Subject to completion, dated March 31 , 2017

PRELIMINARY PROSPECTUS

                Shares

Emerald Expositions Events, Inc.

Common Stock

This is the initial public offering of the common stock of Emerald Expositions Events, Inc. We are selling           shares of common stock, and the selling stockholders named herein are selling           shares of common stock. The selling stockholders in this offering are affiliates of Onex Partners Manager LP. The underwriters also have an option for a period of up to 30 days from the date of this prospectus to purchase up to           additional shares of common stock from the selling stockholders. We will not receive any of the proceeds from the shares of common stock sold by the selling stockholders.

Prior to this offering, there has been no public market for our common stock. The initial public offering price is expected to be between $          and $          per share. We have applied to list our common stock on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol “EEX.”

After the completion of this offering, funds managed by Onex Partners Manager LP and its affiliates will own approximately    % of our common stock (   % if the underwriters exercise their option to purchase additional shares in full). Accordingly, we expect to be a “controlled company” within the meaning of the corporate governance standards of the New York Stock Exchange.

We are an “emerging growth company”, as defined in Section 2(a) of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and will be subject to reduced reporting requirements. This prospectus complies with the requirements that apply to an issuer that is an emerging growth company.

Investing in our c ommon s tock involves risk. See “Risk Factors” beginning on page 23 to read about factors you should consider before buying shares of our c ommon s tock.

Delivery of the shares of common stock will be made on or about          , 2017.

Neither the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”), nor any other regulatory body has approved or disapproved of these securities or determined if this prospectus is truthful or complete. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.

The date of this prospectus is          , 2017.

MARKET AND INDUSTRY DATA

This prospectus includes information and data about the market and industry in which we compete. We obtained this information from periodic general and industry publications and surveys and studies conducted by third parties, as well as from our own internal estimates and research. In addition, we commissioned an independent research report from Stax Inc. (“Stax”) for our use in connection with this offering. In conjunction with this report, Stax interviewed more than 1,600 exhibitors and attendees across our portfolio of events, obtaining both quantitative and qualitative feedback on show performance and positioning.

Industry publications, surveys and studies, including Stax’ report, generally state that the information contained therein has been obtained from sources believed to be reliable; however, they do not guarantee the accuracy or completeness of such information, and while we believe the data from these third-party sources is reliable, we have not independently verified any third-party information. In presenting this information, we have made certain assumptions that we believe to be reasonable based on these sources and on our knowledge of, and our experience to date in, the industry sectors in which we operate. Market and industry data presented herein is subject to change and may be limited by the availability of raw data, the voluntary nature of the data gathering process and other limitations. In addition, the discussions herein regarding our various industry sectors are based on how we define the markets for our products and services, which may be either part of larger overall markets or markets that include other types of products or services. Further, projections, assumptions and estimates of the future performance of the industry in which we operate and our future performance are necessarily subject to uncertainty and risk due to a variety of factors, including those described in “Risk Factors” and “Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements.” These and other factors could cause results to differ materially from those expressed in the estimates made by the independent parties and by us.

Third-party sources referenced in this prospectus include research and other materials published by: Trade Show Executive (“TSE”), a leading provider of news and tools for trade show managers, which publishes annual lists of the fastest growing trade shows based on net square footage (“NSF”) of paid exhibit space, number of exhibiting companies and number of attendees; Trade Show News Network (“TSNN”), a leading news and online resource for the trade show, exhibition and event industry, which publishes an annual list of the 250 largest trade shows in the United States based on NSF; and Exhibit Surveys Trade Show Benchmarks and Trends. Particular studies referenced include: LinkedIn Technology Marketing Research on B2B Lead Generation, 2015; Center for Exhibition Industry Research (“CEIR”): How the Exhibit Dollar is Spent 2014; CEIR 2016 Index Report; and AMR International Globex Report 2016 (the “AMR Report”).

When we refer to the relative position of one of our trade shows or describe them as “market leading” or a “leader” or use words of similar meaning, for our 31 trade shows that are ranked within the top 250 trade shows in the country by TSNN, we mean that such trade show is the largest or one of the largest by NSF in its industry vertical in the United States, and for our other events we rely on Stax research, including the interviews described above, in each case unless otherwise indicated. When we describe our trade shows as “large-scale,” we mean that such trade shows were ranked in TSNN’s 2016 list of the top 250 trade shows in the country. When we describe our trade shows as “fast-growing,” we mean that such trade shows were included in TSE’s 2016 lists of fastest growing trade shows, which is the most recent data published by TSE.

CERTAIN TRADEMARKS, TRADE NAMES AND SERVICE MARKS

This prospectus contains trademarks, trade names and service marks that we use in our business. Each one of these trademarks, trade names and service marks is either (i) our registered trademark, trade name or service mark, (ii) a trademark, trade name or service mark for which we have a pending application, (iii) a trademark, trade name or service mark for which we claim common law rights or (iv) a trademark, trade name or service mark that is owned by a third party and used by us under license. All other trademarks, trade names or service marks appearing in this prospectus belong to their respective owners. Solely for convenience, trademarks, trade names and service marks referred to in this prospectus may appear without the ®, ™ or ^SM symbols, but such references are not intended to indicate, in any way, that we will not assert, to the fullest extent under applicable law, our rights or the right of the applicable licensor to these trademarks, trade names and service marks. We do not intend our use or display of other parties’ trademarks, trade names or service marks to imply, and such use or display should not be construed to imply, a relationship with, or endorsement or sponsorship of us by, these other parties.

BASIS OF PRESENTATION

Except where the context requires otherwise, references in this prospectus to “Emerald Expositions”, “Emerald”, “the Company”, “we”, “us”, and “our” refer to Emerald Expositions Events, Inc., formerly known as Expo Event Holdco, Inc., together with its consolidated subsidiaries. In this prospectus, when we refer to our fiscal years, we refer to the year number, as in “2016,” which refers to our fiscal year ended December 31, 2016.

When we refer to “NSF renewal rate”, we mean the NSF purchased by returning exhibitors as a percentage of the prior event’s total NSF. For the purpose of calculating NSF renewal rates, “win-backs” represent customers who did not exhibit in the immediately preceding event but who previously exhibited in the event within the past five years.

When we refer to “organic revenue growth,” this represents the growth in our overall revenue from one period to the next excluding the impact of acquisitions and excluding any change in revenues from now discontinued events.

Unless indicated otherwise, the information included in this prospectus (1) assumes no exercise by the underwriters of the option to purchase up to an additional           shares of common stock from the selling stockholders and (2) reflects the amendment of our certificate of incorporation on             , 2017 to effect a    -for-one stock split of our common stock and an increase in our authorized capital stock to           shares of common stock.

Numerical figures included in this prospectus have been subject to rounding adjustments. Accordingly, numerical figures shown as totals in various tables may not be arithmetic aggregations of the figures that precede them. In addition, we round certain percentages presented in this prospectus to the nearest whole number. As a result, figures expressed as percentages in the text may not total 100% or, as applicable, when aggregated may not be the arithmetic aggregation of the percentages that precede them.

USE OF NON-GAAP FINANCIAL MEASURES

This prospectus contains “non-GAAP financial measures”, which are financial measures that are not calculated and presented in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States, or “GAAP”.

The SEC has adopted rules to regulate the use in filings with the SEC and in other public disclosures of non-GAAP financial measures. These rules govern the manner in which non-GAAP financial measures are publicly presented and require, among other things:

Specifically, we make use of the non-GAAP financial measures “Adjusted EBITDA”, “Adjusted EBITDA margin”, “Acquisition Adjusted EBITDA”, “Adjusted Net Income” and “Free Cash Flow” in evaluating our past performance and future prospects. For the definitions of Adjusted EBITDA and Acquisition Adjusted EBITDA and a reconciliation to net income, their most directly comparable financial measure presented in accordance with GAAP, see footnote 8 to the table under the heading “Summary—Summary Consolidated Financial Data.” Adjusted EBITDA margin is defined as Adjusted EBITDA divided by revenue for the appropriate period. For the definition of Adjusted Net Income and a reconciliation to net income, its most directly comparable financial measure presented in accordance with GAAP, see footnote 9 to the table under the heading “Summary—Summary Consolidated Financial Data.” For the definition of Free Cash Flow and a reconciliation to net cash provided by operating activities, its most directly comparable financial measure presented in accordance with GAAP, see footnote 10 to the table under the heading “Summary—Summary Consolidated Financial Data.”

We present Adjusted EBITDA, Adjusted EBITDA margin, Acquisition Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted Net Income because we believe they assist investors and analysts in comparing our operating performance across reporting periods on a consistent basis by excluding items that we do not believe are indicative of our core operating performance. Management and our board of directors use Adjusted EBITDA, Adjusted EBITDA margin and Acquisition Adjusted EBITDA to assess our financial performance and believe they are helpful in highlighting trends because they exclude the results of decisions that are outside the control of management, while other measures can differ significantly depending on long-term strategic decisions regarding capital structure, the tax jurisdictions in which we operate and capital investments. Further, our executive incentive compensation is based in part on

Acquisition Adjusted EBITDA. In addition, we use Acquisition Adjusted EBITDA as calculated herein for purposes of calculating compliance with our debt covenants in our Senior Secured Credit Facilities (as defined herein).

We use Adjusted Net Income as a supplemental metric to evaluate our business performance in a way that also considers our ability to generate profit without the impact of certain items. For example, it is useful to exclude stock-based compensation expenses because the amount of such expenses in any specific period may not directly correlate to the underlying performance of our business, and these expenses can vary significantly across periods due to the timing of new stock-based awards. We also exclude the amortization of intangible assets and certain discrete costs, including deferred revenue adjustments, impairment charges and transaction costs (including professional fees and other expenses associated with acquisition activity) in order to facilitate a period-over-period comparison of our financial performance. Each of the normal recurring adjustments and other adjustments described in this paragraph help to provide management with a measure of our operating performance over time by removing items that are not related to day-to-day operations.

We present Free Cash Flow because we believe it is a useful indicator of liquidity that provides information to management and investors about the amount of cash generated from our core operations that, after capital expenditures, can be used for strategic initiatives, including investing in our business, making strategic acquisitions and strengthening our balance sheet. We use Free Cash Flow to evaluate the amount of cash generated by our business that can be used to maintain and grow our business, for the repayment of indebtedness, payment of dividends and to fund strategic opportunities, including investing in our business and strengthening our balance sheet.

