Interview
Inside the strategic mind of RX
RX ’ s global chief strategy officer , Peter Lindsay , commemorates a year in the role by talking to Mike Fletcher about his achievements and the organiser ’ s strategic direction
eter Lindsay , RX ’ s global
P chief strategy officer , is reflecting on a year in the role .
“ It ’ s a big company , and we cover a lot of regions . The role has already taken me to places I had never been to , and I ’ ve loved meeting so many different people ,” he says from his London base .
Lindsay was recruited in September 2023 to run a team of 15 strategists and enact “ a more declared point of view ” on the direction RX should be heading , which industry sectors it should be pursuing , the role of digital , and an evolution of the customer value proposition .
As a result , of course , there has been consolidation ( RX reportedly exited Austria in October last year , and IBTM Asia Pacific will no longer take place in Hong Kong next year ). But there has also been plenty of growth ( RX acquired the World Hydrogen Summit in Rotterdam , Hydrogen Americas in
Below : Interphex taking the medicine to Japan and Korea
Washington DC , and Hydrogen Asia- Pacific in Brisbane , Australia in May ).
“ We ’ re still growing overall ,” Lindsay says . “ My job is to make sure that it ’ s targeted growth . Sometimes , I ’ m a guiding hand , other times , I ’ m challenging or helping teams by offering a different perspective and asking those difficult questions that will take them out of a fixed tunnel mindset .”
Both the organiser ’ s acquisition and show launch strategies come under Lindsay ’ s remit , and he ’ s happy to admit that a company the size and scope of RX wasn ’ t the most agile at launching into new markets with new concepts .
However , one key observation made early on in his role was that RX is exceptional at both geo-adapting successful shows into new regions and , pinpointing segments within burgeoning shows and using them to launch stand-alone versions .
“ New York ’ s pharmaceutical and biotechnology show Interphex is a great example , having launched into two new territories - South Korea and Japan ,” Lindsay says . “ Japan
54 Issue 5 2024 www . exhibitionworld . co . uk