HMP, a leading healthcare event and education company based in Malvern, has entered into a definitive agreement with Vendome Healthcare Media to acquire the Institute for the Advancement of Behavioral Healthcare (IABHC).
IABHC is 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 the following trio of well-respected events, as well as eight regional events:
- National Rx Drug Abuse & Heroin Summit (the largest gathering of federal, state, and local professionals focused on addressing prescription drug abuse)
- National Conference on Alcohol & Addiction Disorders
- National Cocaine, Meth & Stimulant Summit
Also included in the transaction are Addiction Professional and Behavioral Healthcare Executive, award-winning print and digital brands.
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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 six 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
- 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, HMP’s chairman and CEO. “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.
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“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 healthcare 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.
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