RFP Express

About RFP Express

In 1984, Nick Lanyon founded a software company focused on corporate travel. This firm, Lanyon, developed tools to manage hotel request for proposals (RFPs). The business operated steadily, and in 2009, received a $10 million investment from Frontier Capital to expand its product and sales efforts. This set the stage for the next chapter. A major turning point came in December 2012 when private equity firm Vista Equity Partners purchased the company. Vista had a bigger vision. In 2014, they merged Lanyon with the Active Network Business Solutions Group, creating a more comprehensive suite of tools for meetings and events under the Lanyon Solutions name. The story took its most significant turn in 2016. Vista Equity Partners, which already owned Lanyon, acquired its largest competitor, Cvent, for $1.65 billion. Following the acquisition, Vista merged Lanyon and Cvent, with the combined entity operating under the Cvent brand. This move consolidated two of the biggest players in the event technology space, creating a dominant force with a wide array of services from venue sourcing to event management. The new Cvent became a private company headquartered in Virginia.