REGIONAL - Publicis Groupe(阳狮集团) today announced the acquisition of Emotion, the Asian leader in events management. The acquisition, for an undisclosed sum, reinforces Publicis Groupe’s strategic commitment to expand and deepen its operations throughout the Asia-Pacific region. With offices in Tokyo, Shanghai, Beijing, Seoul, Bangkok, Manila, and Singapore, Emotion also plans to launch in Taiwan and Hongkong within the next year. The acquisition will allow Publicis Groupe to provide an improved and more diversified range in marketing services, and give it a leading edge in events management. Emotion will retain its brand name and will be part of Publicis Events Worldwide. The Emotion acquisition is Publicis Groupe’s latest move in the region, and in particular, in the thriving Chinese market. Since its creation in 2002 in Japan by 3 french entrepreneurs Alain Soulas, Isabelle and Olivier Chouvet, Emotion has quickly grown to become the most comprehensive agency for high-end event management in Asia. From the beginning, Emotion set up bi-cultural teams with local staff which have attracted a powerful roster of prestigious clients, including Sanofi, Pernod Ricard, L’Oréal, Ferrari, Citroen Cartier and Givenchy. Emotion is widely recognized for its expertise in three events sectors : high-end (luxury fashion shows, exhibitions, VIP parties), multi-brand (brand campaigns, sponsorship) and corporate events (conventions, trade fairs). Emotion produced 300 events in Asia in 2005. Richard Attias, President of Publicis Events Worldwide, said:"We are thrilled to welcome Alain Soulas, Olivier and Isabelle Chouvet, and their teams on board. Their knowledge and hands-on experience in the region - not to mention the proven talent - are big assets for us to develop further in Asia. We have a number of projects coming up in the region, such as the opening ceremonies for Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, and their expertise will be a real plus. "