Emerald Q2 2025 slides: Revenue jumps 22.7%, company reaffirms full-year guidance

Introduction & Market Context

Emerald Holding, Inc. (NYSE:EEX) presented its second quarter 2025 financial results on August 4, 2025, highlighting substantial revenue growth and reaffirming its full-year guidance despite posting a slight quarterly loss. The company, which positions itself as the largest US-based B2B events platform, reported significant year-over-year improvements in both revenue and adjusted EBITDA, largely driven by its ongoing acquisition strategy.

The presentation comes as Emerald’s stock closed at $4.86 on August 1, 2025, down 2.21% for the day, according to recent market data. The company’s shares have traded between $3.22 and $6.65 over the past 52 weeks, with management noting they repurchased $6.9 million of common stock during Q2 at an average price of $4.24 per share.

Quarterly Performance Highlights

Emerald reported Q2 2025 revenue of $105.5 million, representing a 22.7% increase compared to the same period last year. Adjusted EBITDA saw an even more substantial jump, rising 59.5% year-over-year to $24.4 million. However, the company posted a net loss of $1.4 million for the quarter, resulting in a diluted loss per share of $(0.01).

As shown in the following key takeaways from the presentation:

Organic revenue growth was modest at 0.4% year-over-year, indicating that acquisitions drove the majority of the company’s overall revenue increase. The presentation noted that recent acquisitions including This is Beyond, Insurtech Insights, and GRC World Forums would have added approximately 5% to year-over-year organic revenue growth had they been part of Emerald’s portfolio in Q2 2024.

Free cash flow improved significantly to $13.8 million, compared to $7.1 million in Q2 2024. The company maintained a strong liquidity position with $156.4 million in cash and cash equivalents, while reporting net debt of $358.6 million and a net debt to EBITDA ratio of 2.56x.

The detailed breakdown of revenue and adjusted EBITDA by segment provides further insight into the company’s performance:

Strategic Initiatives

Emerald’s presentation emphasized its three-pillar approach to value creation: Customer Centricity, 365-Day Engagement, and Portfolio Optimization. The company has been particularly active in the acquisition space, having completed and integrated over 30 acquisitions in the past decade, with approximately $1 billion in capital deployed.

Recent acquisitions highlighted in the presentation include Lodestone Events, GRC World Forums, Hotel Interactive, Insurtech Insights, and This is Beyond, demonstrating the company’s continued focus on strategic M&A to drive growth.

The company’s acquisition strategy is illustrated in the following timeline:

Emerald also highlighted its diversified portfolio of market-leading brands, noting that its largest five shows represent 30% of FY 2024 revenues, and no single customer accounts for more than 1% of revenue. This diversification helps mitigate risk while providing multiple avenues for growth.

The diversity of Emerald’s brand portfolio across different event categories is shown here:

Forward-Looking Statements

Despite the Q2 net loss, Emerald reaffirmed its full-year 2025 guidance, projecting revenue between $450 million and $460 million and adjusted EBITDA between $120 million and $125 million. This guidance suggests continued confidence in the company’s growth trajectory and ability to expand margins.

The historical performance and 2025 guidance are illustrated in the following chart:

The company also declared a quarterly dividend of $0.015 per share for the quarter ending September 30, 2025, reflecting its commitment to returning capital to shareholders while maintaining financial flexibility for strategic investments.

Competitive Industry Position

Emerald operates in what it describes as a large and fragmented market, with significant growth potential. According to the presentation, the top US scaled exhibition organizers represent only 8% of the overall market, suggesting substantial room for consolidation and expansion.

The company highlighted industry projections showing B2B US marketing spend for events and sponsorship growing from $16 billion in 2022 to a projected $37 billion by 2030, representing a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 7% from 2025 to 2030.

This growth opportunity in a fragmented market is illustrated in the following chart:

Emerald emphasized the high return on investment that B2B events provide for marketers, noting that 99% of B2B marketers report their event budgets have returned to or exceeded pre-pandemic levels. The company also cited that in-person events generate an average of 38 new leads per trade show event, with 60% of executives reporting that such events lead to significant knowledge transfer and long-term partnerships.

The value proposition of B2B events is detailed in this informative graphic:

With approximately 90% of its revenue coming from its Connections business (primarily B2B trade shows and conferences), Emerald is well-positioned to capitalize on the continued growth in demand for in-person business events, while also developing complementary Content and Commerce revenue streams that together represent the remaining 10% of its business.

Full presentation:

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