Connecting the dots in renewable energy

Portfolio Director Jonathan Heastie goes on to explain how the hydrogen events provide the missing link in the renewable energy value chain.

“The hydrogen summits directly support the production of clean hydrogen, helping to decarbonise the planet,” he said. “RX energy events such as All-Energy in the UK and Australia, World Future Energy Summit (UAE), Smart Energy Week (Japan), and World Nuclear Exhibition (France), serve the energy production and technology sectors that power hydrogen manufacturing. And our global events in manufacturing and transportation – including Aluminium, Asia Pacific Maritime, Kormarine, Interairport Europe and Fenetran – attract visitors who are actively seeking solutions to decarbonise their operations. Now, we can guide them to our hydrogen shows, creating connections that drive industry growth while delivering more value for all our attendees.”

A winning partnership

For SEC, joining RX was a natural next step to scale their events globally. “We’d reached a point where we needed a partner with broader reach and resources,” said Chris Hugall, Event Director for the Hydrogen Summits and Exhibitions.

“After exploring multiple opportunities with leading global events companies, we chose RX as the best fit for the hydrogen portfolio. RX’s continued investment in high-quality products and its commitment to driving a more sustainable energy future made it the ideal partner for our vision.”

“The team at Richmond has made us very welcome, and although transitioning from a small independent events company into RX has had its challenges, we are gradually being integrated onto the systems and its clear for the team that this will bring many benefits to our events and customers, which we are really excited about,” he added.

For example, plugging into RX’s International Sales Group gives the hydrogen sales team access to a global network of sales experts and agents who, by selling international exhibitors into our shows, make our events richer, more informative, and more commercially beneficial experiences for attendees. By leveraging RX’s expansive databases and cross-show marketing strategies, the team is also looking to attract new international attendees, boosting sales leads and partnership opportunities for exhibitors and sponsors. Collaborations with our World Smart Energy Week Japan and Kormarine teams are already starting to yield promising results.

Work is also underway to move the hydrogen events onto RX’s global event platform, making it easier for exhibitors to organise and track their event participation online via their exhibitor portal. They are supported in this by RX’s customer service team who check in regularly to suggest ways to help them achieve their specific event objectives and answer questions. 

Digital solutions to drive more business

Perhaps most importantly, full integration with RX’s global business systems will enable exhibitors at the hydrogen events to benefit from Business Builder, an innovative suite of digital solutions which drive brand awareness, personal connections and business growth for customers at our face to face events.

 “The clean hydrogen industry is still in its nascent stage, and is very much about making connections, forming new partnerships and building new business models,” said Jonathan.  “RX Business Builder takes a lot of the hard work out of identifying prospects and connecting you with new customers, partners and agents.”

 For example, with Lead Manager App, exhibitors can connect with attendees, collect their valuable lead data, and sustainably share digital content, simply by scanning their badges. With Colleqt QR Codes visitors can proactively scan QR codes on exhibitor stands for digital content, in exchange for their contact details. Additionally, by replacing guesswork with objective, real-time data and analytics, Exhibitor Dashboard gives exhibitors clear and reliable insights into the value of their event participation.

“We can’t wait to start rolling out these and other digital services for the first time at World Hydrogen Summit and Exhibition 2025 in May,” said Chris. “The Sustainable Energy Council’s mission to accelerate a hydrogen-powered energy transition continues apace, and with the added scale, reach and digital resources of RX, we look forward to facilitating even more strategic partnerships, deals and alliances between our exhibitors and delegates in the years ahead.”