JEGI Represents dmg events in Sale of Evanta to Leeds Equity Partners

New York, NY September 19, 2012 Leeds Equity Partners, LLC (“Leeds Equity”), the New York-based private equity fund focused exclusively on investing in the Knowledge Industries, announced today that it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Evanta Ventures, Inc. (“Evanta”) and Sports Leadership Institute, Inc. (“SLI”) from dmg events (USA) inc., a subsidiary of Daily Mail and General Trust plc, for approximately $94 million.

The Jordan, Edmiston Group, Inc. (www.jegi.com) of New York, NY, the leading independent investment bank for the media, information, marketing, and technology sectors, represented Evanta in this transaction and acted as its exclusive financial advisor.

Founded in 2003 and based in Portland, Oregon, Evanta is the global leader of peer-to-peer networking platforms that engage C-suite executives from enterprises that represent aggregate annual revenues of $15 trillion.  Evanta’s elite offerings include more than 80 exclusive leadership forums and educational solutions for executives in the functional areas of technology, security, human resources, finance, and healthcare.  Complementing those forums, Evanta offers a private social network that brings together more than 12,000 qualified executives on an ongoing basis.  In addition to its robust C-suite and social networks, Evanta provides immersive leadership development programs for future leaders in partnership with MIT Sloan School of Management, University of Texas McCombs School of Business, University of Chicago Booth School of Business and UC Berkeley Haas School of Business.  Their platforms promote the acceleration of individual and organizational performance through proprietary professional development and facilitated collaboration, which is key to global economic prosperity.

Founded in 2011, SLI provides the only exclusive leadership forums for professional and collegiate sports team executives.  The Global Sports Summit, Global Sports Management Invitational and Collegiate Sports Summit bring together owners, managers, athletic directors and other stakeholders within the professional and collegiate sports sectors.  Their mission is to evaluate current industry trends and cultivate future initiatives to affect meaningful change and accelerate business-related performance across sports.

“Leeds Equity is excited to partner with Bob Dethlefs and the broader management team at Evanta and SLI,” said Jeffrey T. Leeds, President and Co-Founder of Leeds Equity.  “Through exceptional vision and hard work, Bob and his team have built a differentiated platform with which to engage and support senior executives in business and sports.”

Evanta’s Founder and CEO, Bob Dethlefs said, “Our entire team looks forward to working closely with Leeds Equity to continue to serve our existing communities as well as developing new platforms and offerings.  Leeds Equity not only has the resources, but also the insights and industry relationships to enable Evanta to pursue initiatives that will accelerate our growth going forward.  We are proud to join a renowned industry leader in the education and information services industries.”

“Leeds Equity’s investment in Evanta and SLI will provide an excellent platform for growth,” said Jacques Galante, a Managing Director at Leeds Equity.  “We look forward to partnering with Bob and his management team to further expand the company’s existing offerings and build upon the company’s exceptional record of performance.”

About Evanta Ventures, Inc.
Founded in 2003 and based in Portland, Oregon, Evanta is the global leader of peer-to-peer networking platforms that engage C-suite executives from enterprises that represent aggregate annual revenues of $15 trillion.  Evanta’s elite offerings include more than 80 exclusive leadership forums and educational solutions for executives in the functional areas of technology, security, human resources, finance, and healthcare.  For more information, visit www.evanta.com.

About Sports Leadership Institute
Founded in 2011, SLI provides the only exclusive leadership forums for professional and collegiate sports team executives.  The Global Sports Summit, Global Sports Management Invitational and Collegiate Sports Summit bring together owners, managers, athletic directors and other stakeholders within the professional and collegiate sports sectors.  For more information, visit www.globalsportssummit.com or www.gsminvitational.com.

About dmg events
dmg events was founded in 1989 and now manages over 80 events in 25 countries each year.  Headquartered in Stamford, CT, it is currently active in North America, the Middle East, North Africa, Europe, Asia, and Australia, employing over 300 staff.  dmg events is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Daily Mail and General Trust plc, one of the largest media companies in the UK.  For more information, visit www.dmgevents.com.

About Leeds Equity Partners
Leeds Equity Partners, LLC, is a New York-based private equity firm focused exclusively on investing in the education, training and information services industries (the “Knowledge Industries”).  The firm was founded by Jeffrey T. Leeds and Robert A. Bernstein in 1993 and has raised and manages more than $1.1 billion of capital across five funds.  For more information, visit www.leedsequity.com.

About The Jordan, Edmiston Group, Inc.
The Jordan, Edmiston Group, Inc. (JEGI) of New York, NY, the leading provider of independent investment banking services for the media, information, marketing and technology sectors, is celebrating its 25th anniversary in 2012.  Since 1987, JEGI has completed more than 500 high‐profile M&A transactions for global corporations; middle-market and emerging companies; entrepreneurial owners; and private equity and venture capital firms.  For more information, visitwww.jegi.com.