Brian Thomas has recently taken on the role of President, Asia Pacific at RX. With more than three decades of experience at RX, he has held senior leadership positions across multiple regions. Over the past year, he has led RX’s operations in Australia, Singapore, Korea, and Indonesia, and was instrumental in the launch of RX BITEC, the company’s new joint venture in Thailand. In this exclusive interview with TFT, Brian discusses his expanded responsibilities, strategic priorities, and vision for the future.
TFT: As you take on the role of President, Asia Pacific at RX, what are your immediate priorities for the region, and how do you see the Asia Pacific portfolio evolving under your leadership?
My immediate priority is our people. Across Asia Pacific, we have exceptional teams in every RX business unit who work tirelessly for their customers and consistently deliver world-class events. Retaining, developing and supporting these teams is fundamental to our success.
A key part of this is strengthening connectivity, bringing our local teams closer to each other across APAC and more deeply into the broader RX global network. By sharing best practice, insights and challenges openly, we ensure our collective expertise flows freely across the region. This collaboration accelerates the value we deliver to our customers and positions us to fully capture the significant growth opportunities across Asia Pacific. It’s a diverse, dynamic region and an incredibly exciting one for RX.
TFT: Asia Pacific is one of the most diverse and fast-growing exhibition markets globally. What key opportunities and challenges do you foresee across the region, and how is RX positioning itself to capitalise on them?
Growth is the defining opportunity across Asia Pacific. To realise that potential, we must continue to elevate the value we deliver to both exhibitors and visitors at every event.
That starts with a deep understanding of local markets. Each country, industry and customer set is different, so success comes from combining strong local insight with the right people and skill sets to act on that knowledge. Our industries are evolving rapidly, and RX must continue to evolve alongside them anticipating needs, solving real challenges and supporting long-term industry growth.
Talent is central to this. Attracting, retaining and developing the right people takes time and focus, which is why sharing learnings quickly, whether from major wins or from challenges, is so important. Across RX APAC, we are actively leveraging the strength of our full portfolio to support and enhance the capabilities of our local teams.
TFT: Reflecting on the industry’s performance in 2025, what key shifts have you observed in exhibitor and visitor expectations, and how will these influence RX’s strategy for 2026 and beyond?
Customer expectations continue to evolve, both in what they want from our events and how they want to engage with us. This makes high-quality customer insight more important than ever. At RX, we must invest in truly listening to our customers, not relying on assumptions, and ensuring those insights are translated into action across our teams.
Marketing is becoming increasingly complex, driven by changing privacy regulations and shifting customer behaviours across platforms and channels. What works today may not work tomorrow, and that reality differs by industry and by market. Our marketing teams must continue to adapt, innovate and test new approaches to ensure we are reaching customers in meaningful, compliant and effective ways.
These shifts will directly shape how we design, market and deliver our events in 2026 and beyond.
TFT: India continues to emerge as a major exhibitions and conventions market. How does RX view India’s role within its Asia Pacific strategy, and what opportunities do you see in the coming years?
While India sits outside my direct portfolio, it is clearly a strategically important and fast-growing market for RX globally. I’ll leave detailed commentary on India’s role within the Asia Pacific strategy to my colleagues who lead that portfolio, but it is evident that India presents strong long-term opportunities aligned with RX’s global growth ambitions.
TFT: Finally, are there any new markets, sectors or flagship initiatives that RX plans to focus on in 2026 to drive growth and diversification?
Growth and portfolio development are core to RX’s DNA. We are always looking at how we can strengthen and evolve our portfolio, but our approach is firmly grounded in customer insight.
Whether launching new events, entering new sectors or geo-cloning proven brands into new markets, our decisions are driven by what our customers tell us they need. It’s critical that we balance the voice of our exhibitors with the needs of potential visitors to ensure sustainable success.
RX is uniquely positioned to capitalise on these opportunities through our global reach, international sales capabilities and deep industry expertise. This allows us to support our customers wherever they do business and to build events that genuinely drive value and growth for their industries.