, but not limited to, Xcelerator’s ability to successfully launch new events, and economic, competitive, and other factors outside of the Company’s control that may cause its business, industry, strategy, or actual results to differ materially. See “Risk Factors” and “Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements” in the Company’s most recently filed periodic reports on Form 10-K and Form 10-Q and subsequent filings. The Company undertakes no obligation to update or revise any of the forward-looking statements contained herein, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

About Emerald:

Emerald’s talented and experienced team grows our customers’ businesses 365 days a year through connections, content, and commerce. We expand connections that drive new business opportunities, product discovery, and relationships with over 140 annual events, matchmaking, and lead-gen services. We create content to ensure that our customers are on the cutting edge of their industries and are continually developing their skills. And we power commerce through efficient year-round buying and selling. We do all this by seamlessly integrating in-person and digital platforms and channels. Emerald is immersed in the industries we serve and committed to supporting the communities in which we operate. As true partners, we create experiences that inspire, amaze, and deliver breakthrough results. For more information, please visit www.emeraldx.com.

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