Fairfest Media Appoints Simon Press as Managing Director, International to Accelerate Global Expansion and Scale WTE Miami

Mumbai / Miami, May , 2026: Fairfest Media, one of Asia's leading trade show organisers, today announced the appointment of Simon Press as Managing Director – International, marking a significant milestone in the company's global growth strategy following its recent acquisition of WTE Miami.

In this newly created role, Simon will lead Fairfest's international portfolio — driving WTE Miami’s growth into a leading global travel trade event, while also playing a key role in bringing high-potential international event IPs into India, one of the world's fastest-growing exhibition markets.
Simon brings over two decades of experience in launching, scaling, and managing large-scale international exhibitions and B2B media brands across Europe and the Middle East. Most recently, he led a portfolio of leading European technology events. Prior to that, he held senior leadership roles at globally recognised travel industry exhibitions, overseeing strategy, growth, and international partnerships across multiple markets.
Commenting on the appointment, Sanjiv Agarwal, Chairman & CEO of Fairfest Media, said: "Simon's appointment comes at a pivotal moment for Fairfest as we expand our global footprint. His extensive experience in leading world-class exhibitions and building global platforms aligns perfectly with our vision. We are confident that under his leadership, WTE Miami will scale rapidly — and I am equally excited about the new opportunities we will unlock together to bring world-class shows to India."
Simon Press said: "Fairfest has built a remarkable reputation as a leading trade show organiser in Asia, and the acquisition of WTE Miami creates a compelling global platform to build on. I look forward to growing WTE Miami into a truly global event and exploring new opportunities to connect international markets with India's rapidly expanding exhibition ecosystem."

With Simon’s appointment, Fairfest accelerates its presence across the United States, Europe, and Asia. The company is actively engaging with global event organisers for co-development and co-investment in high-potential event IPs in India, leveraging its deep local expertise, extensive industry network, and four decades of experience in the market. Interested partners are invited to connect with Fairfest Media.

Ebix Group Announces Arun Batra as Managing Director of Ebix Travels

The Group strengthens travel leadership to drive growth and integration

National, 2026: Ebix Group announced the appointment of Arun Batra as Managing Director of Ebix Travels, strengthening leadership across its travel and mobility portfolio as the Group sharpens focus on growth, integration, and execution. In his role as Managing Director, Batra will lead Ebix’s travel and mobility businesses across domestic and international markets, with accountability for overall performance, governance, and long-term value creation. His mandate includes strengthening alignment across Ebix’s travel businesses, deepening partnerships, and refining customer offerings as the Group builds a more integrated and execution-driven travel platform.

With over three decades of leadership experience across fintech, telecommunications, retail, media, and services, Batra brings a strong track record of scaling businesses, building distribution networks, and leading large-scale operations in complex, competitive environments. He has previously held senior leadership and CXO roles at HCL, Vodafone, Brightstar Corporation (USA), Reliance Infocomm, Zee Networks, and Matrix Cellular.

Commenting on the leadership announcement, Dr. Vikas Garg, Chairman of Eraaya Lifespaces Limited & Ebix Group, said, “Ebix Travels is a strategic growth engine for the Group, spanning multiple travel formats, geographies, and customer segments. Arun’s expertise reflects our intent to strengthen leadership accountability and decision-making as we build a more integrated and execution-focused travel business.”

Arun Batra said, “As the travel industry continues to evolve, our ability to build strong teams and deliver consistently customer-focused solutions will be critical to sustained growth. I look forward to working closely with our partners and teams across geographies to strengthen execution, drive innovation, and build a future-ready travel business that creates long-term value for customers, partners, and the organization.”

Ebix Travels operates across corporate travel management, MICE, luxury rail journeys, destination management services, and technology-enabled travel platforms. The business serves a wide spectrum of customer segments across multiple geographies and remains a key pillar of Ebix Group’s growth strategy in travel and mobility.