Adjusted EBITDA, Acquisition Adjusted EBITDA, Adjusted Net Income and Free Cash Flow have limitations as analytical tools, and you should not consider such measures either in isolation or as a substitute for analyzing our results as reported under GAAP. Some of these limitations include:

We compensate for these limitations by relying primarily on our GAAP results and using Adjusted EBITDA, Acquisition Adjusted EBITDA, Adjusted Net Income and Free Cash Flow only as supplemental information.

We have a highly attractive business model with:

In addition, we convert a high proportion of our revenue into cash due to:

Our Industry Sectors

We operate leading trade shows, which serve a large and broad set of global exhibitors and attendees, across multiple attractive, fragmented sectors that represent significant portions of the U.S. economy. Exhibitor and attendee fragmentation is an especially important aspect of the trade show industry. In markets characterized by diffuse exhibitors and attendees, trade shows uniquely offer the opportunity for live interaction between large numbers of participants on both sides of a potential transaction (a “many-to-many” environment) within a short period of time. Further, the highly fragmented nature of our markets enhances the stability of our entire platform as the loss of any single exhibitor or attendee is unlikely to cause other exhibitors or attendees to derive less value and stop attending a show.

We operate trade shows in a number of broadly-defined industry sectors, as summarized in the table below.

The table below shows our revenue growth from 2014 to 2016 broken down by industry sector.

Gift, Home & General Merchandise:    We currently operate 13 trade shows in this sector that are focused on a broad range of consumer goods mostly used in and around the home. These shows bring together exhibitors who manufacture and/or distribute such products with attendees who primarily represent the retailers or wholesalers that purchase these goods for resale. Our two largest franchises in this sector are ASD Market Week and NY NOW, representing four trade shows—ASD Market Week March, ASD Market Week August, NY NOW Winter and NY NOW Summer—each of which is a large, horizontal (i.e., multi-category) show that aggregates several distinct marketplaces spanning a wide range of products in a single location. The significant category diversification at both ASD Market Week and NY NOW adds to the stability and resiliency of our business. Our other franchises are vertical (i.e., single category) shows and include ICFF (contemporary furniture), KBIS (kitchen and bath products) and NSS (stationery and specialty paper products). Our shows are particularly important to participants in this sector as they provide a many-to-many environment that enables a large and diverse group of attendees and exhibitors from all over the world to buy and sell a wide variety of products in a short period of time. Shows within this sector tend to have significant “order-writing” activity where exhibitors generate sales during the trade show itself. The product assortment offered by our exhibitors is constantly evolving, which creates a further need for our attendees to return to our shows year after year to be able to see, sample, learn about and order new goods or services. In addition, the highly fragmented base of exhibitors and attendees creates a strong network effect that mitigates the potential loss of any single exhibitor. Revenues in this industry sector grew at a CAGR of 5% from 2014 to 2016.

Sports:    We currently operate 18 trade shows in this sector. These shows are among the largest in the United States and the world, and include iconic franchises such as Outdoor Retailer (“OR”) and Surf Expo, as well as other leading shows such as Interbike, Imprinted Sportswear Shows (“ISS”) and the Sports Licensing & Tailgate Show, each of which is well-known within its respective industry vertical. Exhibitors at these shows are manufacturers or distributors of equipment, gear and other goods serving these markets, while attendees are typically retailers or wholesalers who purchase these goods for resale. These shows also have a many-to-many environment where thousands of specialty sports retailers interact with hundreds of specialty equipment and athletic apparel manufacturers. The Sports shows target the highly fragmented sports retail market where sports enthusiast clientele are typically served by independent specialized retailers. Attendees and exhibitors in this market tend to be primarily focused on high-end, performance-oriented, experiential products, where minor improvements in performance are a differentiator. Given these characteristics, it is important for attendees to test and learn about the products in person to be able to sell them to their customers, which makes this market ideally suited for trade shows. The consistent and frequent introduction of young startup brands and new categories, such as E-bikes, in the active lifestyle and outdoor markets offers growth opportunities. Revenues in this industry sector grew at a CAGR of 14% from 2014 to 2016.

Design & Construction:    We currently operate 5 trade shows in this sector including the Hospitality Design Exposition & Conference (“HD Expo”), GlobalShop and the Healthcare Design Expo & Conference (“HCD”),

which focus on interior designers, architects, owners/operators, developers, specifiers and purchasers working within a range of sectors, including hotels, resorts, restaurants, bars, spas, retail stores and healthcare facilities. The Design & Construction sector is particularly well suited for trade shows because design and construction are highly visual processes requiring in-person interaction. Our shows provide value to industry participants by enabling designers and architects to stay current with trends in product styles, which tend to change from year to year, and earn continuing education credits for their professional certifications. These shows also offer participants exposure to upcoming remodeling, renovation and new-build construction projects, which are often discussed at our shows, making it important for participants to return every year in order to stay close to the pipeline of future business. In addition, the aggregation of a wide range of products and service providers under one roof allows participants to save time and expense. Revenues in this industry sector grew at a CAGR of 21% from 2014 to 2016.

Technology:    We currently operate 6 trade shows in the Technology sector, which we entered in 2014 with the acquisition of the Internet Retailer Conference and Expo (“IRCE”), a brand within GLM. IRCE brings together exhibitors who provide, and retailer attendees who need, eCommerce solutions and services, and is the largest show of its type in the country. Exhibitors cover the full spectrum of eCommerce solutions, including online marketplaces, payment processors and supply chain solutions providers. We expanded our presence in the Technology sector through the acquisitions of Digital Dealer Conference and Expo (“Digital Dealer”) and RFID Journal LIVE! (“RFID LIVE!”) in 2016 and CEDIA Expo (“CEDIA”) and the International Drone Conference & Exposition (“InterDrone”) in 2017. Digital Dealer is the retail automotive industry’s leading digital strategy trade show and conference focused on introducing, exploring and implementing the various digital components that automotive dealers use to engage automotive customers. RFID LIVE! is the world’s largest show focused on radio frequency identification (“RFID”) and related technologies, bringing together attendees, exhibitors, researchers, academics, consultants and others interested in using RFID technologies to identify, track and manage assets and inventories across a wide range of industries. CEDIA is the largest trade show in the home technology market, serving industry professionals that manufacture, design and integrate goods and services for the connected home. InterDrone is the leading trade show in the U.S. commercial drone market. Revenues in this industry sector grew at a CAGR of 6% from 2014 to 2016.

Jewelry:    We currently operate 6 trade shows in this sector that showcase high-end and mid-tier jewelry. Our key franchises include COUTURE, JA New York and the Las Vegas Antique Jewelry & Watch Show. The Jewelry sector as a whole is conducive to the trade show business model, as there are tactile and visual elements to selecting jewelry, expanding product offerings and remaining current with new trends. Revenues in this industry sector grew at a CAGR of 0.4% from 2014 to 2016.

Other Trade Shows:    Our remaining 10 trade shows span five sectors in which we maintain leading shows: Photography, Food, Healthcare, Industrials and Military. Aggregate revenues in these industry sectors grew at a CAGR of 17% from 2014 to 2016.

Other Events:    We currently operate more than 70 additional events across a wide variety of formats including B2B conferences, business-to-consumer (“B2C”) events, summits, awards and luxury private sales. One of our larger categories within the Other Events sector is our antique portfolio, consisting of the Original Miami Beach Antique Show (“OMBAS”), the New York Antique Jewelry & Watch Show and LUEUR Spring. We also hold B2C luxury private sales events under our Soiffer Haskin brand. Revenues from Other Events grew at a CAGR of 31% from 2014 to 2016.

The Trade Show Industry

Self-Reinforcing Network Effects

The trade show industry serves as a forum to connect attendees and exhibitors within specific industry sectors. At these shows, primarily held in convention centers at periodic intervals, exhibitors set up exhibits, or “booths,” in order to promote their products and services to attendees who are authorized buyers for retail or wholesale organizations or businesses (as opposed to individual consumers, who would typically attend B2C events). These shows are part of exhibitors’ regular annual marketing budgets and attendees’ regular annual procurement budgets, as well as new product research and industry networking initiatives. Attendees use our shows to fulfill procurement needs, source new suppliers, reconnect with existing suppliers, identify trends, learn about new products and network with industry peers. Exhibitors see trade shows as marketing events that enable them to generate sales, introduce new products, generate leads, build their brands, learn about competitors’ offerings, educate the market and service customers. Trade shows are critical networking events for both attendees and exhibitors, and are difficult to displace

and replicate through interactions that are not face-to-face. The key value proposition of a trade show is its ability to provide otherwise fragmented bases of attendees and exhibitors the opportunity to interact in person and examine a wide variety of products in a short period of time for a reasonably low cost. As illustrated in the chart below, more survey respondents view trade shows and conferences as “very effective” for lead generation than any other alternative marketing method.

Source: LinkedIn Technology Marketing Research on B2B Lead Generation, 2015

Effective trade shows are characterized by a self-reinforcing business model, in which attendees with authority to make purchasing decisions make trade shows “must-attend” events for key industry suppliers. High-quality exhibitors, in turn, introduce new products and innovations and set trends, thereby driving increased attendance. This self-reinforcing “network effect” helps solidify a trade show’s leading position for the long term and establishes significant competitive advantages.

The value of a trade show to an exhibitor is a function of the quality and quantity of the attendee base. The quality of attendees can be measured by the extent to which attendees have the authority to make purchasing decisions, as well as by the amount of purchasing that occurs during or after a show. According to Exhibit Surveys Trade Show Benchmarks and Trends, approximately 82% of trade show attendees in 2015 (the last full year for which such data is available) held some purchasing decision-making power in their respective organizations, while approximately 51% of trade show attendees planned to make purchases during or following shows. Importantly, this

statistic and the overall level of attendance at trade shows have remained quite stable for more than a decade, despite internet and digital media growth. We believe this demonstrates the strength and enduring nature of the trade show business model, with shows valued by exhibitors and attendees alike.

Source: CEIR 2016 Analysis for number of attendees; Exhibit Surveys Trade Show Benchmarks and Trends for percentage of attendees planning to make purchases and percentage of attendees with authority to make purchases

Revenue and Cash Flow Model

Trade show organizers generate revenues primarily by selling trade show exhibit space to exhibitors on a per square foot basis. Other revenue streams include fees for ancillary exhibition services and attendee registration fees. The sales cycle for a trade show typically begins during the prior show and, as a result, show operators usually have significant revenue visibility. This contributes to the highly favorable working capital cycle of our business as non-refundable deposits for exhibit space are received well in advance of each show and the bulk of our expenses are incurred around the time of the show. We also engage third-party sales agents to support our marketing efforts. More than 95% of our sales are made by our employees, with less than 5% made by third-party sales agents. These agents, who are mainly based in Asia and Europe, are paid a commission based on a percentage of sales.

