UK's Informa delays Middle East events due to Iran war, remains committed to region

By Yamini Kalia

March 12 (Reuters) - Informa INF.L has postponed events across more than 10 brands in the Middle East to the latter months of 2026 due to conflict in the region, and is expected to absorb some of the rescheduling costs, it said on Thursday.

Stephen Carter, the CEO of the world's largest exhibitions group, said only a nominal number of clients have withdrawn from events in the region due to U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran, adding that the postponed events have not been relocated.

"There are some fixed costs that we'll have to swallow, for sure, because we had some events that were kind of in-flight," Carter told analysts in a conference call.

The British group runs events in markets including the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Bahrain, Turkey and Saudi Arabia.

Informa earns about a quarter of its revenue from its India, Middle East and Africa (IMEA) division and said roughly 40% of the region’s 2026 revenue is already secured.

According to event listings on its Informa Markets website, the company is hosting events in Dubai starting in September, while events in Saudi Arabia from April onwards were still listed.

The group, which reported a 15% jump in profit in 2025, said it remained committed to its Middle East targets despite the crisis.

IMEA is a key growth market for Informa, which recently launched a joint venture with the Dubai World Trade Centre as fast-growing economies increasingly use conferences and exhibitions to attract foreign investment.

The Iran war has forced airlines to cancel flights or reroute around drone and missile activity, severely restricting airspace and triggering the industry’s worst crisis since the pandemic.

Informa reaffirmed its 2026 revenue and earnings target, a move welcomed by analysts, although shares fell 1.6% in morning trade.

Informa previously told Reuters that no events in the affected countries were scheduled to run in March due to Ramadan, and preparations for events running in the second quarter were continuing, subject to review with relevant authorities.

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