DeSilva+Phillips, Mediabankers ™ announces that its client Professional Education International (PEI), a leader in the information and communications technology conference arena, has sold DesignCon, an exhibition and conference serving the electronic design and semiconductor industry, to United Business Media’s wholly-owned subsidiary, EE Times Group.

Founded in 1996, DesignCon (www.designcon.com) is an annual four-day Silicon Valley-based exhibition and conference event which attracts more than 120 exhibitors and 3,300 professionals from the electronic design and semiconductor industries. The event’s primary focus is on the software and tools used by electronic designers and engineers in the construction of semiconductors. The exhibition is complemented by a co-located 17-track conference which provides highly regarded seminars, panels and keynote addresses. The business also provides year-round products and services, such as the InfoVault technical library, primarily via the event’s website.

The business is highly complementary to EE Times Group’s existing events, notably to the Embedded Systems Conferences. Paul Miller, CEO of EE Times Group, said: “The acquisition of DesignCon fits our strategy of building on the strength of our existing products and services to expand into adjacent markets, as well as growing our international presence in the electronic design and semiconductor industry. This acquisition will contribute to EE Times Group’s future growth and strengthen our position as the premier independent media, services and information supplier right across the global electronics industry.”

About PEI and IEC
Professional Education International (PEI) benefits from a close association with the not-for-profit International Engineering Consortium (IEC).  Together, they bring enormous credibility and industry service recognition to the Forum: PEI has developed educational conferences in the information and communications technology space on a global basis since its founding in 1974; and IEC, founded in 1944, has provided an important connection between the academic community and industry and serves as a catalyst in bringing leading academics and global business leaders together through quality continuing education, research and publishing and eLearning programs.

About United Business Media
UBM is a leading global provider of events; data, marketing and information products; print products; and targeting, distribution and monitoring services to specialist business communities. Our 5,800 staff in more than 30 countries are organised into specialist teams that serve these communities, helping them and their markets to work effectively and efficiently. For more information, go to www.ubm.com.

About EE Times Group
EE Times Group is the global leader in media and marketing services for the electronics industry. Through our market-leading brands, we deliver results for the key influencers and decision-makers involved in the design, development and commercialization of technology. More than 1.1 million engineering professionals and professionals in the electronics industry engage with the EE Times Network – EE Times, TechOnline, DesignLines, and Embedded.com – across the globe. The technology community comes to our market-leading events to share, learn, discuss and advance the critical issues and challenges facing the electronics industry. EE Times Group also provides end-to-end research, marketing and media services. For more information, go to http://www.eetimesgroup.com/.