Prior to each show, a trade show organizer selects and manages venues, hotels and vendors for set-up, registration, travel, lodging, audio-visual services and other services. Trade show organizers regularly subcontract much of the work that goes into setting up the physical show itself to exhibition services companies, or “decorators,” who typically bill exhibitors directly for the substantial majority of decorating expenses. After floor space is sold, the exhibitors work directly with the decorator or other suppliers of services to coordinate the construction, transportation and installation of their booths. Rental of the floor space from the trade show organizer only represents approximately one-third of a typical exhibitor’s total cost of exhibiting at a trade show, while marketing, decorating, travel and lodging represent the remainder. We believe this decreases exhibitor sensitivity to increases in the price of trade show booth space since it typically represents only a modest portion of the overall cost of participation.

Market Size and Structure

The United States has the largest and most developed B2B trade show market in the world at an estimated size in excess of $13.5 billion in revenue in 2016, according to the AMR Report. Although the growth trajectory of any individual show will be a function of its particular sector, the industry overall is expected to grow at a CAGR of nearly 5% from 2016 through 2020. This growth is anticipated to be driven by a combination of volume growth in line with real GDP growth and consistent price increases. For any individual show operator, acquisitions and new show launches would be additive to this growth.

While the trade show industry on the whole is large, it is highly fragmented, with the four largest for-profit organizers (Emerald Expositions, Reed Exhibitions, UBM and Informa Exhibitions) accounting for 9% of the wider U.S. market in 2015 (the last full year for which such data is available). There are nearly 9,400 trade shows per year in the United States of varying sizes, the majority of which are owned by entrepreneurs and non-profit industry associations. Based on data in the AMR Report, we estimate our 2015 total events revenue represents a market share of approximately 2%. Although the overall market is fragmented, any given trade show competes only against the

other trade shows that are relevant to its sector. For example, our OR Summer Market does not in any way compete with our International Pizza Expo and neither show has significant competitors in its respective category in the United States. As noted, nearly all of our shows are the market leaders within their respective industry verticals.

Source: AMR Report

Our Strengths

mass of both high-quality exhibitors and attendees quickly from a standstill, which is difficult to accomplish. Furthermore, the theoretical savings a new entrant could offer exhibitors in the form of a lower price are limited because booth space typically only represents approximately one-third of the total cost of exhibiting at a show.

aggregate of approximately $450.0 million of income over the next 15 years, and (ii) $59.9 million in federal NOLs as of December 31, 2016, which we expect to fully utilize in 2017, in each case assuming we generate taxable income in the applicable period.

Our Growth Strategy

Our goal is to expand our market leadership position and capture an increasing share of the growing U.S. trade show industry. Our strategies to achieve this goal include:

Risks Associated with Our Business

Our business is subject to numerous risks described in “Risk Factors” immediately following this prospectus summary and elsewhere in this prospectus. These risks represent challenges to the successful implementation of our strategy and to the growth and future profitability of our business. Some of the more significant risks are:

See “Risk Factors” immediately following this prospectus summary for a more thorough discussion of these and other risks and uncertainties we face.

Organizational Structure

The chart below summarizes our ownership and corporate structure after giving effect to this offering, assuming no exercise of the underwriters’ option to purchase additional shares.

Implications of Being an Emerging Growth Company

As a company with less than $1.0 billion in revenue during our last fiscal year, we qualify as an “emerging growth company” as defined in the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act of 2012 (the “JOBS Act”). An emerging growth company may take advantage of specified reduced reporting and other requirements that are otherwise applicable generally to public companies. These provisions include:

We may take advantage of these provisions until the last day of our fiscal year following the fifth anniversary of the completion of this offering or such earlier time that we are no longer an emerging growth company. We would cease to be an emerging growth company upon the earliest of: (i) the last day of the first fiscal year in which our annual gross revenues are $1.0 billion or more; (ii) the end of any fiscal year in which the market value of our common stock held by non-affiliates exceeded $700.0 million as of the end of the second quarter of that fiscal year; or (iii) the date on which we have, during the previous three-year period, issued more than $1.0 billion in non-convertible debt securities. We have elected to take advantage of some of the reduced disclosure obligations listed above in this prospectus, and may elect to take advantage of other reduced reporting requirements in future filings. In particular, we have elected to adopt the reduced disclosure with respect to our executive compensation disclosure. As a result of this election, the information that we provide stockholders may be different than you might get from other public companies.

The JOBS Act permits an emerging growth company like us to take advantage of an extended transition period to comply with new or revised accounting standards applicable to public companies. We are choosing to irrevocably “opt out” of this provision and, as a result, we will comply with new or revised accounting standards as required when they are adopted.

Corporate Information

We were incorporated as Expo Event Holdco, Inc. in Delaware in 2013 and renamed Emerald Expositions Events, Inc. on March 29, 2017. Our principal executive offices are located at 31910 Del Obispo Street, Suite 200, San Juan Capistrano, California 92675. Our telephone number is (949) 226-5700. We maintain a website at www.emeraldexpositions.com. The information contained on, or that can be accessed through, our website is not a part of, and should not be considered as being incorporated by reference into, this prospectus.

We were acquired by an affiliate of certain investment funds managed by an affiliate of Onex Partners Manager LP and/or Onex Corporation (“Onex”) on June 17, 2013 (the “Onex Acquisition”). Prior to the Onex Acquisition, we were named Nielsen Business Media Holding Company and operated as a separate business of The Nielsen Company B.V. (“Nielsen”). Following the consummation of this offering, we expect to be a “controlled company” for the purposes of the New York Stock Exchange rules.

Our Sponsor

Onex is one of the oldest and most successful private equity firms in North America. Through its Onex Partners and ONCAP private equity funds, Onex acquires and builds high-quality businesses in partnership with talented management teams. At Onex Credit, Onex manages and invests in leveraged loans, collateralized loan obligations and other credit securities. Onex has approximately $24 billion of assets under management, including $6 billion of Onex proprietary capital. With offices in Toronto, New York, New Jersey and London, Onex invests its capital through its two investing platforms and is the largest limited partner in each of its private equity funds.

Onex has extensive experience investing in leading business services companies. Notable examples of Onex’ investments in the business services sector over its 32-year history include Clarivate Analytics (formerly the IP & Science business of Thomson Reuters), sgsco, USI Insurance Services, CSI Global Education, Canadian Securities Registration Systems and SITEL Worldwide Corporation.

After giving effect to this offering, Onex and its affiliates are expected to own approximately    % of our common stock (or    % if the underwriters exercise in full their option to purchase additional shares). Onex will have the ability to control the outcome of matters submitted to our stockholders for approval, including the election of our directors and the approval of any change in control transaction. For a discussion of our relationship with Onex and more details on Onex’ ownership interest and conflicts of interest, see “Certain Relationships and Related Party Transactions,” “Description of Capital Stock” and “Risk Factors—Risks Relating to this Offering and Ownership of Our Common Stock—Our directors who have relationships with Onex may have conflicts of interest with respect to matters involving us.”

Unless otherwise indicated, all information contained in this prospectus:

The number of shares of common stock to be outstanding after this offering is based on           shares of common stock outstanding as of             , 2017, after giving effect to the   -for-one stock split that occurred on   , 2017, and excludes:

On July 21, 2014, we entered into the Second Amendment to the Senior Secured Credit Facilities (the “Second Amendment”) which re-priced the facility by lowering the interest rate and LIBOR floor rate. We applied debt modification accounting guidance and determined the modification was significant for several lenders in the term facility syndicate. Therefore, $1.9 million of deferred financing fees and original issue discount was written off in the third quarter of 2014.

We use Adjusted Net Income as a supplemental metric to evaluate our business’s performance in a way that also considers our ability to generate profit without the impact of certain items.

For example, it is useful to exclude stock-based compensation expenses because the amount of such expenses in any specific period may not directly correlate to the underlying performance of our business, and these expenses can vary significantly across periods due to timing of new stock-based awards. We also exclude the amortization of intangible assets and certain discrete costs, including deferred revenue adjustments, impairment charges and transaction costs (including professional fees and other expenses associated with acquisition activity) in order to facilitate a period-over-period comparison of our financial performance. This measure also reflects an adjustment for the difference between cash amounts paid in respect of taxes and the amount of tax recorded in accordance with GAAP. Each of the normal recurring adjustments and other adjustments described in this paragraph help to provide management with a measure of our operating performance over time by removing items that are not related to day-to-day operations or are noncash expenses.

Adjusted Net Income is a supplemental non-GAAP financial measure of operating performance and is not based on any standardized methodology prescribed by GAAP. Adjusted Net Income should not be considered in isolation or as an alternative to net income, cash flows from operating activities or other measures determined in accordance with GAAP. Also, Adjusted Net Income is not necessarily comparable to similarly titled measures presented by other companies.

We use Free Cash Flow to evaluate the amount of cash generated by our business that can be used to maintain and grow our business, for the repayment of indebtedness, payment of dividends and to fund strategic opportunities, including investing in our business and strengthening our balance sheet.

Free Cash Flow is a supplemental non-GAAP financial measure of liquidity and is not based on any standardized methodology prescribed by GAAP. Free Cash Flow should not be considered in isolation or as an alternative to cash flows from operating activities or other measures determined in accordance with GAAP. Also, Free Cash Flow is not necessarily comparable to similarly titled measures used by other companies.

other natural disasters, could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, cash flows and results of operations. While we are generally insured against direct losses, one or more of the factors described above could cause a long-term reduction in the willingness of exhibitors and attendees to travel to attend our trade shows, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, cash flows and results of operations.

We may fail to accurately monitor or respond to changing market trends and adapt our trade show p ortfolio accordingly.

Our success depends in part upon our ability to monitor changing market trends and to adapt our trade shows, acquire existing trade shows or launch new trade shows to meet the evolving needs of existing and emerging target audiences. The process of researching, developing, launching and establishing profitability for a new trade show may lead to initial operating losses. During 2017, we expect to launch several new shows. Our efforts to adapt our trade shows, or to introduce new trade shows into our portfolio, in response to our perception of changing market trends, may not succeed, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, cash flows and results of operations.

If we fail to attract leading brands as exhibitors in, or high-quality attendees to , our trade shows, we may lose the benefit of the self-reinforcing “network effect” we enjoy today.

