• by Larissa Faw , April 23, 2015

The Havas Group is acquiring EGC & Associes, a French agency specializing in general-interest live events. EGC & Associes will become part of Havas Event, the Havas Group's event agency in France and Julien Savino, current president and CEO of EGC & Associes will now become partner at Havas Event.

Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

 "Thanks to this acquisition, our event offer is strengthened with a citizen commitment expertise, which will add a new dimension to our clients' communications strategies," says Yannick Bolloré, Havas CEO. 

This deal opens up a new field of general-interest events for Havas. The Paris-based EGC is best known for working with corporations and institutions to host large-scale educational and prevention events on key societal, environmental or public health issues. For instance, the group partnered with France's Ministry of the Interior, Ministry of Education and the Association of Mayors of France to develop the Pedestrian Permit to teach road safety to children aged 10 and 11.

Collectively, the agency's programs reach more than 2.25 million households every year. 

"Today's citizen-consumers expect business to shoulder its responsibilities to the community," says Julien Carette, president of Havas Event. "The scope of most of the events devised by Havas Event, often in support of business transformation, covers more than just the business of brands. The innovative expertise developed by EGC & Associes resonates with our beliefs, and is a natural extension of what we do." 

Founded in 1988, EGC & Associés employs 12 works and reported gross margin of $1.61 million (€1.5 million) in 2014. This acquisition will enable the agency to scale its operations.

"The quality of Havas Event's client roster, the development prospects offered by the Havas Village, and the strength of the Havas network internationally were all key arguments for EGC & Associes in signing up to this merger," says company president Julien Savino,

Havas Event is the Havas Group's experiential communications agency in France. The 80-strong agency team organizes some 200 events a year, both in France and internationally. Its client roster includes Carrefour, Monoprix, EDF, L'Oreal, Lagardere, Coca-Cola, Ferrero, Fondation Louis Vuitton, DCNS, Federation des Notaires, ECB, Klepierre and Cap Gemini.