Mehraj Waghu

• Own full P&L responsibility for India Health Exhibition, including revenue planning, forecasting, cost control, and profitability management.
• Define event strategy, positioning, and growth roadmap aligned with Informa’s global healthcare portfolio vision.
• Drive sales performance through booth space revenues, sponsorships, partnerships, and key account management.
• Oversee visitor acquisition and marketing strategy, ensuring strong attendance, engagement, and brand visibility.
• Build and strengthen strategic relationships with government bodies, healthcare associations, hospital leaders, medical device companies, distributors, and international delegations.
• Lead cross-functional teams across sales, marketing, operations, conference production, and customer success ensuring alignment and delivery excellence.
• Ensure flawless on-ground execution including venue planning, exhibitor experience, vendor coordination, compliance, and safety.
• Guide the conference and knowledge programme, curating meaningful content, themes, and speaker engagement to position India Health as an industry thought-leadership hub.
• Monitor and deliver KPIs including revenue growth, exhibitor retention, visitor turnout, NPS, and ROI.

Key Achievements:

• Successfully launched India Health 2024 after a previous failed attempt by the organization, establishing a credible and premium-positioned healthcare exhibition platform in India.
• Led the India Health team’s expansion into Informa's global WHX healthcare shows, outperforming revenue targets (USD 1.2M vs USD 0.9M), while spearheading outbound international sales growth and successfully transitioning the team to Dubai’s Salesforce platform, enhancing pipeline discipline and performance reporting.

• Led national sales strategy and revenue delivery across exhibition portfolios.
• Managed P&L-linked sales performance, forecasting, and pipeline management.
• Built and led a high-performing sales team with structured targets and accountability.
• Developed key client, government, association, and industry relationships.
• Drove pricing strategy, sponsorship revenues, and partnership monetisation.
• Worked closely with marketing and operations to support exhibitor success and retention.

Key Achievements:

• Successfully launched two international healthcare exhibitions in Uganda and Tanzania post-COVID, expanding the regional footprint, and rebuilding commercial momentum.
• Revitalized post-pandemic business performance, securing strong exhibitor participation and revenue traction.
• Strengthened exhibitor retention and client trust through relationship-led selling and structured sales processes

• Led the Western Region Exhibition Sales function, driving strategy, pipeline development, and client engagement.
• Managed and mentored a team of four sales professionals, ensuring structured targets, productivity, and performance discipline.
• Focused on online and digital exhibition products, virtual event formats, and digital lead-generation solutions during pandemic restrictions.
• Built strong client relationships and maintained business continuity during market uncertainty.

Key Achievements:

• Supported post-COVID business revival strategy while sustaining revenue traction through digital platforms.
• Strengthened market presence by promoting virtual exhibitions, online showcases, and digital engagement solutions
• Ensured team stability, morale, and productivity in a challenging environment

• Owned end-to-end event management for exhibitions, including strategy, commercial performance, operations, and marketing.
• Managed cross-functional teams, including sales, marketing, operations, and customer success, to ensure seamless event deliver.
• Developed sales strategies and exhibitor acquisition plans, maintaining strong client relationships and high retention rates.
• Oversaw P&L, budgeting, and forecasting, ensuring profitability and sustainable growth.
• Collaborated with senior stakeholders, industry associations, and government bodies to enhance event positioning and credibility.

Key Achievements:

• The India Big 7 exhibition, with over 300 exhibitors, delivered a 28% growth in its first edition following Reed Exhibitions’ acquisition.
• Onboarded and transitioned a new team from a traditional environment to Reed’s process-driven ecosystem, training them on CRM usage, structured workflows, and performance tracking.
• Successfully launched the regional edition of “India Big 7 – Giftionery” in Bangalore, drawing over 80 exhibitors and establishing the show as a premier corporate gifts platform.

• Manage sales and business development activities for a diverse portfolio of 70+ international exhibitions, accountable for USD 7M+ revenue responsibility.
• Manage P&L accountability, forecasting, target setting, and revenue reporting for portfolio.
• Develop and execute strategic sales plans to acquire, retain, and grow key accounts, government bodies, and industry associations.
• Manage, mentor, and develop a high-performing sales team, setting targets, KPIs, and ensuring structured pipeline management.
• Drive CRM adoption and process discipline across the team to enhance forecasting accuracy, visibility, and productivity.
• Collaborate with marketing, operations, and event teams to ensure seamless execution, exhibitor satisfaction, and commercial success.
• Identify and capitalize on new business opportunities, including digital and hybrid event solutions.
• Represent Reed Exhibitions ISG at industry forums, trade missions, and international client meetings.

Key Achievements:

• Increased revenue from existing customers by 130% over 5 years through relationship management, account expansion, and cross-selling initiatives.

• Managed outbound international sales portfolio worth USD 2M as International Sales Manager
• Created marketing materials and campaigns to promote exhibitions in target countries.
• Developed effective communication channels between India office and overseas offices for seamless collaboration.
• Resolved any issues or disputes that arose between clients and the company during the sales process.
• Collaborated directly with government associations to secure participation in international exhibitions.
• Developed and executed strategic outbound sales plans, driving portfolio revenue growth through cross-selling and upselling initiatives.
• Implemented CRM-driven processes, enhancing pipeline visibility, forecasting accuracy, and team productivity.
• Mentored and coached sales team members, improving product knowledge, sales effectiveness, and adoption of structured processes.

• Cultivated relationships with key corporate, academic, and professional clients to increase publication and subscription sales.
• Collaborated with marketing and product teams to strategize client acquisition and retention efforts.
• Identified and pursued new business opportunities in digital and subscription-based products.
• Provided market feedback to refine product offerings and enhance marketing campaigns.
• Achieved sales targets and revenue goals through effective upselling and cross-selling techniques.
• Transitioned from Reed Elsevier to International Sales Manager at Reed Exhibitions ISG India.
• Developed promotional strategies that boosted client engagement and subscription growth.
• Leveraged industry insights to drive product development aligned with market needs.