PR News and parent company Access Intelligence announced today the acquisition of The Social Shake-Up, a fast-growing and preeminent conference serving marketing, public relations, customer experience, technology and digital strategists. The annual conference and trade show, to be held May 22-24, 2017 in Atlanta, will be produced by the leading communications information brand PR News in partnership with top online destination Social Media Today.

Access Intelligence, a business-to-business media information and events company, acquired the The Social Shake-Up from Industry Dive, publisher of Social Media Today and online destinations serving professionals in eleven vertical markets. This acquisition strengthens Access Intelligence’s leadership position in the social marketing space with a brand that is deeply entrenched in the social media community.

The 2017 Social Shake-Up conference will be held at the W hotel in Atlanta, which has been the host city for the event since its inception. The conference will showcase how brands across the market spectrum are leveraging social media to drive better business outcomes and to break through the noise in more creative and sustainable ways. Hundreds of marketing, PR and technology professionals will convene over three days for education, brainstorming and networking.

“Social business and digital marketing are the levers driving commerce, conversation and reputation and there is no better brand than The Social Shake-Up to help the community move the needle in meaningful and interesting ways,” says Diane Schwartz, senior vice president and group publisher of Social Shake-Up and of the Media/Communications Group at Access Intelligence. “We are honored to be carrying on the legacy of the late Robin Carey with this spectacular brand, and excited to produce for the community the industry’s number-one social media conference.”

“We are looking forward to partnering with PR News and The Social Shake-Up team on an event that resonates with so many professionals across the enterprise,” said Sean Griffey, CEO of Social Media Today and Industry Dive. “I am pleased to see the Shake-Up conference have a new home with a trusted brand.”

Robin Carey founded Social Media Today in 2007 and launched The Social Shake-Up in 2013, when it quickly became the must-attend conference for digital strategists.

Ownership of the company was transferred to Industry Dive upon the passing of Carey in 2015.

The Social Shake-Up is now part of Access Intelligence’s Media/Communications Group, whose other brands include PR News, AdMonsters, Cynopsis, Folio, min, Cablefax and Studio Daily, and sister brands Chief Marketer, Multichannel Merchant, Event Marketer and others.

The acquisition marks Access Intelligence’s continued investment in high-performing properties with engaged audiences and best-in-class products and services. Over the past several years, Access Intelligence completed acquisitions in the media/marketing and healthcare sectors, including that of AdMonsters, LeadsCon, Red7 Media, OR Manager and Cynopsis Media. The Social Shake-Up conference joins a portfolio of communications events, webinars, awards programs and publications produced by PR News.

About Access Intelligence
Access Intelligence, a portfolio company of Veronis Suhler Stevenson, is a b-to-b media and information company headquartered in Rockville, Md., serving the media, PR, cable, healthcare management, defense, chemical engineering, satellite and aviation markets. Leading brands include PR News, AdMonsters, Cynopsis, Cablefax, Folio, Event Marketer, LeadsCon, Chief Marketer, Media Industry Newsletter, Defense Daily Network, AviationToday, Studio Daily, Power, Via Satellite and ExchangeMonitor. Market-leading shows include LeadsCon, AdMonsters OPS and Publisher Summits, The Folio Show, Experiential Marketing Summit, SATELLITE 2017, OR Manager, LDC Gas Forums, Clean Gulf, Electric Power, and Western Power Summit.

About PR News
Serving communicators for more than 60 years, PR News is the go-to resource online and face-to-face for real-world integrated communications strategies and tactics. Its premier brands include The Digital PR & Marketing Conference, PR Measurement Conference, Platinum PR Awards, Agency Elite, PR People Awards, Media Relations Summit, social media boot camps, a wide range of webinars and networking opportunities and a premium weekly publication, PR News Pro.

About Veronis Suhler Stevenson (VSS)

Veronis Suhler Stevenson is a leading private investment firm that invests in the information, business services, healthcare IT, and education industries in North America and Europe. VSS provides capital for buyouts, recapitalizations, growth financings and strategic acquisitions to lower middle market companies and management teams with the goal of building companies organically as well as through a focused add-on acquisition program. VSS makes privately-negotiated investments across the capital structure and has the ability to invest in situations requiring control or non-control equity, mezzanine securities and structured equity securities.