Florian Brauer – building a global event brand

Florian Brauer, Senior Global Brand Manager, is a driving force behind the international success of RX’s flagship health, fitness, and wellness platform FIBO, held each April in Cologne. With a passion for global networking and a deep understanding of cultural nuance, Florian has played a pivotal role in turning FIBO into a worldwide brand, breaking through geographical and cultural boundaries and strengthening RX’s global presence.

Over the years, Florian has built a strong global network, working closely with colleagues across RX’s many business units. Whether in the U.S., Mexico, Singapore, South Africa, or Saudi Arabia, his approach is always the same: build trust, share knowledge, and adapt to local needs while staying true to the core values of the FIBO brand.

“I love being part of a global organization that operates successfully across diverse markets and industries, helping our customers grow by creating real value for them,” Florian explained. “I especially enjoy traveling the world, engaging with people from different backgrounds, and gaining a deeper understanding of their cultures.”

Florian’s dedication was recently demonstrated during the launch of FIBO Arabia, which takes place for the first time from October 1–3 in Riyadh. “We onboarded a team, helped them understand our RX culture, and got them educated and energized around all things FIBO,” he shared. “It’s amazing to see how teams across different countries work together, unified by the goal of delivering something exceptional for the market.”

FIBO’s strategic new partnership with the PGA Show, golf’s largest global business event, marks another step toward cross-industry growth and innovation, emphasizing the vital connection between fitness, health and athletic performance, and providing tools and resources for professionals to thrive in these interconnected fields.

The impact of Florian’s work is perhaps most visible in the numbers. This year, FIBO celebrated its 40th anniversary with a record-breaking event in Cologne. Over 1,200 exhibitors and partners and nearly 155,000 visitors from 129 countries came together to make it the most successful edition in the brand’s history.

When asked to share his insights on building a successful global brand, Florian explains that unified brand messaging is essential—visual identity, tone, and value proposition must remain consistent across markets, while still allowing room for local cultural adaptation. He also highlights the need for a strategic presence, advising brands to target high-profile international trade shows and tailor their approach to align with each region’s unique business culture. Finally, Florian stresses a relationship-first mindset, noting that strong partnerships and trusted client relationships are vital. Long-term collaborations, grounded in reliable service delivery, play a key role in enhancing brand credibility on a global scale.

Masakazu Seto - bridging borders through digital innovation

When RX’s International Sales Group (ISG) in Japan wanted to tap into RX Japan’s digital marketing expertise, they didn’t have to ask for help—Masakazu Seto was already on it. What began as an informal offer of help soon evolved into something much bigger: an international digital marketing project that would connect RX Japan with global markets in new and meaningful ways.

At the heart of this project was an ambitious idea—placing Japanese-language digital ads for an RX exhibition held overseas. Masakazu was intrigued by the challenge and immediately saw the untapped potential. Stepping into a consultant role, he guided the team through unfamiliar territory, offering hands-on support until the ads were successfully launched.

The results spoke volumes. For the PGA Show 2025, ISG Japan ran Japanese-language digital ads that led to the acquisition of two new exhibitors and generated more than 40 high-quality leads - opportunities the team would never have reached without Masakazu’s involvement. Some of those leads went on to attend PGA 2025 and are already planning for 2026.

What makes Masakazu’s contribution even more remarkable is that none of this work directly impacts his own performance metrics. Yet, he continues to invest his time and expertise, driven by a true “One Team” mindset. For Masakazu, it’s about the bigger picture—creating value across RX, no matter where the opportunity lies.

Since then, his involvement has only grown. He has helped coordinate between ISG Japan and International Jewelry Tokyo (IJT) for JCK Las Vegas sales and partnered with the Wellness Tourism Expo team on travel-related initiatives. With global privacy regulations reshaping digital strategies, ISG is now shifting from a push-based to a pull-based approach—and Masakazu’s strategic insight and collaborative spirit have become essential to that transition.

Thanks to his leadership in digital marketing, RX Japan is now more globally connected than ever, with Japanese businesses that once struggled to enter international markets finding new pathways forward  ̶  many for the first time.