The leading brands represented by our exhibitors attract attendees who, in many cases, have authority to make purchasing decisions, or who offer other benefits (such as publicity or press coverage) by virtue of their attendance. The presence of these exhibitors and attendees creates the self-reinforcing “network effect” that benefits our business; however, if representatives of leading brands decide for any reason not to participate in our trade shows, the number and quality of attendees could decline, which could lead to a rapid decline in the results of one or more trade shows and have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition, cash flows and results of operations.

We may face increased competition from existing trade show operators or new competitors .

Although the trade show market is highly fragmented, we currently face competition in certain of our industry sectors. Further, our high profit margins and low start-up costs could encourage new operators to enter the trade show business. Both existing and new competitors present an alternative to our product offerings, and if competition increases or others are successful in attracting away our exhibitors and attendees, it could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, cash flows and results of operations.

A significant portion of our revenue is generated by our top five trade shows.

We depend on our top five trade shows to generate a significant portion of our revenues. For the year ended December 31, 2016, our top five shows were ASD Market Week March, ASD Market Week August, NY NOW Summer, NY NOW Winter and OR Summer Market. For the year ended December 31, 2016, these shows represented 35% of our total revenues. Notwithstanding the fact that ASD Market Week and NY NOW represent multiple product categories and that all of our shows are highly diversified by customer, a significant decline in the performance or prospects of any one of these significant trade shows could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.

We intend to continue to be highly acquisitive, and our acquisition growth strategy entails risk.

Our acquisition growth strategy entails various risks, including, among others:

Our exhibitors may choose to use an increasing portion of their marketing and advertising budgets to fund online initiatives or otherwise reduce the amount of money they have available to spend in connection with our trade shows.

Our trade shows have high NSF renewal rates, and we expect to continue to derive the substantial majority of our revenues from selling booth space to exhibitors. Although we have not observed a decline in demand for our trade shows as a result of the increasing use of the internet and social media for advertising and marketing, the increasing influence of online marketing and any resulting reductions of the budgets our participants allocate to our trade shows could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, cash flows and results of operations.

We may lose the services of members of our senior management team or of certain of our key full time employees and we may not be able to replace them adequately .

We benefit substantially from the leadership and experience of members of our senior management team and we depend on their continued services to successfully implement our business strategy. The loss of any member of our senior management team or other key employee could materially and adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations. We currently maintain key man insurance only for our CEO. We cannot be certain that we will continue to retain our executives’ services, or the services of other key personnel, many of whom have significant industry experience and/or institutional knowledge. Moreover, we may not be able to attract and retain other qualified personnel. The loss of the services of senior management or other key full-time employees, or our inability to attract and retain other qualified personnel, could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, cash flows and results of operations.

We use third-party agents whom we do not control to sell space at our trade shows, particularly to international exhibitors.

We supplement our sales employees with third-party agents, who often have deeper connections in international markets than we could have on our own. We do not have full control over these agents, and they have the potential to expose us to reputational and legal risks either through representing our company poorly, selling exhibition space at our trade shows to low quality or otherwise inappropriate exhibitors or violating certain laws or regulations including the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and other applicable anti-bribery laws in contravention of our policies and procedures. Our relationships with these agents are not always exclusive, and any of a number of factors could lead to a reduction or cessation of their efforts to sell exhibit space at our trade shows, potentially reducing participation at our trade shows and having a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, cash flows and results of operations.

Changes in legislation, regulation and government policy , including as a result of U.S. presidential and congressional elections , may have a material adverse effect on our business in the future.

The recent presidential and congressional elections in the United States could result in significant changes in, and uncertainty with respect to, legislation, regulation and government policy. While it is not possible to predict whether and when any such changes will occur, changes at the local, state or federal level could significantly impact our business. Specific legislative and regulatory proposals discussed during and after the election that could have a material impact on us include, but are not limited to, reform of the federal tax code; infrastructure renewal programs; changes to immigration policy; modifications to international trade policy, including withdrawing from trade agreements and taxes on imports; and changes to financial legislation and public company reporting requirements. In particular, changes to immigration policy could make it more difficult for some exhibitors and attendees to attend our events.

We are currently unable to predict whether policy change discussions will meaningfully change existing legislative and regulatory environments relevant for our business. To the extent that such changes have a negative impact on us, including as a result of related uncertainty, these changes may materially and adversely impact our business, financial condition, cash flows and results of operations.

A loss or disruption of the services from one or more of the limited number of outside contractors who specialize in decoration, facility set-up and other services in connection with our trade shows could harm our business.

We, and to a greater extent, our exhibitors, use a limited number of outside contractors for decoration, facility set-up and other services in connection with our trade shows, and we and our exhibitors rely on the availability, capability and willingness of these contractors to provide services on a timely basis and on favorable economic and other terms. Notwithstanding our long-term contracts with these contractors, many factors outside our control could harm these relationships and the availability, capability or willingness of these contractors to provide these services on acceptable terms. The partial or complete loss of these contractors, or a significant adverse change in our or our exhibitors’ relationships with any of these contractors, could result in service delays, reputational damage and/or added costs that could harm our business and customer relationships to the extent we or our exhibitors are unable to replace them in a timely or cost-effective fashion, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, cash flows and results of operations.

Some facilities where we hold our trade shows require decorators, facility set-up and other service providers to use unionized labor. Any union strikes or work stoppages could result in delays in launching or running our trade shows, reputational damage and/or added costs, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, cash flows and results of operations.

The industry associations that sponsor and market our trade shows could cease to do so effectively , or could be replaced or supplemented by new industry associations who do not sponsor or market our trade shows.

We often enter into long-term sponsorship agreements with industry associations whereby the industry association endorses and markets our trade show to its members, typically in exchange for a percentage of the trade show’s revenue. Our success depends, in part, on our continued relationships with these industry associations and our ability to enter into similar relationships with other industry associations. Although we frequently enter into long-term agreements with these counterparties, these relationships remain subject to various risks, including, among others:

Any disruptions or impediments in these existing relationships, or the inability to establish a new relationship, could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, cash flows and results of operations.

Our launch of new trade shows or new initiatives with respect to current trade shows may be unsuccessful and consume significant management and financial resources.

From time to time, we launch new trade shows or new initiatives with respect to current trade shows. During 2017, we expect to launch several new shows. We may expend significant management time and start-up expenses during the development and launch of new trade shows or initiatives, and if such trade shows or initiatives are not successful or fall short of expectations, we may be adversely affected. Because we have limited resources, we must effectively manage and properly allocate and prioritize our efforts. There can be no assurance that we will be successful or, even if successful, that any resulting new trade shows or new initiatives with respect to current trade shows will achieve customer acceptance.

We do not own certain of the trade shows that we operate or certain trademarks associated with some of our shows .

Risks associated with our relationships with industry trade associations or other third-party sponsors of our events are particularly applicable in the case of KBIS, which is a trade show owned by an industry association, and in the case of the JA New York trade shows and our Military trade shows, which are the trade shows in our portfolio where the show trademarks are owned by an industry association or other third party and not by us. Any material disruption to our relationship with these third parties could have a material adverse impact on the revenue stream from these trade shows.

The infringement or invalidation of proprietary rights could have an adverse effect on our business.

We rely on trademark, trade secret and copyright laws in the United States and on company policies and confidentiality agreements with our employees, consultants, advisors and collaborators to protect our proprietary rights, including with respect to the names of our trade shows, our exhibitor and attendee contact databases and other intellectual property rights. Our confidentiality agreements may not provide adequate protection of our proprietary rights in the event of unauthorized use or disclosure of our proprietary information or if our proprietary information otherwise becomes known, or is independently developed, by competitors. Failure to obtain or maintain adequate protection of our intellectual property rights for any reason could have a material adverse effect on our business. We rely on our trademarks, trade names and brand names to distinguish our trade shows from those of our competitors, and have registered and applied to register many of these trademarks. We cannot assure you that our trademark applications will be approved or that our federal registrations will be upheld if challenged. Third parties may oppose our applications or otherwise challenge our use of our trademarks through administrative processes or litigation. In the event that our trademarks are successfully challenged, we could be forced to rebrand our products and/or services, which could result in the loss of brand recognition and could require us to devote resources to advertising and marketing new brands. Further, we cannot assure you that competitors will not infringe our trademarks, or that we will identify all such infringements or have adequate resources to properly enforce our trademarks.

In addition, our business activities could infringe upon the proprietary rights of others, who could assert infringement claims against us. If we are forced to defend against any such claims, whether they are with or without merit or are determined in our favor, then we may face reputational damage, costly and time-consuming litigation, diversion of management’s attention and resources or other adverse effects on our products and services. As a result of such a dispute, we may have to rebrand our products or services, or enter into royalty or licensing agreements in order to obtain the right to use a third party’s intellectual property. Such royalty or licensing agreements, if required, may be unavailable on terms acceptable to us, or at all. If there is a successful claim of infringement against us, we could be required to pay significant damages, enter into costly royalty or licensing agreements, or discontinue certain of our brands, any of which could adversely affect our business.

Our information technology systems, including our ERP business management system, could be disrupted.

The efficient operation of our business depends on our information technology systems. Since the Onex Acquisition, we have implemented an ERP business management system, and we recently implemented applications, including Hyperion planning software and a new customer relationship management tool. We also are in the process of transferring data storage functions to a new cloud storage services provider. We rely on our information technology systems and certain third-party providers to effectively manage our business data, communications, supply chain, order entry and fulfillment and other business and financial processes. Our failure to properly and efficiently implement our information technology systems, or the failure of our information technology systems to perform as we anticipate, could disrupt our business and could result in transaction errors, processing inefficiencies and the loss of revenue and customers, causing our business and results of operations to suffer. In addition, our information technology systems may be vulnerable to damage or interruption from circumstances beyond our control, including fire, natural disasters, power outages, systems failures and viruses. While we maintain disaster recovery plans, any such damage or interruption could have a material adverse effect on our business.

We could fail to protect certain employee or customer data .

We collect and retain certain employee and customer data, including personally identifiable information, and, in some cases, credit card data. Our various information technology systems enter, process, summarize and report such data. The integrity and protection of such data is critical to our business, and our customers and employees have an expectation that we will adequately protect their personal information. The regulatory environment governing information, security and privacy laws, as well as the requirements imposed on us by the credit card industry, are increasingly demanding and continue to evolve rapidly. Maintaining compliance with applicable information security and privacy regulations may increase our operating costs. We rely on third-party vendors to host our websites, customer databases and billing system. Any errors, failures, interruptions or delays experienced in connection with these third-party technologies and information services or our own systems could negatively impact our relationships with customers, adversely affect our brands and business and expose us to third-party liabilities. We exercise limited control over these third-party vendors, which increases our vulnerability to problems with services they provide. Furthermore, a compromised data system or the intentional, inadvertent or negligent release or disclosure of data by us or our third-party providers could result in theft, loss, or fraudulent or unlawful use of customer, employee or

company data, any of which could harm our reputation and/or result in costs, fines or lawsuits, which could materially adversely affect our financial condition and operating results.

