Informa plc is a British publishing, business intelligence and exhibitions group based in London, England formed in 1998 through the merger of IBC Group plc and LLP Group plc, it provides specialist information services including academic and scientific publishing, business intelligence, electronic publishing and event management. It operates through divisions such as Taylor & Francis, Informa Markets, Informa Connect, Informa TechTarget and Informa Festivals. It acquired US-based Penton Information Services for £1.2 billion in 2016 and industry peer UBM plc for £3.8 billion in 2018. It maintains a network of about 150 offices worldwide with around 12,000 employees.