Technology

EVENTS.COM ACQUIRES ICONIC TEMECULA VALLEY BALLOON & WINE FESTIVAL

Published

1 year ago

March 13, 2025

Camping Reservations Now Open with Individual Festival Tickets, Performer Lineup and Event Schedule Coming Soon
Strategic Investment Expands Events.com’s Portfolio of Live Experiences and Strengthens its Footprint in the Southern California Market
Acquisition Reinforces Commitment to Nonprofit Mission, Further Enhancing Community Impact and Support

LA JOLLA, Calif., March 13, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — Events.com (“the Company”), an industry-leading event management platform, announced today its acquisition of the renowned Temecula Valley Balloon & Wine Festival and the launch of camping packages for the event, taking place June 20-22, 2025. Fans can now purchase their camping spots at TemeculaValleyFestival.com, powered by Events.com. This innovative platform features an interactive map that allows festival-goers to easily select their preferred camping package and location, streamlining the reservation process like never before. Individual one- and three-day festival passes for fans not camping, the performer lineup, and the complete event schedule will be revealed soon.

The Temecula Valley Balloon & Wine Festival attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors each Spring to the Lake Skinner Recreation Area. The 2025 festival will feature stunning, breathtaking hot air balloon displays and rides, immersive beer and wine tastings from local vendors, and top-tier live entertainment, with an expanded, full three-day experience. This year, national touring artists will perform on both the main and wine stages, and the festival introduces new amenities such as expanded camping, faster vehicle check-ins, and a third music stage at the Outpost Saloon. The performer lineup and full event schedule will be announced soon.

This acquisition supports Events.com’s ongoing expansion into the Southern California market, adding to its portfolio of premier live events, including the recently announced Wonderfront Music & Arts Festival. Events.com’s platform is built to handle the demands of large-scale events, providing advanced management tools needed for big gatherings like the Temecula Balloon & Wine Festival, where smooth operations and an elevated, modern attendee experience are key. Under Events.com’s ownership, festival goers can expect a seamless digital experience for ticketing, real-time event updates, and interactive features powered by Events.com’s AI-driven event discovery and management tools.

“The Temecula Valley Balloon & Wine Festival is a cultural touchstone in Southern California’s wine country, embodying everything we value at Events.com Thanks to the leadership of Scott Soares, Lynn Shaver, and a community of incredible volunteers, Temecula has grown into a vibrant celebration of creativity, community, and the power of collective experiences,” said Stephen Partridge, Co-Founder, President and COO of Events.com “With Temecula’s decades-long legacy as a beloved tradition and Wonderfront’s emergence as a dynamic new force in the festival scene, we’re excited to further embrace our role in shaping the future of Southern California’s live events landscape. Through this acquisition, we look forward to enhancing the festival while sustaining its nonprofit mission and enriching the community for years to come.”

Each year, the festival brings millions of dollars into the local economy, with festival proceeds benefiting community organizations such as school programs, military groups, and Dollars for Scholars. Under Events.com’s ownership, the festival will continue to honor its longstanding commitment to the Temecula Valley community by expanding support for local programs and initiatives that bring value to the area. Events.com will also introduce a revenue-sharing model that will directly benefit the 501(c)(4), allowing it to allocate even more funds toward local initiatives and enhance its community-driven impact.

Additionally, the festival will leverage Events.com’s cutting-edge event management solutions to improve the attendee experience and streamline operations and analytics for organizers, resulting in increased revenue and in turn, increased funding going back to the local community.

“As someone who’s spent decades in the live music industry, I’ve witnessed firsthand how critical it is to blend tradition with innovation. The Temecula Valley Balloon & Wine Festival has been a cornerstone of the community for over 40 years, and with Events.com’s advanced platform, we’re able to enhance the experience for both festival-goers and organizers,” said Paul Thornton, Executive Producer of the Temecula Valley Balloon & Wine Festival. “From simplifying campsite reservations to providing real-time updates, this partnership helps us preserve the festival’s rich history while introducing modern features that will elevate the event for future generations. We’re also excited to expand the talent lineup, bringing in top-tier artists year over year, and ensuring that the festival continues to grow and evolve. It’s a great opportunity to contribute to an iconic festival that remains dynamic and adaptable in an ever-changing landscape.”

