Tarsus Group plc, the international business-to-business media group with interests in exhibitions, conferences, publishing and online media, has today (11 July) announced the acquisition of DMS Group LLC, which owns and operates the US-based website www.CVBHotRates.com and the purchase of UK-based, Internetworks Limited, which runs www.exhibitions.co.uk. These two acquisitions are in line with the group’s strategy to strengthen its online business in the events industry internationally.

Tarsus and its Caroo Media division already have a broad portfolio of online products specifically designed to help the conference, exhibition and events industry find products and services for their varied requirements. These new products will significantly complement the existing portfolio which includes: www.TSNN.com, www.TSNN.co.uk, www.venues.org.uk and www.events:review.com.

The CVBHotRates website is a leading brand in the rapidly-growing global meetings and events industry and was founded in 2004. The portal is expanding rapidly attracting over 20,000 unique visitors each month. It provides a unique and fast service for event planners to find and book venues. The website has a large network with over 40 Convention and Visitor Bureau partners and 2,500 hotels listed on the site. Donovan Shia, the founder of CVBHotRates.com, will continue to work with Tarsus to develop the business.

The portal www.exhibitions.co.uk has been established for 10 years and is the UK’s largest exhibition industry website in terms of traffic with 35,000 unique visitors logging on each month. The website is endorsed by the new UK Government’s Trade and Investment Department, confirming its high profile status.

Douglas Emslie, group managing director of Tarsus, said: “We’re delighted to see these strong brands join our online portfolio. We are continuing to build this area of our business and have seen particularly strong growth in the venue-finding websites. With our recent acquisition of TSNN.com and our activities in the UK and France, we look forward to servicing this global community with even more exciting international products and services.”