Sold on events! Indiya Okam’s first 100 days at RX  

Having joined RX US from the healthcare industry, it didn’t take long before Group VP Sales Indiya Okam was sold on the wonderful world of face to face events. She shares some insights into her first 100 days with RX, and her priorities for 2024.  

Indiya Okam joined RX in October 2023 from Owens & Minor, a fortune 500 global healthcare company, where she was Vice President of Sales, Products and Healthcare Services leading value based and growth initiatives. Her interest in RX was piqued by the companies’ shared focus on value-based selling, but she confesses that while she was familiar with the world of trade shows from an exhibitor perspective, she knew little about how they all came together before she engaged with RX about the role. 

“Most of the events I attended previously were healthcare association events, which were an avenue to make new connections, showcase our products and solutions to the market and network with industry partners,” explained Indiya. “My attention was focused on which decision makers were attending, and what sponsorship opportunities were available to increase our market visibility against our competitors. It can sometimes take years to get in front of key decision makers and, by bringing you shoulder to shoulder, trade shows open doors and make it easier to start the conversation. But I had never really thought about the organisation behind the scenes, pulling everything together and bringing the event to life. Discovering RX was a delightful revelation in that sense.” 

Right from the start, Indiya said the people at RX were a big part of her decision to join the company. “Even during the interview process, people were genuinely interested in getting to know me. And after I joined RX and started doing the rounds, that feeling stayed with me. What I also love, coming from outside the events industry, is how interested and willing people are to learn, to find out how things work out elsewhere. I see that openness as a growth mindset. People are asking ‘what is the best practice elsewhere, how can we incorporate that into RX to transform our business and make us better?"

Three weeks into her new role, Indiya attended her first RX event, ISC East, and said she was immediately struck by the huge sense of pride the team had in their show. “Witnessing the vibrant marketplace and interactions was a great experience for me. And then attending the PGA Show in January, having got to know the sales team, I gained a greater understanding of the enormous effort and talent that goes into delivering a successful face to face event. Feeling the tremendous energy in the halls was truly magical.”  

Indiya has joined RX at an exciting time for the company, with the pandemic now history, and strong recovery underway in the USA and around the world. Over the past three years, RX has augmented its face to face events with an impressive array of digital tools that are transforming the ability of RX customers to do business, while also giving them data to understand and improve their event ROI. As a salesperson, what does Indiya make of this digital arsenal?   

“All I can says is that, as a former exhibitor I wish I’d had access to such incredible tools. My experience of the lead collection process was painful, with a lot of manual gathering of leads and inputting of data into your CRM system. To see exhibitors and attendees effortlessly gathering data at PGA Expo by simply scanning badges and QR codes on their mobile phones, having downloaded RX’s apps, was amazing.  I was also blown away by RX’s new Exhibitor Dashboard which provides exhibitors with a playback of their event outcomes in terms of leads generated, online engagement and competitive analyses, offering them a data driven approach to measuring and improving their event performance.”  

As Group Vice President of Sales in the USA, Indiya is responsible for driving sales and revenue transformation, shaping the road for sustainable growth, and fostering career opportunities for RX’s sales talent. So, what does she understand by the term ‘value-based sales and more, importantly, what does it mean for RX’s customers? 

“Value-based sales is about getting to know and understand each customer’s business and objectives, and then curating a solution that will help them achieve their specific gaols. That works whether I’m selling a healthcare product or solution to a healthcare system looking to improve outcomes, or a trade show solution to an RX exhibitor who wants to grow revenue, improve the efficiency of their business or make new connections. Ultimately, it’s about building long-term customer relationships that align with their evolving business objectives.”  

In performing her role, Indiya has the support of RX’s Global Sales Enablement team, who are responsible for RX’s global sales platform, and for improving the skills and training of the company’s sales teams. “It’s great to see RX taking this joined up approach to its sales systems and competencies which is key to becoming a genuine value-based sales organisation, and to achieving better sales and customer outcomes,” said Indiya. So, what would she say to someone who might be thinking about joining RX as the next step in their sales career? 

“I would say, straight off, that RX is an inspiring place to work. You are around people here that really want to grow and learn. The company puts a lot of time, investment and resources into training and developing people. When I think back to my sales career, those were the things that propelled me to the next level, and at RX you get the chance to build your sales experience across many different industries. And then, as a global events organisation, you get exposure to opportunities outside of sales, such as marketing and digital, helping you to build a wider skillset, so that further down the line, you can decide you want to try something else.” 

RX has a long-standing code of ethics and since 2020 has made concrete commitments to support inclusion and diversity globally. Did this sway her decision to join the company?  

“Not directly” she replied. “What I saw initially, was the opportunity to make an impact based on my skills and experience, having been part of other value based sales organisations. But the intentional approach to diversity I noticed at RX was certainly a reassuring factor towards my decision – something that is not only good for RXers, but for our customers too. Our events need to reflect the communities we serve, which means engaging and attracting the broadest possible mix of employees, vendors, speakers, and attendees.” 

So, having completed her first 100 days at RX, what do the next 100 days have in store for Indiya and her sales team?  

“I’m working closely with our Global Sales Enablement team and our Sales Leadership team to ensure our salespeople have the competencies and training they need to excel at RX,” said Indiya. “In addition, we are setting up a Sales Advisory Group of individuals to gain feedback from the field into any new sales initiatives. The voice of our sales team is critical in helping us shape our transformation journey towards a value-based sales organization. We are also looking at how we can, as a sales organization, collaborate even more to share best practice and key learning across all our events. There is so much sales talent within RX, and so many great ideas – I  want to ensure that all our people, and all our customers, enjoy the benefits.”