Japan based travel-services provider JTB Corp. has completed its acquisition of Northstar Travel Group — the parent company of Northstar Meetings Group — from investment funds managed by Eagle Tree Capital and its co-investors.
Northstar, a B2B media, events and information-services company headquartered in Rutherford, N.J., will operate independently as a wholly owned subsidiary of JTB.
Northstar CEO Jason Young and the existing management team will continue to lead the company. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Northstar Travel Group CEO Jason Young
"We are excited to officially become part of the JTB family and begin this new chapter together," said Young. "Partnering with JTB opens up new opportunities for collaboration and growth, particularly as we expand our reach in the Asia Pacific region. With our shared values and vision, we look forward to working closely with JTB to deliver even greater value to our customers around the world."
In addition to the brands of the Meetings Group — which include Meetings & Conventions, Incentive, Meeting News, Successful Meetings, SportsTravel, Meetings & Incentive Travel, Association Meetings International, Meetings & Conventions Asia, The Meetings Show and more — Northstar serves a variety of international travel-industry audiences with brands such as Travel Weekly, Business Travel News, Phocuswright and ALIS.
Northstar will maintain its current operations and service offerings, continuing to serve its audience and customers with the same travel events, media and information services the company has long provided — now with the additional resources of JTB.
Northstar's presence in the APAC region has already been on the rise, with the successful launch of The Meetings Show Asia Pacific in Singapore in 2024, followed by an expanded second edition in April this year. This spring also saw the debut of the co-located Business Travel Show Asia Pacific. Together, the shows welcomed nearly 1,800 attendees from more than 72 countries, including nearly 300 exhibitors.
For JTB, which has a storied history of more than 110 years in Japan's travel industry, the acquisition is in line with its growth strategy. The deal offers geographic expansion as well as the opportunity to expand its reach with travel audiences and suppliers by investing in market intelligence, events, information services and related lines of business.
"Northstar brings outstanding expertise and fresh perspectives that perfectly align with our strategic vision," said Eijiro Yamakita, president and CEO of the company. "By operating Northstar as an independent subsidiary, we preserve their neutral market position while creating a powerful platform for delivering superior customer experiences. We are confident this structure will unlock significant growth potential while contributing to the innovation and future growth of the travel industry."
Co-managing partner Anup Bagaria and senior partner Michael Struble of EagleTree Capital, which purchased Northstar in 2016, believe the company will be in good hands. "It has been an honor to partner with the Northstar team, including chairman and former CEO Tom Kemp and current CEO Jason Young, and to witness the company's impressive transformation over the last few years," they said in a joint statement. "We are confident Northstar is well positioned for future success and look forward to watching it thrive as part of JTB."