Events.com enables event organizers to manage, market, and monetize the entire lifecycle of an event, from local fundraisers to global festivals, marathons, and more. With end-to-end event management solutions, Events.com gives organizers access to a suite of tools at every step. The platform offers sponsorship and promotional tools, event management software, digital marketing services, on-site check-in, and add-on sales to help ensure a smooth event experience from start to finish.

This acquisition also comes at a critical juncture for Events.com as it prepares for its public debut following its previously announced business combination with Concord Acquisition Corp. II (OTCQX: CNDA), a publicly traded special purpose acquisition company, which is expected to close in 2025, subject to the satisfaction or waiver of customary closing conditions.

For more information about Events.com, please visit https://events.com.

About Events.com

Events.com powers a two-sided marketplace and platform that helps passionate individuals create, promote, discover, and enjoy events. Events.com‘s platform helps event organizers seamlessly execute their events and allows event goers to discover, interact, and transact with the events they love. The Company offers a robust ecosystem that supports millions of event creators worldwide, catering to various interests. From the prestigious All-In Summit, the world’s leading podcast for business, technology, and investing, to the exclusive Club Getaway featured on Bravo, the event calendar on NewYork.com, the transformative Archangel Summit, and movie experiences at the iconic Mayfair Theatre in Ottawa—Events.com technology is the driving force behind unforgettable moments worldwide.

For additional information, please visit events.com.

Video: The most meaningful moments in our lives, powered by Events.com

Art and Logos
You may download the logos from Events.com here.

About Temecula Valley Balloon & Wine Festival

Established in 1983, the Temecula Valley Balloon & Wine Festival has evolved from 35 hot air balloons and a handful of local wineries into one of Southern California’s premier events. Now drawing 15,000-20,000 attendees daily, the festival offers diverse entertainment, culinary experiences, and ballooning activities. Since 1989, it has been held at Lake Skinner Park, providing a picturesque setting where visitors can camp and fully immerse themselves in the event’s scenic beauty.

The festival celebrates the perfect blend of music, wine, and hot air balloon experiences. Attendees enjoy performances by top touring acts and regional artists across various genres, including country, classic rock, alt rock, and Americana, while witnessing the vibrant energy of hot air balloon launches. Guests can also indulge in wine tastings from Southern California’s finest wineries, craft beer selections, gourmet food, and the iconic Balloon Glow in the evening.

Important Information for Investors and Shareholders

In connection with the Proposed Business Combination, CNDA intends to file with the SEC the Registration Statement, which will include a prospectus with respect to PubCo’s securities to be issued in connection with the Proposed Business Combination and a proxy statement to be distributed to holders of CNDA’s common stock in connection with CNDA’s solicitation of proxies for the vote by CNDA’s stockholders with respect to the Proposed Business Combination and other matters to be described in the Registration Statement (the “Proxy Statement”). After the SEC declares the Registration Statement effective, CNDA plans to file the definitive Proxy Statement with the SEC and to mail copies to stockholders of CNDA as of a record date to be established for voting on the Proposed Business Combination. This press release does not contain all the information that should be considered concerning the Proposed Business Combination and is not a substitute for the Registration Statement, Proxy Statement or for any other document that PubCo or CNDA may file with the SEC. Before making any investment or voting decision, investors and security holders of CNDA and Events.com are urged to read the Registration Statement and the Proxy Statement, and any amendments or supplements thereto, as well as all other relevant materials filed or that will be filed with the SEC in connection with the Proposed Business Combination as they become available because they will contain important information about, Events.com, CNDA, PubCo and the Proposed Business Combination.