We face risks associated with event cancellations or other interruptions to our business, which the insurance we maintain may not fully cover.

We maintain business interruption, event cancellation, casualty, general commercial and umbrella and excess liability insurance, as well as policies relating to workers’ compensation, director and officer insurance and property and product liability insurance. Our insurance policies may not cover all risks associated with the operation of our business and may not be sufficient to offset the costs of all losses, lost sales or increased costs experienced during business interruptions or event cancellations. For example, we may be forced to cancel trade shows in the event of natural or man-made disasters. In addition, many of our trade shows are held in government-owned facilities, including three that are held on military bases operated by the U.S. government. These governmental entities may have the right to exclude us from the venues, or may not give us executed venue contracts until immediately prior to a scheduled trade show. While we are insured against losses arising from event cancellations, we are not reimbursed for any property that is discarded or destroyed or that we are required to replace because our existing assets are temporarily inaccessible. Such losses could have a negative impact on our business.

Certain events can also lead to reputational harm which could have a long-term negative impact on a trade show that would not be mitigated by insurance coverage. For some risks, we may not obtain insurance if we believe the cost of available insurance is excessive related to the risks presented. As a result of market conditions, premiums and deductibles for certain insurance policies can increase substantially and, in some instances, certain insurance policies may become unavailable or available only for reduced amounts of coverage. As a result, we may not be able to renew our insurance policies or procure other desirable insurance on commercially reasonable terms, if at all. Losses and liabilities from uninsured or underinsured events and delay in the payment of insurance proceeds could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.

We may face material litigation.

Although we are not currently subject to any litigation that we believe would have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, cash flows or results of operations, we may in the future become subject to litigation or claims that arise in the ordinary course of business, such as employment-related or intellectual property-related litigation. Litigation can be expensive, time-consuming and disruptive to normal business operations, including to our management team due to the increased time and resources required to respond to and address the litigation. An unfavorable outcome with respect to any particular matter or costs related to the settlement of any such matter could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, cash flows and results of operations.

We may be unable to fully utilize the benefits associated with our favorable tax attributes.

As of December 31, 2016, we had $59.9 million of NOLs for U.S. federal income tax purposes, which we expect to fully utilize in 2017. In addition, our favorable tax attributes include amortization of intangibles resulting primarily from our historical acquisitions. If we generate taxable income in the future, we may be able to utilize these NOLs and amortization expense to offset future federal income tax liabilities. We expect amortization expense relating to recent acquisitions will be available to offset cash taxes on an aggregate of approximately $450.0 million of income over the next 15 years. To the extent possible, we will structure our operating activities to minimize our income tax liabilities. However, there can be no assurance we will be able to reduce it to a specified level.

In addition, while this offering will not result in a change of control under Section 382 of the U.S. Internal Revenue Code of 1986, any subsequent accumulations of common stock ownership leading to a change of control under that section, including through sales of our common stock by large stockholders after this offering, all of which are outside of our control, could limit our ability to utilize our NOLs to offset future federal income tax liabilities.

Risks Relating to our Indebtedness

Our substantial indebtedness could adversely affect our financial condition and limit our ability to raise additional capital to fund our operations.

We have a significant amount of indebtedness. As of December 31, 2016, we had $713.3 million of borrowings outstanding under the Term Loan Facility, with $99.4 million in additional borrowing capacity under the Revolving Credit Facility (after giving effect to $0.6 million of outstanding letters of credit).

Our high level of indebtedness could have important consequences to us, including:

Any one of these limitations could have a material effect on our business, financial condition, cash flows, results of operations and ability to satisfy our obligations in respect of our outstanding debt.

Despite our current debt levels, we may incur substantially more indebtedness, which could further exacerbate the risks associate d with our substantial leverage.

We and our subsidiaries may be able to incur additional indebtedness in the future, which may be secured. While our Senior Secured Credit Facilities limit our ability and the ability of our subsidiaries to incur additional indebtedness, these restrictions are subject to a number of qualifications and exceptions and thus, notwithstanding these restrictions, we may still be able to incur substantially more debt. In addition, provided that no default or event of default (as defined in the Senior Secured Credit Facilities) has occurred and is continuing, we have the option to add one or more incremental term loan or revolving credit facilities or increase commitments under the Revolving Credit Facility by an aggregate amount which does not cause our total first lien net leverage ratio, on a pro forma basis (in each case, as defined in the Senior Secured Credit Facilities), to exceed 4.50 to 1.00, plus an additional $100.0 million (of which $71.8 million remained available as of December 31, 2016). As of December 31, 2016, we had $713.3 million of borrowings outstanding under the Term Loan Facility, with $99.4 million in additional borrowing capacity under the Revolving Credit Facility (after giving effect to $0.6 million of outstanding letters of credit). To the extent that we incur additional indebtedness, the risks that we now face related to our substantial indebtedness could increase.

To service our indebtedness, we require a significant amount of cash, which depends on many factors beyond our control.

Based on our current level of operations, we believe our cash flow from operations, available cash and available borrowings under our Senior Secured Credit Facilities will be adequate to meet our liquidity needs for the next twelve months. We cannot assure you, however, that our business will generate sufficient cash flow from operations, or that future borrowings will be available to us under our Senior Secured Credit Facilities in amounts sufficient to enable us to fund our liquidity needs.

If we do not generate sufficient cash flow from operations to satisfy our debt obligations, we may have to undertake alternative financing plans, such as:

We cannot assure you that we would be able to enter into these alternative financing plans on commercially reasonable terms or at all. Moreover, any alternative financing plans that we may be required to undertake would still not guarantee that we would be able to meet our debt obligations. Our inability to generate sufficient cash flow to satisfy our debt obligations, or to obtain alternative financing, could materially and adversely affect our business, results of operations, financial condition and business prospects. See “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations—Liquidity and Capital Resources.”

We will need to repay or refinance borrowings under our Senior Secured Credit Facilities.

The Term Loan Facility and the Revolving Credit Facility are scheduled to mature in June 2020 and 2018, respectively. As of December 31, 2016, we had $713.3 million of borrowings outstanding under the Term Loan Facility, with $99.4 million in additional borrowing capacity under the Revolving Credit Facility (after giving effect to $0.6 million of outstanding letters of credit).

We will need to repay, refinance, replace or otherwise extend the maturity of our Senior Secured Credit Facilities. Our ability to repay, refinance, replace or extend these facilities by their maturity dates will be dependent on, among other things, business conditions, our financial performance and the general condition of the financial markets. If a financial disruption were to occur at the time that we are required to repay indebtedness outstanding under our Senior Secured Credit Facilities, we could be forced to undertake alternate financings, negotiate for an extension of the maturity of our Senior Secured Credit Facilities or sell assets and delay capital expenditures in order to generate proceeds that could be used to repay indebtedness under our Senior Secured Credit Facilities. We cannot assure you that we will be able to consummate any such transaction on terms that are commercially reasonable, on terms acceptable to us or at all.

Our variable rate indebtedness subjects us to interest rate risk, which could cause our debt service obligations to increase significantly.

Borrowings under our Senior Secured Credit Facilities are at variable rates of interest and expose us to interest rate risk. Interest rates are still near historically low levels and are projected to rise in the future. If interest rates rise, our debt service obligations on the variable rate indebtedness will increase even though the amount borrowed may remain the same, and our net income and cash flows will correspondingly decrease. Assuming no prepayments of the Term Loan Facility (under which we had $713.3 million of borrowings outstanding as of December 31, 2016) and that the $100.0 million Revolving Credit Facility is fully drawn (and to the extent that LIBOR is in excess of the floor rate of our Senior Secured Credit Facilities), each 0.125% change in interest rates would result in a $1.0 million change in annual interest expense on the indebtedness under our Senior Secured Credit Facilities.

In March 2014, we entered into forward interest rate swap and floor contracts effectively converting the interest ratio on $100.0 million of borrowings under the Senior Secured Credit Facilities from a floating to a fixed rate in order to reduce interest rate volatility. The contracts have effective dates of December 31, 2015. Any swaps we enter into have costs associated with them and may not fully or effectively mitigate our interest rate risk. See “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations—Interest Rate Swap and Floor” in this prospectus for additional details regarding these instruments.

The covenants in our Senior Secured Credit Facilities impose restrictions that may limit our operating and financial flexibility.

Our Senior Secured Credit Facilities contain a number of significant restrictions and covenants that limit our ability, among other things, to:

In addition, the Revolving Credit Facility contains a financial covenant requiring us to comply with a 6.00 to 1.00 total first lien net secured leverage ratio test. This financial covenant is tested quarterly if the aggregate amount of revolving loans, swingline loans and letters of credit outstanding under the Revolving Credit Facility (net of up to $5.0 million of outstanding letters of credit) exceeds 25% of the total commitments thereunder.

These covenants could materially and adversely affect our ability to finance our future operations or capital needs. Furthermore, they may restrict our ability to expand and pursue our business strategies and otherwise conduct our business. Our ability to comply with these covenants may be affected by circumstances and events beyond our control, such as prevailing economic conditions and changes in regulations, and we cannot assure you that we will be able to comply with such covenants. These restrictions also limit our ability to obtain future financings to withstand a future downturn in our business or the economy in general. In addition, complying with these covenants may also cause us to take actions that may make it more difficult for us to successfully execute our business strategy and compete against companies that are not subject to such restrictions.

A breach of any covenant in our Senior Secured Credit Facilities or the agreements and indentures governing any other indebtedness that we may have outstanding from time to time would result in a default under that agreement or indenture after any applicable grace periods. A default, if not waived, could result in acceleration of the debt outstanding under the agreement and in a default with respect to, and an acceleration of, the debt outstanding under other debt agreements. If that occurs, we may not be able to make all of the required payments or borrow sufficient funds to refinance such debt. Even if new financing were available at that time, it may not be on terms that are acceptable to us or terms as favorable as our current agreements. If our debt is in default for any reason, our business, results of operations and financial condition could be materially and adversely affected.

Risks Relat ing to this Offering and Ownership of Our Common Stock

There is no existing market for our c ommon s tock, and we do not know if one will develop to provide you with adequate liquidity to sell shares of our c ommon s tock at prices equal to or greater than the price you paid in this offering.

