Deal supports HMP’s events-first strategy and further enhances its dominant position in behavioral health

Malvern, PA (July 9, 2018) – HMP, a leading healthcare event and education company, today announced it has entered into a definitive agreement with Vendome Healthcare Media to acquire the Institute for the Advancement of Behavioral Healthcare (IABHC), a prominent provider of education for front-line clinicians, mental health and substance use treatment center executives, public health professionals, and law enforcement officials. Terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

As part of the agreement, HMP will acquire a portfolio of behavioral health assets, including three well-respected events: the National Rx Drug Abuse & Heroin Summit, the largest gathering of federal, state and local professionals focused on addressing prescription drug abuse; the National Conference on Alcohol & Addiction Disorders; and the National Cocaine, Meth & Stimulant Summit, along with eight regional events. Also included in the transaction are Addiction Professional and Behavioral Healthcare Executive, award-winning print and digital brands.

This acquisition will augment HMP’s already strong position in mental and behavioral health. In 2012, the company acquired the U.S. Psychiatric & Mental Health Congress, now known as Psych Congress, the largest independent mental health meeting in the U.S. Over the past 6 years, the company has significantly expanded the portfolio through the development and launch of relevant, complementary offerings, including Elevate by Psych Congress, an educational conference for emerging mental health clinicians; Psych Congress Regional meetings; and the Psych Congress Network, a year-round digital resource for mental health professionals.

“We are looking forward to IABHC joining the HMP team,” said Jeff Hennessy, chairman and CEO, HMP. “This acquisition supports our strategy of building a global portfolio of best-in-class healthcare events and further strengthens our established behavioral health franchise. More importantly, this portfolio is significant to us because of the incredible work that Doug (Edwards, IABHC Director) and the IABHC team is engaged in every day — that is, helping to bring information and education to substance abuse and misuse professionals. We are in the midst of an alarming public health crisis with devastating consequences, and we believe this agreement represents a real opportunity for HMP to contribute to one of the most important solutions for this crisis, educating and informing our health care and public safety professionals with the goal of improving the lives of those suffering from addiction.”    

Joining HMP will be Edwards, along with eight other members of the IABHC team.

“This opportunity allows us to capitalize on synergies within HMP’s expansive network of front-line clinicians and first responders and will accelerate our ability to provide the very best education and training for professionals in order to ensure effective, evidence-based treatment for patients with pain and substance use disorders,” said Edwards.  

This is the third major acquisition for HMP in the last 16 months, supporting the company’s events-first strategy. In 2017, HMP acquired EMS World from SouthComm, which included EMS World Expo, North America's largest EMT and paramedic event, and Imedex, a medical education company that added a suite of oncology and gastroenterology meetings including the ESMO World Congress on Gastrointestinal Cancer and Advances in IBD (AIBD). With this latest agreement, HMP will produce more than 275 international, national, regional, and local events across 10 therapeutic areas. 

About HMP 

HMP is the force behind Healthcare Made Practical—and is a multichannel leader in healthcare events and education, with a mission to improve patient care. The company produces accredited medical education events and clinically relevant, evidence-based content for the global healthcare community across a range of therapeutic areas. Its brands include Consultant360, the year-round, award-winning platform relied upon by primary care providers and other specialists; Psych Congress, the largest independent mental health meeting in the U.S.; EMS World Expo, North America's largest EMT and paramedic event; and the Symposium on Advanced Wound Care (SAWC), the largest wound care meeting in the world. For more information, visit hmpglobal.com.

About Vendome Group

Vendome Group serves a broad range of healthcare and real estate professionals through premier events, high-quality websites, webinars and publications designed to help communities bring their services and products to market.  Vendome’s Healthcare Information Technology group engages a community of over 400,000 healthcare IT professionals and executives in a variety of environments—including live events, webinars, websites, and more.