Investors and security holders will be able to obtain free copies of the Registration Statement, the Proxy Statement and all other relevant documents filed or that will be filed with the SEC by PubCo and CNDA through the website maintained by the SEC at www.sec.gov. In addition, the documents filed by PubCo and CNDA may be obtained free of charge from CNDA’s website at cnda.concordacquisitioncorp.com or by directing a request to Jeff Tuder, Chief Executive Office, 477 Madison Avenue New York, New York 10022; Tel: (212) 883-4330. The information contained on, or that may be accessed through, the websites referenced in this press release is not incorporated by reference into, and is not a part of, this press release.

Participants in the Solicitation

Events.com, CNDA, PubCo and their respective directors, executive officers and other members of management and employees may, under the rules of the SEC, be deemed to be participants in the solicitations of proxies from CNDA’s stockholders in connection with the Proposed Business Combination. For more information about the names, affiliations and interests of CNDA’s directors and executive officers, please refer to CNDA’s annual report on Form 10-K filed with the SEC on March 1, 2024, and Registration Statement, Proxy Statement and other relevant materials filed with the SEC in connection with the Proposed Business Combination when they become available. Additional information regarding the participants in the proxy solicitation and a description of their direct and indirect interests, which may, in some cases, be different than those of CNDA’s stockholders generally, will be included in the Registration Statement and the Proxy Statement, when they become available. Stockholders, potential investors and other interested persons should read the Registration Statement and the Proxy Statement carefully, when they become available, before making any voting or investment decisions. You may obtain free copies of these documents from the sources indicated above.

No Offer or Solicitation

This document shall not constitute a “solicitation” as defined in Section 14 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. This document shall not constitute an offer to sell or exchange, the solicitation of an offer to buy or a recommendation to purchase, any securities, or a solicitation of any vote, consent or approval, nor shall there be any sale, issuance or transfer of securities in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale may be unlawful under the laws of such jurisdiction. No offering of securities in the Proposed Business Combination shall be made except by means of a prospectus meeting the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or an exemption therefrom.

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SOURCE Events.com

Technology

The World Is Taking Notice: TIME Recognition Fuels VinFast’s Global Journey

Published

17 minutes ago

September 11, 2026

On a rainy Tuesday morning in Paris, a driver waiting at a red light on Boulevard Haussmann might not immediately place the badge on the SUV beside them. Thousands of miles away, a driver in California might have a similar moment seeing the same badge on an American road. It is not German, nor one of the familiar Asian names that have become common across established automotive markets. It belongs to VinFast , a Vietnamese automotive brand that is steadily making its presence felt across Europe and North America, and whose global journey reflects a much larger story unfolding inside its parent group, Vingroup.

PARIS , Sept. 11, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — That journey reached a new milestone this year. Vingroup has been ranked 340th in TIME’s World’s Best Companies 2026, produced jointly with the research firm Statista, placing it among the world’s top 350 businesses and marking a rise of nearly 500 places from the previous year. It is the only Vietnamese company to appear on the list for two consecutive years.

A Ranking Built on More Than Growth

TIME and Statista do not rank companies on size alone. Their methodology weighs three dimensions: revenue growth, employee satisfaction and sustainability transparency. Vingroup earned an overall score of 81 out of 100, rising from 817th to 340th worldwide.

The revenue figures behind that score are substantial. In the first half of 2026, Vingroup posted consolidated net revenue of VND 222.9 trillion, up 72 percent year on year, with profit after tax reaching VND 20.904 trillion, more than four and a half times the figure recorded over the same period in 2025. That growth was driven largely by the Group’s industrial manufacturing and real estate businesses, earning Vingroup an “Outstanding” rating on the revenue metric.

Employee satisfaction told a similar story of momentum. Vingroup climbed to 398th globally, up 496 places, in a workforce that now spans roughly 400,000 people across 12 countries.

On sustainability, the Group’s contribution came through a different kind of infrastructure – green transition projects, urban development, and long-term investment in the systems that sustain a livable city rather than a single quarter’s balance sheet. Vinhomes, the Group’s real estate arm, has extended this thinking through its ESG++ model, adding Regeneration and Resilience to the conventional three pillars of Environmental, Social and Governance work, applied across urban developments spanning thousands of hectares.

