HOTEL BOOKING AGENCY EXPOTEL has bolstered its conference and events division with the acquisition of Venues Event Management (VEM).
Chief executive Ian Burnley told BBT's sister website ABTN.co.uk that the purchase - for an undisclosed fee - was the latest step in the company's aggressive growth strategy.
He said VEM would become part of the Expotel group but would continue to trade under its existing name.
"We are building on the strength that we've always had in the hotel bookings segment," he said.
"We've had a good-sized conference and events division but wanted to take a step up to be among the top few in the UK, so I had been looking for a sensible addition."
Burnley predicted the deal would elevate Expotel into the top five players in the conference and events sector. Last year Expotel bought latemeetings.com.