Direct Travel acquired Chicago-based meetings and incentive management firm Creative Group Inc.,

the travel management company announced Thursday. While Creative Group represents Direct Travel's eighth acquisition in the past 12 months, it's the first among those to serve the meetings market primarily. The move "significantly strengthens our presence in the M&I niche market, supports our growth strategy and provides further opportunity for the investment in strategic business practices across our enterprise," Direct Travel CEO Ed Adams said in a statement. Creative Group had $126 million in 2014 sales, according to Direct Travel. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.