Two new business lines added to that picture in 2025: infrastructure, through VinSpeed’s high-speed rail projects connecting Ho Chi Minh City to Can Gio and Hanoi to Quang Ninh, and green energy, through VinEnergo’s projects across multiple provinces. Together, they represent an attempt to build not just individual businesses, but the connective tissue – rail, power and mobility – that a modern, low-carbon economy runs on.

Making the EV Transition More Accessible

Within that broader ecosystem, VinFast represents one of the clearest expressions of Vingroup’s global aspirations. The company’s expansion across Asia, North America and Europe is bringing the Group’s vision for a greener future to an increasingly international audience, while putting a Vietnamese automotive brand directly into competition in some of the world’s most established markets.

For customers considering a new automotive brand, however, global vision is only the starting point. The more important question is whether a new entrant can earn the trust required to become part of everyday life.

Research from the McKinsey Center for Future Mobility offers a useful, if counterintuitive, perspective. Surveying thousands of European car buyers, McKinsey found that Europeans open to considering an Asian market entrant show an overall 53 percent likelihood of switching to a new brand when they move to an electric vehicle – a figure that rises as high as 63 percent in the United Kingdom. Brand loyalty, in other words, is proving more fluid in the EV era than it was in the age of the internal combustion engine.

That shift creates an opening for new EV brands. But winning customers requires more than a competitive vehicle. It requires making electric mobility accessible while building the sales, service and ownership infrastructure that gives customers confidence throughout the ownership journey.

With an increasingly diverse and accessible product portfolio, VinFast remains committed to its mission of making electric vehicles more accessible to everyone and enabling customers to transition to green mobility with greater ease and confidence.

In Europe, the company is expanding its presence with products designed around local priorities of efficiency, design and accessibility, including the VF 6 and VF 8, while electric buses such as the EB 8 and the fully European-certified EB 12 further extend its contribution to the region’s transition toward greener transportation.

Across North America, the same vision is being supported by the expansion of VinFast’s sales and service network and the development of its Certified Pre-Owned (CPO) program. Together, these initiatives are designed to build a more comprehensive ecosystem around the customer, extending beyond the vehicle itself to the services and support that shape the ownership experience.

Vingroup was the first Vietnamese company to qualify for TIME’s World’s Best Companies list in 2025, while VinFast has earned recognition among TIME100 Most Influential Companies and Asia-Pacific’s Best Companies of 2025. These milestones reflect growing international recognition of Vingroup’s and VinFast’s aspirations, capabilities and expanding global reach.

The latest TIME recognition for Vingroup therefore arrives at a moment when that global reach is becoming increasingly visible. For VinFast, the challenge and opportunity now extend across multiple continents , from European cities where a new badge is gradually becoming familiar, to North American roads where the company is building its presence and customer ecosystem.

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Technology

XLCS Partners advises CID Capital on its investment in Kaiser Garage Doors & Gates

Published

17 minutes ago

September 11, 2026

NASHVILLE, Tenn., Sept. 11, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — XLCS Partners, Inc., a leading middle market investment bank, is pleased to announce it served as advisor to CID Capital on its investment in Kaiser Garage Doors & Gates, LLC (Kaiser).

Headquartered in Tucson, Arizona, Kaiser is a leading installer and servicer of residential and commercial overhead doors and gates serving the Phoenix, Tucson, and White Mountains markets. With over 30 years of proven operations, the company has established a strong regional footprint, a reputation for quality and reliability, and long-standing customer relationships.

Based in Indianapolis, Indiana, CID Capital is a private equity firm with decades of experience partnering with high-quality, lower middle market companies. CID makes control investments in companies with a proven track record of success and works alongside management teams to provide strategic guidance, resources, and capital for the next phase of growth, combining a focus on founder- and family-owned companies with a collaborative approach to building long-term value.

Kaiser is the third platform investment made from CID’s latest fund, CID Capital Opportunity Fund IV, L.P. In conjunction with the closing, industry veteran Eric Farley stepped in as CEO to lead the business under CID’s ownership, partnering with Dean Bennett, COO, and the existing Kaiser team.

