VIRGO – Informa plc, has acquired VIRGO as an addition to the company’s Global Exhibitions Group in an effort to expand its exhibition activities in the United States. VIRGO has a portfolio of six trade shows and conferences and publishes nine national trade websites of which six have affiliate print magazines, including Channel Partners and B/OSS. John Siefert, CEO of VIRGO, commented: “The opportunity to align VIRGO’s events, web and media programming within the Informa business offers an incredible amount of scale to everything the company has accomplished. At the same time, the ability to lever VIRGO’s position and infrastructure in the United States to bring Informa’s global exhibitions to the U.S. will be a game changer in the market.” Financial details of the transaction have not been disclosed. It is not yet clear whether the acquisition will result in any staff changes at VIRGO. VIRGO’s portfolio of publications boast more than 180,000 subscribers.
Computerworld – First published in 1967, Computerworld is now available exclusively online, as the June 2014 issue was the last print edition. Former print subscribers now have access to a new digital edition formatted for tablet and desktop displays. The magazine’s website, launched in 1996, will undergo a redesign this summer. Computerworld had a print circulation of more than 165,000 copies per month.
The Verge – Co-founders of The Verge, Joshua Topolsky and Nilay Patelhave both accepted new positions. Topolsky joins Bloomberg News as editor of Bloomberg digital and chief digital content officer of Bloomberg media. He will oversee the launch of online ventures focusing on rebranding the company as a multimedia resource for technology news. Patel, who has been serving as acting managing editor for Vox.com since March replaces Topolsky as editor-in-chief. Prior to Vox.com, Patel was co-founder and managing editor of The Verge since the site launched in 2011. Additionally, Dieter Bohn has been named executive editor of The Verge. He has been with the site since 2011 as senior editor. The Verge welcomes 18 million unique visitors each month.