Prior to this offering, there has not been a public market for our common stock. Although we have applied to list our common stock on the New York Stock Exchange, if an active trading market for our common stock does not develop following this offering, you may not be able to sell your shares quickly or at or above the initial public offering price. The initial public offering price for the shares will be determined by negotiations between us, the selling stockholders and representatives of the underwriters and may not be indicative of prices that will prevail in the trading market, and the value of our common stock may decrease from the initial public offering price.

The market price of our c ommon s tock may be highly volatile, and you may not be able to resell your shares at or above the initial public offering price.

The trading price of our common stock could be volatile, and you could lose all or part of your investment. The following factors, in addition to other factors including those described in this “Risk Factors” section and elsewhere in this prospectus, may have a significant impact on the market price of our common stock:

In addition, broad market and industry factors may negatively affect the market price of our common stock, regardless of our actual operating performance, and factors beyond our control may cause our stock price to decline rapidly and unexpectedly. We are exposed to the impact of any global or domestic economic disruption, including any potential impact of the vote by the United Kingdom to exit the European Union, commonly referred to as “Brexit.” Furthermore, the stock market has experienced extreme volatility that, in some cases, has been unrelated or disproportionate to the operating performance of particular companies.

We may be subject to securities litigation, which is expensive and could divert management attention.

Our share price may be volatile and, in the past, companies that have experienced volatility in the market price of their stock have been subject to securities class action litigation. We may be the target of this type of litigation in the future. Litigation of this type could result in substantial costs and diversion of management’s attention and resources, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. Any adverse determination in litigation could also subject us to significant liabilities.

The interests of our controlling stockholder may conflict with your interests.

Upon completion of this offering, Onex will own              shares of our common stock, representing approximately   % of our outstanding common stock (or           shares of our common stock, representing approximately   % of our outstanding common stock, if the underwriters exercise their option to purchase additional shares in full). Accordingly, for so long as Onex continues to hold the majority of our common stock, Onex will exercise a controlling influence over our business and affairs and will have the power to determine all matters submitted to a vote of our stockholders, including the election of directors and approval of significant corporate transactions such as amendments to our certificate of incorporation, mergers and the sale of all or substantially all of our assets. Onex could cause corporate actions to be taken that conflict with the interests of our other stockholders. This concentration of ownership could have the effect of deterring or preventing a change in control transaction that might otherwise be beneficial to our stockholders. See “Principal and Selling Stockholders” and “Description of Capital Stock.”

Our directors who have relationships with Onex may have conflicts of interest with respect to matters involving us.

Following this offering, two of our six directors will be affiliated with Onex. These persons will have fiduciary duties to both us and Onex. As a result, they may have real or apparent conflicts of interest on matters affecting both us and Onex, which in some circumstances may have interests adverse to ours. Onex is in the business of making or advising on investments in companies and may hold, and may from time to time in the future acquire, interests in, or provide advice to, businesses that directly or indirectly compete with certain portions of our business or that are suppliers or customers of ours. In addition, as a result of Onex’ ownership interest, conflicts of interest could arise with respect to transactions involving business dealings between us and Onex including potential acquisitions of businesses or properties, the issuance of additional securities, the payment of dividends by us and other matters.

In addition, as described under “Description of Capital Stock”, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will provide that the doctrine of “corporate opportunity” will not apply with respect to us, to Onex or certain related parties or any of our directors who are employees of Onex or its affiliates such that Onex and its affiliates will be permitted to invest in competing businesses or do business with our customers. Under the amended and restated certificate of incorporation, subject to the limitations set forth therein, Onex is not required to tell us about a corporate opportunity, may pursue that opportunity for itself or it may direct that opportunity to another person without liability to our stockholders. To the extent they invest in such other businesses, Onex may have differing interests than our other stockholders.

We are a “controlled company” within the meaning of the rules of the New York Stock Exchange and, as a result, will qualify for, and may rely on, exemptions from certain corporate governance requirements.

Following the consummation of this offering, after giving effect to the sale of our common stock by the selling stockholders, Onex will continue to own the majority of our outstanding common stock. As a result, we expect to be a “controlled company” within the meaning of the New York Stock Exchange corporate governance standards. A

company of which more than 50% of the combined voting power is held by an individual, a group or another company is a “controlled company” within the meaning of the rules of the New York Stock Exchange and may elect not to comply with certain corporate governance requirements of the New York Stock Exchange, including:

Following this offering, we intend to rely on some or all of the exemptions listed above. Accordingly, we will not have a majority of independent directors and our nominating and corporate governance and compensation committees will not consist entirely of independent directors. The independence standards are intended to ensure that directors who meet those standards are free of any conflicting interest that could influence their actions as directors. Accordingly, you will not have the same protections afforded to stockholders of companies that are subject to all of the corporate governance requirements of the New York Stock Exchange.

In addition, Rule 10C-1 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), as adopted by the national securities exchanges, requires, among other things, that:

As a “controlled company”, we will not be subject to these compensation committee independence requirements, and accordingly, you will not have the same protections afforded to stockholders of companies that are subject to these compensation committee independence requirements.

Taking advantage of the reduced disclosure requirements applicable to “emerging growth companies” may make our c ommon s tock less attractive to investors.

The JOBS Act provides that, so long as a company qualifies as an “emerging growth company,” it will, among other things:

We currently intend to take advantage of each of the exemptions described above. We have irrevocably elected not to take advantage of the extension of time to comply with new or revised financial accounting standards available

under Section 107(b) of the JOBS Act. We could be an emerging growth company for up to five years after this offering. We cannot predict if investors will find our common stock less attractive if we elect to rely on these exemptions, or if taking advantage of these exemptions would result in less active trading or more volatility in the price of our common stock.

We will incur increased costs as a result of becoming a public company and in the administration of our organizational structure.

As a public company, we will incur significant legal, accounting, insurance and other expenses that we have not incurred as a private company, including costs associated with public company reporting requirements. We also have incurred and will incur costs associated with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act and related rules implemented by the SEC. Following the completion of this offering, we will incur ongoing periodic expenses in connection with the administration of our organizational structure. The expenses incurred by public companies generally for reporting and corporate governance purposes have been increasing. We expect these rules and regulations to increase our expenses related to insurance, legal, accounting, financial and compliance activities, as well as other expenses not currently incurred, and to make some activities more time-consuming and costly, although we are currently unable to estimate these costs with any degree of certainty. These laws and regulations could also make it more difficult or costly for us to obtain certain types of insurance, including director and officer liability insurance, and we may be forced to accept reduced policy limits and coverage or incur substantially higher costs to obtain the same or similar coverage. These laws and regulations could also make it more difficult for us to attract and retain qualified persons to serve on our board of directors, our board committees or as our executive officers. Furthermore, if we are unable to satisfy our obligations as a public company, we could be subject to delisting of our common stock, fines, sanctions and other regulatory action and potentially civil litigation.

We previously identified a material weakness in our internal control over financial reporting. If we experience additional material weaknesses in the future or otherwise fail to maintain an effective system of internal controls over financial reporting in the future, our ability to prevent or detect a material misstatement in our financial statements could be adversely affected.

A “material weakness” is a deficiency, or a combination of deficiencies, in internal control over financial reporting such that there is a reasonable possibility that a material misstatement of a company’s annual or interim financial statements will not be prevented or detected on a timely basis. In the period ended June 30, 2014, our management identified a material weakness related to the calculation of deferred tax liabilities. This material weakness was remediated in 2015.

While we believe that this previously identified material weakness has been remediated, if other material weaknesses or other deficiencies arise in the future, there may be a reasonable possibility that a material misstatement of the Company’s annual or interim financial statements will not be prevented or detected on a timely basis, which could cause our reported financial results to be materially misstated and require restatement.

Failure to establish and maintain effective internal controls in accordance with Section 404 of the Sarbanes- Oxley Act could have a material adverse effect on our business and stock price.

We are not currently required to comply with the rules of the SEC implementing Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act and are therefore not required to make a formal assessment of the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting for that purpose. Upon becoming a public company, we will be required to comply with the SEC’s rules implementing Sections 302 and 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, which will require management to certify financial and other information in our quarterly and annual reports and provide an annual management report on the effectiveness of controls over financial reporting. Though we will be required to disclose changes made in our internal controls and procedures on a quarterly basis, we will not be required to make our first annual assessment of our internal control over financial reporting pursuant to Section 404 until the year following our first annual report required to be filed with the SEC. However, as an emerging growth company, our independent registered public accounting firm will not be required to formally attest to the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting pursuant to Section 404 until the later of the year following our first annual report required to be filed with the SEC or the date we are no longer an emerging growth company. At such time, our independent registered public accounting firm may issue a report that is adverse in the event it is not satisfied with the level at which our controls are documented, designed or operating.

As a private company, we do not currently have any internal audit function. To comply with the requirements of being a public company, we have undertaken various actions, and will need to take additional actions, such as

implementing numerous internal controls and procedures and hiring additional accounting or internal audit staff or consultants. Testing and maintaining internal control can divert our management’s attention from other matters that are important to the operation of our business. Additionally, when evaluating our internal control over financial reporting, we may identify material weaknesses that we may not be able to remediate in time to meet the applicable deadline imposed upon us for compliance with the requirements of Section 404. If we identify any material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting or are unable to comply with the requirements of Section 404 in a timely manner or assert that our internal control over financial reporting is effective, or if our independent registered public accounting firm is unable to express an opinion as to the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting once we are no longer an emerging growth company, investors may lose confidence in the accuracy and completeness of our financial reports and the market price of our common stock could be negatively affected, and we could become subject to investigations by the stock exchange on which our securities are listed, the SEC or other regulatory authorities, which could require additional financial and management resources. In addition, if we fail to remedy any material weakness, our financial statements could be inaccurate and we could face restricted access to capital markets.

Investors purchasing c ommon s tock in this offering will experience immediate and substantial dilution.

If you purchase shares of our common stock in this offering, you will incur immediate and substantial dilution in the book value of your stock, because the price that you pay will be substantially greater than the net tangible book value per share of the shares you acquire. As a result, you will pay a price per share that substantially exceeds the book value of our assets after subtracting our liabilities. Accordingly, investors purchasing common stock in this offering will experience immediate and substantial dilution of $          per share (assuming an initial public offering price of $          per share, the midpoint of the price range set forth on the cover page of this prospectus). In addition, we have outstanding options to acquire common stock at prices significantly below the initial public offering price, and when these outstanding options are ultimately exercised, there will be further dilution to investors in this offering. In addition, if we issue additional equity securities in the future, investors purchasing common stock in this offering will experience additional dilution. As a result of this dilution, investors purchasing common stock in this offering may receive significantly less than the purchase price paid in this offering in the event of liquidation. For more information, see “Dilution.”