XLCS acted as buyside advisor to CID Capital in connection with its investment in Kaiser, which was completed on August 14, 2026. The engagement was supported by Jay Cremer, Vice President, and David Silva, Senior Associate.

About XLCS Partners, Inc.
XLCS Partners is a leading global investment banking firm providing M&A advisory services. Visit www.xlcspartners.com for more information.

Media Contact:
Kendra Span
kspan@xlcspartners.com
615-379-7783

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SOURCE XLCS Partners, Inc.

Technology

PlanetiQ Selected for NOAA’s Space-Based Environmental Monitoring IDIQ

Published

1 hour ago

September 11, 2026

Selection builds on PlanetiQ’s long-standing relationship with NOAA and adds thermospheric neutral density to its environmental data offerings

GOLDEN, Colo., Sept. 11, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — PlanetiQ, a leading provider of commercial satellite-based environmental data, today announced that it has been selected as an industry partner under NOAA’s new Space-Based Environmental Monitoring (SBEM) Indefinite Delivery, Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract. Through the SBEM IDIQ, PlanetiQ will be eligible to compete for task orders to provide NOAA with two types of commercial environmental data: Global Navigation Satellite System-Radio Occultation (GNSS-RO) observations for atmospheric profiling and ionospheric monitoring, and thermospheric neutral density data for satellite orbit prediction.

“This selection builds on our long-standing partnership with NOAA and expands the ways our data can support the agency, from high-resolution atmospheric and ionospheric observations to thermospheric neutral density for satellite orbit prediction,” said Ira Scharf, CEO of PlanetiQ.

The SBEM IDIQ, established by NOAA’s National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service (NESDIS) through its Commercial Data Program. The contract has a five-year base period followed by a five-year option and is effective from September 1, 2026, through August 31, 2036.

Under SBEM, PlanetiQ will provide data from its existing satellite constellation as well as additional satellites planned for launch later this year. The company’s GNSS-RO observations provide high-resolution atmospheric profiles for numerical weather prediction and measurements of the ionosphere, including Total Electron Content (TEC) and scintillation. PlanetiQ will also introduce thermospheric neutral density data as a new commercial data product for NOAA NESDIS, supporting improved satellite orbit prediction and space-weather applications.

“PlanetiQ has built its business around delivering high-quality GNSS-RO data with the precision needed to improve weather forecasting,” said Ira Scharf, CEO of PlanetiQ. “This selection builds on our long-standing partnership with NOAA and expands the ways our data can support the agency, from high-resolution atmospheric and ionospheric observations to thermospheric neutral density for satellite orbit prediction. We look forward to continuing to work with NOAA to advance weather forecasting and space weather applications.”

Per NOAA’s own press release, NOAA is expanding its procurement and use of new commercial environmental satellite data streams that will enhance weather forecasting and space weather monitoring. The SBEM IDIQ contract is a key part in the agency’s ongoing effort to boost U.S. weather forecasting capabilities.

PlanetiQ currently provides GNSS-RO data to NOAA NESDIS under the agency’s previous commercial data contract vehicle. The company’s most recent task order, announced in August, provides GNSS-RO and ionospheric data and bridges the transition to the new SBEM contract.

About PlanetiQ

PlanetiQ provides the highest-quality GNSS radio occultation (RO) data available from a commercial constellation of satellites, offering unmatched temporal and spatial resolution. The data drive accurate, high-impact weather and climate forecast models, helping improve Numerical Weather Prediction and AI forecasts, safeguard lives and property from severe weather. In 2025, PlanetiQ was awarded NOAA’s largest-ever contract for satellite weather data, valued at $24.3 million. PlanetiQ is a space-tech company that serves the most mission-critical government, defense, and industry leaders, including international weather agencies, enabling more resilient operations across sectors. Founded in 2015 and privately owned, PlanetiQ designs, builds, and operates the preeminent commercial constellation of GNSS-RO satellites, setting the standard for precision and reliability in atmospheric monitoring. For more information, contact info@planetiq.com

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SOURCE PlanetiQ