It is a defining week for avid runner Peter Rigby, the man who spent 25 years building up the business- to-business media empire that is Informa.

The irrepressible Lancastrian has to gauge whether a private equity proposal led by Providence should be allowed to do due diligence. He knows that once he has opened the books, there is no guarantee the consortium's funding will stack up, or that it will not cut its offer.