Sales, or the potential for sales, of shares of our c ommon s tock in the public market by us or our existing stockholders could cause our stock price to fall.

Sales of a substantial number of shares of our common stock in the public market after this offering could materially adversely affect the prevailing market price of our common stock. The perception that such sales could occur could also depress the market price of our common stock. Upon completion of this offering, we will have           shares of common stock outstanding. Of these securities, all of the shares of common stock sold pursuant to this offering will be freely tradable without restriction or further registration under federal securities laws, except to the extent shares are purchased in the offering by our affiliates. The           shares of common stock owned by our officers, directors and affiliates, as that term is defined in the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), are “restricted securities” under the Securities Act. Restricted securities may not be sold in the public market unless the sale is registered under the Securities Act or an exemption from registration is available.

In connection with this offering, we, each of our directors and executive officers and Onex have entered into lock-up agreements that prevent the sale of shares of our common stock for up to 180 days after the date of this prospectus, subject to waiver by the representatives of the underwriters. Following the expiration of the lock-up period, Onex will have the right, subject to certain conditions, to require us to register the sale of shares of common stock, under the federal securities laws. If this right is exercised, holders of all shares subject to a registration rights agreement will be entitled to participate in such registration. By exercising their registration rights, and selling a large number of shares, these holders could cause the prevailing market price of our common stock to decline. Approximately           shares of our common stock (or           shares of common stock if the underwriters exercise their option to purchase additional shares in full from the selling stockholders) will be subject to a registration rights agreement upon completion of this offering. See “Shares Eligible For Future Sale.” In addition, shares issued or issuable upon exercise of options will be eligible for sale from time to time.

If a trading market develops for our common stock, our employees, officers and directors may elect to sell shares of our common stock in the market. Sales of a substantial number of shares of our common stock in the public market after this offering could depress the market price of our common stock and impair our ability to raise capital through the sale of additional equity securities.

In the future, we may issue securities to raise cash for acquisitions or otherwise. We may also acquire interests in other companies by using a combination of cash and our common stock or just our common stock. We may also issue securities convertible into our common stock. Any of these events may dilute your ownership interest in our company and have an adverse impact on the price of our common stock.

Our management will have broad discretion in the use of the net proceeds to us from this offering in excess of amounts used to repay loans under our Term Loan Facility and may allocate such net proceeds in ways that you and other stockholders may not approve.

Our management will have broad discretion in the use of the net proceeds to us from our sale of common stock in this offering in excess of amounts used to repay loans under our Term Loan Facility, including for any of the purposes described in the section entitled “Use of Proceeds”, and you will not have the opportunity as part of your investment decision to assess whether the net proceeds are being used appropriately. We intend to use the net proceeds to us from this offering to repay a portion of the borrowings outstanding under the Term Loan Facility with the balance, if any, for working capital and other general corporate purposes. Pending their use, we may invest the balance of the net proceeds to us from this offering after the repayment of borrowings outstanding under the Term Loan Facility in short-term, investment-grade, interest-bearing instruments and U.S. government securities. These investments may not yield a favorable return to our stockholders.

If securities or industry analysts do not publish or cease publishing research or reports about us, our business, or our market, or if they adversely change their recommendations or publish negative reports regarding our business or our stock, our stock price and trading volume could decline.

The trading market for our common stock will be influenced by the research and reports that industry or securities analysts may publish about us, our business, our market, or our competitors. We do not have any control over these analysts and we cannot provide any assurance that analysts will cover us or provide favorable coverage. If any of the analysts who may cover us adversely change their recommendation regarding our stock, or provide more favorable relative recommendations about our competitors, our stock price could decline. If any analyst who may cover us were to cease coverage of our company or fail to regularly publish reports on us, we could lose visibility in the financial markets, which in turn could cause our stock price or trading volume to decline.

We cannot assure you that we will pay dividends on our common stock, and our indebtedness could limit our ability to pay dividends on our common stock.

After completion of this offering, we intend to pay cash dividends on our common stock, subject to the discretion of our board of directors and our compliance with applicable law, and depending on, among other things, our results of operations, capital requirements, financial condition, contractual restrictions, restrictions in our debt agreements and in any equity securities, business prospects and other factors that our board of directors may deem relevant. Because we are a holding company and have no direct operations, we expect to pay dividends, if any, only from funds we receive from our subsidiaries, which may further restrict our ability to pay dividends as a result of the laws of their jurisdiction of organization, agreements of our subsidiaries or covenants under any existing and future outstanding indebtedness we or our subsidiaries incur. Our Senior Secured Credit Facilities restrict our ability to pay dividends on our common stock. We expect that any future agreements governing indebtedness will contain similar restrictions. For more information, see “Dividend Policy” and “Description of Senior Secured Credit Facilities.”

Our dividend policy entails certain risks and limitations, particularly with respect to our liquidity. By paying cash dividends rather than investing that cash in our business or repaying debt, we risk, among other things, slowing the pace of our growth and having insufficient cash to fund our operations or unanticipated capital expenditures or limiting our ability to incur additional borrowings.

Although we expect to pay dividends according to our dividend policy, we may not pay dividends according to our policy, or at all, if, among other things, we do not have the cash necessary to pay our intended dividends. The declaration and payment of dividends will be determined at the discretion of our board of directors, acting in compliance with applicable law and contractual restrictions.

Some provisions of our charter documents and Delaware law may have anti-takeover effects that could discourage an acquisition of us by others, even if an acquisition would be beneficial to our stockholders, and may prevent attempts by our stockholders to replace or remove our current management.

Provisions in our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and our amended and restated bylaws that will become effective upon the listing of our common stock on the New York Stock Exchange, as well as provisions

of the Delaware General Corporation Law (the “DGCL”), could make it more difficult for a third party to acquire us or increase the cost of acquiring us, even if doing so would benefit our stockholders, including in transactions in which stockholders might otherwise receive a premium for their shares. Among other things, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and amended and restated bylaws:

These anti-takeover defenses could discourage, delay or prevent a transaction involving a change in control of our company. These provisions could also discourage proxy contests and make it more difficult for you and other stockholders to elect directors of your choosing and cause us to take corporate actions other than those you desire.

Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will provide, subject to limited exceptions, that the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware will be the exclusive forum for substantially all disputes between us and our stockholders, which could limit our stockholders’ ability to obtain a favorable judicial forum for disputes with us or our directors, officers or employees.

Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will provide, subject to limited exceptions, unless we consent to an alternative forum, that the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware shall be the sole and exclusive forum for (i) any derivative action or proceeding brought on our behalf, (ii) any action asserting a claim of breach of a fiduciary duty owed by any director, officer, stockholder, employee or agent of the Company to us or our stockholders, (iii) any action asserting a claim against us, or our directors, officers or other employees, arising pursuant to any provision of the DGCL, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation or our amended and restated bylaws, or (iv) any action asserting a claim against us, or our directors, officers, stockholders or other employees, governed by the internal affairs doctrine. The choice of forum provision may limit a stockholder’s ability to bring a claim in a judicial forum that it finds favorable for disputes with us or our directors, officers or other employees, which may discourage such lawsuits against us and our directors, officers and other employees. Alternatively, if a court were to find the choice of forum provision contained in our amended and restated certificate of incorporation to be inapplicable or unenforceable in an action, we may incur additional costs associated with resolving such action in other jurisdictions, which could adversely affect our business and financial condition.

Because we are a holding company with no operations of our own, we rely on dividends, distributions, and transfers of funds from our subsidiaries.

We are a holding company that conducts all of our operations through subsidiaries. Consequently, we rely on dividends or advances from our subsidiaries. The ability of such subsidiaries to pay dividends to us is subject to applicable local law and may be limited due to terms of other contractual arrangements, including our indebtedness. See “Description of Senior Secured Credit Facilities.” Such laws and restrictions would restrict our ability to continue operations. In addition, Delaware law may impose requirements that may restrict our ability to pay dividends to holders of our common stock.

Given these risks and uncertainties, you are cautioned not to place undue reliance on such forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements contained in this prospectus are not guarantees of future performance and our actual results of operations, financial condition, and liquidity, and the development of the industry in which we operate, may differ materially from the forward-looking statements contained in this prospectus. In addition, even if our results of operations, financial condition, and liquidity, and events in the industry in which we operate, are consistent with the forward-looking statements contained in this prospectus, they may not be predictive of results or developments in future periods.

Any forward-looking statement that we make in this prospectus speaks only as of the date of such statement. Except as required by law, we do not undertake any obligation to update or revise, or to publicly announce any update or revision to, any of the forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, after the date of this prospectus.

consideration paid by new investors, total consideration paid by all stockholders and average price per share paid by all stockholders by $      , $      , and $            per share, respectively, assuming the number of shares of common stock offered by us and the selling stockholders, as set forth on the cover page of this prospectus, remains the same, and after deducting underwriting discounts and commissions and estimated offering expenses payable by us. Each increase (decrease) of 1.0 million shares in the number of shares of common stock sold by us in this offering, as set forth on the cover page of this prospectus, would increase (decrease) total consideration paid by new investors, total consideration paid by all stockholders and average price per share paid by all stockholders by $      , $      , and $         per share, respectively, assuming an initial public offering price of $         per share of common stock, the midpoint of the price range set forth on the cover page of this prospectus, remains the same and the number of shares sold by the selling stockholders remains the same, and after deducting underwriting discounts and commissions and estimated offering expenses payable by us.

Sales of shares of our common stock by the selling stockholders in this offering will reduce the number of shares of common stock held by existing stockholders to approximately       % of the total shares of common stock outstanding after this offering, and will increase the number of shares of common stock held by new investors to approximately       % of the total shares of common stock outstanding after this offering.

After giving effect to the sale of shares in this offering by us and the selling stockholders, if the underwriters’ option to purchase additional shares is exercised in full, our existing stockholders would own shares of common stock representing approximately       %, and our new investors would own shares of common stock representing approximately       %, of the total number of shares of our common stock outstanding after this offering.

The number of shares of our common stock to be outstanding immediately following this offering set forth above excludes:

To the extent any options are granted and exercised in the future, there may be additional economic dilution to new investors.

