Sustainable growth for B2B events business

Roar B2B is a growing organiser of business-focused trade events and conferences in key sectors like environment, social care, and business technology. With a strong UK presence rooted in acquisitions, Roar B2B and Private Equity investor Apiary Capital worked with Kent Finance to create a structured and comprehensive business model that would enable significant future growth.

Roar B2B was formed in 2019 by Duncan Kirk. With significant experience in the trade show market, Kirk secured early investment from Apiary Capital, a UK-based private equity firm specialising in supporting owner-managed businesses with proven business models. The initial investment was used to fund the acquisition of a portfolio of leading events from Prysm Media Group, including leading event brands such as RWM, Naidex and B2B Marketing Expo. In 2021, the business expanded further through the acquisition of Environment Media Group Ltd, the UK’s leading specialist media and events business focused on the waste management and environment sector.

In 2024, with another acquisition on the horizon, Roar B2B and Apiary Capital approached Kent Finance to build a financial model that could support its growth, manage risk, and be used to make informed strategic decisions. As an events and media company with seasonal and variable revenue streams, a financial model provided the business and investors with clarity on cash flow, profitability, and investment return. Crucially, it allows Roar B2B to forecast accurately, assess performance, and plan for future acquisitions.

“Our ‘in-house’ built Excel budget model was no longer fit for purpose. We engaged Kent Finance to implement a fully integrated financial model. Their team took time to develop a deep understanding of the business, the key drivers and levers, and the specific outputs that were required, before designing a model to meet our requirements. With regular communication and interaction throughout the build and testing phases, and a very positive and collaborative approach by the team, the completed model was delivered on time and to the high specification we set out to achieve. I would highly recommend Kent Finance for any business that requires a structured, methodical, and flexible financial model.”

In a fast-paced, acquistive business like Roar, having access to structured, forward-looking financial data is key to maintaining deal momentum and articulating a path to long-term value creation. Working closely with the team, Kent Finance was able to deliver a financial model that will scale with the business. Using two years of historic data, the model provides a rolling 5-year monthly forecast, with fully integrated P&L, Cash Flow, and Balance Sheet projections. This supports KPI tracking, sensitivity analysis, scenario planning, and valuation modelling, using real-time data to ensure that the model is always up to date and reliable.