Independent meeting planning company Bishop-McCann has acquired ASE Group, the meeting and events division of ASE Group Inc., which is focused on conferences in the franchise industry. Both companies are headquartered in the Kansas City, Mo., area.
“ASE will enhance our innovation, and they are known for their creative branding strategy,” says Rob Adams, Bishop-McCann president and CEO. “The combined entities will bring operational efficiencies that will ultimately benefit our clients and the industry.”
ASE Group CEO Bonnie Siegel, who founded the company in 1988, plans to retire.
Bishop-McCann is a CMI 25 company, putting it among the 25 largest independent meeting and incentive companies serving the corporate meetings market in the U.S. As of June 2019, the company reported 81 employees. In 2018, it produced 430 corporate meetings and incentive programs.
This may be the first deal among independent planning companies in 2020, but it follows a busy year of acquisitions in 2019. The sales included BCD M&E buying L37 Creative, Augeo buying MotivAction, and InComm buying Meridian Loyalty.