In addition, we may choose to raise additional capital due to market conditions or strategic considerations, even if we believe we have sufficient funds for our current or future operating plans. To the extent that we raise additional capital through the sale of equity or convertible debt securities, the issuance of these securities could result in further dilution to our stockholders.

On October 28, 2016, in connection with the Third Amendment, we redeemed all of our $200.0 million aggregate principal amount of 9.00% Senior Notes at a redemption price of 104.50%. The $9.0 million redemption premium was included in loss on extinguishment of debt in the consolidated statements of income (loss) and comprehensive income (loss). Due to the extinguishment of the Senior Notes, we also wrote off $3.8 million of outstanding deferred financing fees which were included in loss on extinguishment of debt in the consolidated statements of income (loss) and comprehensive income (loss).

and conference, the brand has a complementary magazine, Healthcare Design Magazine, education and sponsored events and an online presence that together engage the industry all year round. Environments for Aging is a complementary niche event within the broader healthcare vertical, focused on creating functional and attractive living environments that meet the needs of the aging population. Construction SuperConference is an event for lawyers providing services in commercial construction markets.

Organic Growth Drivers

We are also focused on generating organic growth by understanding and leveraging the drivers for increased exhibitor and attendee participation at trade shows. Creating new opportunities for exhibitors to influence their market, engage with significant buyers, generate incremental sales and expand their brand’s awareness in their industry builds further demand for exhibit space and strengthens the value proposition of a trade show, generally allowing us to modestly increase booth space pricing annually across our portfolio. At the same time, our trade shows provide attendees with the opportunity to enhance their industry connectivity, develop relationships with targeted suppliers and distributors, discover new products, learn about new industry developments, celebrate their industry’s achievements and, in certain cases, obtain continuing professional education credits, which we believe increases their propensity to return and, consequently, drives high recurring participation among our exhibitors. By investing in and promoting these tangible and return-on-investment linked outcomes, we believe we will be able to continue to enhance the value proposition for our exhibitors and attendees alike, thereby driving strong demand and premium pricing for exhibit space, sponsorship opportunities and attendee registration.

Factors and Trends Affecting Our Business

There are a number of existing and developing factors and trends which impact the performance of our business, and the comparability of our results from year to year and from quarter to quarter, including:

How We Assess the Performance of Our Business

In assessing the performance of our business, we consider a variety of performance and financial measures. The key indicators of the financial condition and operating performance of our business are revenues, cost of revenues, selling, general and administrative expenses, interest expense, depreciation and amortization, income taxes, Adjusted EBITDA, Acquisition Adjusted EBITDA, Adjusted Net Income and Free Cash Flow.

Revenues

We generate revenues primarily from selling trade show exhibit space to exhibitors on a per square foot basis. Other trade show revenue streams include sponsorship, fees for ancillary exhibition services and attendee registration fees. Additionally, we generate revenue through conferences, digital media and print publications that complement our trade shows. We also engage third-party sales agents to support our marketing efforts. More than 95% of our sales are made by our employees, with less than 5% made by third-party sales agents. These agents, who are mainly based in Asia and Europe, are paid a percentage commission on sales.

Cost of Revenues

Selling, General and Administrative Expenses

Interest Expense

Interest expense relates primarily to our Senior Secured Credit Facilities and, prior to October 28, 2016, our Senior Notes. On October 28, 2016, we borrowed $200.0 million of incremental term loans under the Term Loan Facility, and we fully redeemed all $200.0 million in aggregate principal amount of our Senior Notes with the proceeds of the incremental term loans, cash on hand and proceeds of an $8.0 million borrowing under the Revolving Credit Facility.

Depreciation and Amortization

We have historically grown our business through acquisitions and, in doing so, have acquired significant intangible assets, the value of some of which is amortized over time. These acquired intangible assets, unless determined to be indefinite-lived, are amortized over extended periods of seven to ten years from the date of each acquisition for GAAP reporting purposes, or fifteen years for tax purposes. This amortization expense reduces our taxable income. Depreciation expense relates to the property and equipment we own and represented less than 1% of our total revenues for each of the years ended December 31, 2016, 2015 and 2014.

Income Taxes

Income tax expense consists of federal, state and local taxes based on income in the jurisdictions in which we operate.

As a result of federal NOL carryforwards, we do not anticipate significant cash obligations for federal income taxes in 2017. Accordingly, our provision for income taxes consists of current cash taxes primarily related to federal alternative minimum taxes and taxes in states for which we do not have state net operating loss carryforwards. We also record deferred tax charges or benefits primarily associated with our utilization or generation of net operating loss carryforwards and book-to-tax difference related to amortization of goodwill, amortization of intangibles assets, depreciation, stock-based compensation charges and deferred financing costs.

Cash Flow Model

We have favorable cash flow characteristics, as described below (see “—Cash Flows”), as a result of our high profit margins, substantial favorable tax attributes, low capital expenditures and consistently negative working capital. Our working capital is negative as our current assets are consistently lower than our current liabilities. Current assets primarily include accounts receivable and prepaid expenses, while current liabilities primarily include accounts payable and deferred revenues. Cash received prior to an event is recorded as deferred revenue on our balance sheet and recognized in revenue upon completion of each trade show. The implication of having negative working capital is that changes in working capital represent a source of cash as our business grows.

The primary driver for our negative working capital is the sales cycle for a trade show, which typically begins during the prior show. In the interim period between the current show and the following show, we continue to sell to new and past exhibitors and collect payments on contracted exhibit space. We require exhibitors to pay in full in advance of each trade show, whereas the bulk of expenses are paid close to or after the show. Cash deposits start to be received as early as twelve months prior to a show taking place and virtually 100% of booth space revenues are typically received in cash one month prior to a show taking place. This highly efficient cash flow model, where revenue is received in advance of expenses to be paid, creates a working capital benefit.

Free Cash Flow

In addition to net cash provided by operating activities presented in accordance with GAAP, we present Free Cash Flow because we believe it is a useful indicator of liquidity that provides information to management and investors about the amount of cash generated from our core operations that, after capital expenditures, can be used for strategic initiatives, including investing in our business, making strategic acquisitions and strengthening our balance sheet.

We use Free Cash Flow to evaluate the amount of cash generated by our business that can be used to maintain and grow our business, for the repayment of indebtedness, payment of dividends and to fund strategic opportunities, including investing in our business and strengthening our balance sheet.

Free Cash Flow is a supplemental non-GAAP financial measure of liquidity and is not based on any standardized methodology prescribed by GAAP. Free Cash Flow should not be considered in isolation or as an alternative to net

cash provided by operating activities or other measures determined in accordance with GAAP. Also, Free Cash Flow is not necessarily comparable to similarly titled measures used by other companies.

The most directly comparable GAAP measure to Free Cash Flow is net cash provided by operating activities. For a reconciliation of Free Cash Flow to net cash provided by operating activities, see footnote 10 to the table under the heading “Summary—Summary Consolidated Financial Data.”

Adjusted EBITDA and Acquisition Adjusted EBITDA

Adjusted EBITDA and Acquisition Adjusted EBITDA are key measures of our performance. Adjusted EBITDA is defined as net income before interest expense, loss on extinguishment of debt, income tax expense, depreciation and amortization, stock-based compensation, deferred revenue adjustment, intangible asset impairment charge, unrealized loss on interest rate swap and floor, net, the Onex management fee and other items that management believes are not part of our core operations. We define Acquisition Adjusted EBITDA as Adjusted EBITDA as further adjusted for the results of shows associated with acquisitions made during the period presented. We present Adjusted EBITDA and Acquisition Adjusted EBITDA because we believe they assist investors and analysts in comparing our operating performance across reporting periods on a consistent basis by excluding items that we do not believe are indicative of our core operating performance. Management and our board of directors use Adjusted EBITDA and Acquisition Adjusted EBITDA to assess our financial performance and believe they are helpful in highlighting trends because they exclude the results of decisions that are outside the control of management, while other measures can differ significantly depending on long-term strategic decisions regarding capital structure, the tax jurisdictions in which we operate and capital investments.

Under the Senior Secured Credit Facilities, our ability to engage in certain activities such as incurring additional indebtedness, making certain investments and paying certain dividends is tied to ratios based on Acquisition Adjusted EBITDA (which is defined as “Consolidated EBITDA” in the credit agreement governing the Senior Secured Credit Facilities). Adjusted EBITDA and Acquisition Adjusted EBITDA are not defined under GAAP, and are subject to important limitations. We have included the calculations of Adjusted EBITDA and Acquisition Adjusted EBITDA for the periods presented. Because not all companies use identical calculations, our presentation of Adjusted EBITDA and Acquisition Adjusted EBITDA may not be comparable to other similarly titled measures used by other companies.

The most directly comparable GAAP measure to each of Adjusted EBITDA and Acquisition Adjusted EBITDA is net income (loss). For a reconciliation of Adjusted EBITDA and Acquisition Adjusted EBITDA to net income (loss), see footnote 8 to the table under the heading “Summary—Summary Consolidated Financial Data.”

Adjusted Net Income

Adjusted Net Income is defined as net income before loss on extinguishment of debt; stock-based compensation; deferred revenue adjustment; intangible asset impairment charge; the Onex management fee; other items that management believes are not part of our core operations; amortization of deferred financing fees and discount; amortization of (acquired) intangible assets; and tax adjustments related to non-GAAP adjustments.

We use Adjusted Net Income as a supplemental metric to evaluate our business’s performance in a way that also considers our ability to generate profit without the impact of certain items. For example, it is useful to exclude stock-based compensation expenses because the amount of such expenses in any specific period may not directly correlate to the underlying performance of our business, and these expenses can vary significantly across periods due to timing of new stock-based awards. We also exclude the amortization of intangible assets and certain discrete costs, including deferred revenue adjustments, impairment charges and transaction costs (including professional fees and other expenses associated with acquisition activity) in order to facilitate a period-over-period comparison of the Company’s financial performance. Each of the normal recurring adjustments and other adjustments described in this paragraph help management with a measure of our operating performance over time by removing items that are not related to day-to-day operations.

Adjusted Net Income is not defined under GAAP and is subject to important limitations. We have included the Calculation of Adjusted Net Income for the periods presented. Because not all companies use identical calculations, our presentation of Adjusted Net Income may not be comparable to other similarly titled measures used by other companies.

The most directly comparable GAAP measure to Adjusted Net Income is net income. For a reconciliation of Adjusted Net Income to net income, see footnote 9 to the table under the heading “Summary—Summary Consolidated Financial Data.”

Comparison of the Year Ended December 31 , 2016 to the Year Ended December 31 , 2015