Ania Acebedo — a passionate advocate for collaboration

Since joining our Philippines business in 2021 as a Graphic Designer, Ania Acebedo has become a dynamic force for growth, elevating design and branding standards while driving global collaboration. Always proactive, she builds global bridges, leading online training, initiating cross-border calls, and championing knowledge-sharing that benefit both RX and our customers.

Her passion for collaboration was evident when she took the role of Design Lead on a SharePoint site that connects our business and customer support team in the Philippines with the global RX business and serves as a learning platform for different workstreams. Even without prior experience in creating SharePoint sites, it was her vision to build a positive community that drove her to create it. “I love learning new skills when their purpose aligns to my core value of supporting others,” Ania said.

Ania’s networking spirit was front and centre at the Arabian Travel Market in Dubai, where her innovative effort to introduce our lead generation products to customers resulted in a significant uplift of 29.5% in engagement. “As a designer, my role is to support our event through print and digital visuals,” Ania explained. “The event immersion gave me the opportunity to meet our colleague across the globe and connect with our customers from different regions by supporting their needs in network building. The experience showed me how everyone’s contribution and dedication led to an incredible event.”

She also demonstrated her collaborative and solution-oriented mindset at Star Wars Celebration Japan where she initiated a project management system for onsite signage. Comprised of colleagues from the US, Japan and the Philippines, the team juggled a complex setup involving three time zones, new technical specifications, and bi-lingual content to harmoniously produce hundreds of signs to the required deadline, thanks to the agile tool she prepared. “What the team did was amazing,” she said. “We produced high-quality signage, even as everyone adapted to the unfamiliar setting. We couldn’t have achieved this without the expertise and collaborative effort of everyone involved.”

Outside her formal role, Ania inspires others as President of the RELX Futsal Club, a reservist in the Philippine Army, and a passionate advocate for wellness through long-distance running, surfing, yoga, and freediving. “If I wasn’t a designer, I’d probably pursue a military career… or be a yoga instructor living in the beach,” she revealed. Her unique blend of professionalism, leadership, and connection makes her a standout example of how networking and collaboration can create value across every level of RX.

Adam Kingston – fostering global sales relationships

Known for his exceptional communication skills and collaborative spirit, Adam Kingston excels in international sales and relationship building. Supporting three Functional Fabric Fair events and Bar Convent Brooklyn, he partners closely with our US sales team and International Sales Group (ISG), bringing people together across time zones, cultures, and markets with a flexible, customer-first approach that reflects RX’s global vision.

For Adam, the global nature of RX isn’t just a job perk; it’s what fuels his professional growth. “Working for an international organisation like RX offers incredible opportunities to cross-train, build new skills, and tap into unique markets,” he says. “This is the privilege of trade shows in general, but global trade shows specifically  ̶   they give you a front-row seat to world commerce. Each show is a window into a different way of doing business.”

Adam thrives in this multicultural environment seeing each challenge as a learning opportunity. “You’re constantly meeting new people, hearing new perspectives, and encountering new ways of working. I’ve learned a lot about work ethic, communication styles, general kindness, and team efficiency from these interactions. And recreationally, who doesn’t love taking an international trip for work?!

When it comes to building strong global relationships, Adam’s approach is simple: adapt to people, not the other way around. “Some reps overseas need face-to-face time, so I make room for video calls later in the evening or onsite at shows. Others prefer messaging apps like WhatsApp or WeChat, while for those closer to home, email works best. Giving people the flexibility to work in the environment they’re comfortable in, rather than pushing them into a mould comfortable for a US style sales rep, has helped build rapport and mutual success.”

One recent story Adam proudly shares involves a long-standing relationship with a Taiwanese client. “We’ve built a really strong trust with this partner” he revealed. “This year, we recommended a booth location that didn’t look ideal on paper, but I believed, based on the history of the show and their product, it would be a perfect fit. When I met with them on the last day of the show, their grins stretched from ear to ear. Those moments create a lot of joy and pride in the work we do at RX.”