Founded in 1995 by CEO Mike Howarth, RDG operates a global series of “must-attend” aviation route development and network planning events as well as a supporting consultancy business from its headquarters in Manchester, UK. For the full year 2010 the business is expected to generate revenues in excess of £7 million.
RDG's flagship event, Routes – The World Route Development Forum – is an industry-leading, peripatetic, global networking event at which airlines, airports, suppliers and industry observers meet to generate and develop new aviation routes worldwide, as well as manage existing aviation route networks.
Last year's event in Beijing attracted almost 3,000 participants, including representatives from airports worldwide and from 139 major and regional airlines, low cost carriers, cargo lines and tour operator airlines. Now in its 16th year, the 2010 event will take place on 19-21 September in Vancouver, Canada. The Routes events portfolio also includes a series of smaller regional events in the Americas, Europe, Asia Pacific, Africa and CIS regions.
RDG also operates a highly regarded aviation route consultancy business, Airport Strategy & Marketing Ltd (ASM), as well as the www.routesonline.com website which brings together airports and airlines to share information and intelligence such as facilities, traffic statistics, air services, demographics and supporting resources, as well as through Route Exchange, a platform for airports to bid directly for airline capacity.
The acquisition of RDG provides UBM Aviation with a face-to-face networking event to better serve its airline and airport customers whilst also being highly complementary to UBM Aviation's existing OAG data and schedules business. It will help consolidate UBM Aviation's leadership in the global scheduling information market, says the company.
Peter von Moltke, Chief Executive Officer, UBM Aviation said: "We are delighted to have acquired this fantastic business, which includes a genuinely unique mix of assets which will enhance how we serve the airline and airport markets. I am also pleased to welcome their solid base of talented aviation industry experts, whose skills will greatly complement the UBM Aviation team."
"RDG's collective assets, merged with our own, will strengthen our position as the leading global provider of aviation intelligence, events and tradeshows, create a solid foundation for our global aviation consulting business, and contribute to the company's future growth. We look forward to growing the Routes events further by utilizing the global UBM resources."
