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is particularly good for launching offshoots of successful shows , particularly in sectors such as Energy , IT and parts of Manufacturing . It ’ s a tree and branch model , where between five and ten different shows can stem from one successful ‘ mother show ’ in , say , Tokyo and spread out across the country .”
When pushed on whether this strategy then takes priority over acquiring existing events , Lindsay says : “ One of the implications of a tighter strategic focus is that we ’ re pretty strict on our assessment of what ’ s right to buy . That ’ s not to say we ’ re not buying – the Sustainable Energy Conferences deal , for example – but it has to be a growth sector , the right geographical fit , the right stage of the show ’ s lifespan and something we feel confident we can run and grow . Only if all the criteria work together can acquisitions become powerhouses of the growth potential we hold here at RX .”
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From a strategic perspective , I tell Lindsay I can see the logic . After all , with heightened interest from private equity supporting entrepreneurial scale-ups , there ’ s suddenly a lot of money available for acquisitions , which has the potential to inflate valuations .
He agrees : “ With so much private equity interest , the market can become quite excitable . It ’ s therefore incumbent on us to remain calmheaded . Over time , we want to be able to look back and assess that over five years , the acquisitions RX made were , more often than not , a good bet .”
On the continuing flood of private equity support , which has entered the market since the pandemic , Lindsay offers : “ As far as we can see , it will sustain for at least the next three to five years . After that , it will depend on what happens in the global economy . But for the time being , the trajectory will continue . Private equity funds like exhibitions – it ’ s a business model
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Left : Peter Lindsay : concentrating on targeted growth |
they find straightforward to assess , it ’ s repeatable , and they can get their heads around it quickly .”
As part of RELX , the global provider of information-based analytics and decision tools , weighty support for the future of RX comes in the form of data , data analysis , machine learning and AI-powered solutions to improve the customer value proposition .
“ We have leveraged RELX expertise and technology to develop the digital and data analysis tools which enable our customers to build their businesses by connecting face-to-face and digitally ,” Lindsay explains . “ We also have a growing portfolio of big data and AI events , including Big Data LDN , Big Data and AI Paris , and . Data Universe , which took place for the first time in New York in April . Having access to RELX ’ s extraordinary data and AI expertise , insights and resources as we grow and sustain them is a huge bonus . RELX ’ s technology expertise cuts across many of the sectors we serve , and we see exciting opportunities to incorporate these capabilities across existing events .”
Over the next 12 months , Lindsay says RX will not only evolve the support that RELX offers but will also double down on its ever-increasing obsession with customer value .
“ On the face of it , it sounds generic , but there ’ s a lot of detailed work going on behind the scenes to understand more about why customers come to exhibitions , how it differs from region to region , and what we can do to improve the attendee experience ,” he says . “ We ’ re placing a lot of pressure on ourselves to keep getting better at measuring what constitutes success from both a sales and marketing perspective , as well as developing our ability to attract the best buyers from new and previously untapped segments .”
It ’ s an aspirational strategy , the rest of the exhibition industry will watch with interest . EW
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