What the Exhibitions Industry Can Learn from Competitive Events - HYROX

Ben Veechai
May 28
5 min read

BYD HYROX May 2025, BITEC Bangkok, Thailand

This past weekend, Bangkok held its first ever HYROX event at the Bangkok International Trade & Exhibition Centre (BITEC). Launched less than a decade ago in 2017, HYROX has become the “race for everybody” spanning a mixture of entry level competitors seeking healthy personal goals to fitness dynamos looking secure spots at HYROX’s World Championships for the glory and title for top physicality. But what exactly is HYROX and what has made it so popular? Firstly, HYROX is a global fitness race that combines running and functional workout stations. Competitors will alternate with running 1 kilometer then performing functional exercise such as 1 kilometer row machine, sled pushes, sandbag lunges, farmers carry and many more feats of athleticism. The entire race spans 8 kilometers and 8 functional exercises. Participants can select from racing individually, with partners, in a relay, or in the much more difficult “Pro” category. HYROX even offers a category for athletes with physical disabilities called HYROX Adaptive.

Panittha Buri, Vice Chairperson BHIRAJ BURI GROUP, Gary Wan Managing Director HYROX APAC, Pitiphatr Buri CEO BHIRAJ BURI GROUP at Inaugural HYROX Thailand at BITEC

But why do people fly all over the world just to run around in a circle? If we look at the statistics in just Thailand alone, according to the Thai Mass Participation Sports Trade Association (TMPSA) over 1,500 mass participation sports such as marathons, off road races, and competitive fitness events took place in 2023 and expected to grow by 25% in 2024 and thereafter. But what makes HYROX so special and what can the Exhibitions Industry learn from them?

To start off, some of you may know that in addition to being a coach and consultant for the exhibitions industry, I also happen to have a passion for fitness and wellbeing. So much so, that I became a partner of BASE Bangkok—Asia’s Gym of the Year—a few years back. Through my experience working out at BASE’s multiple studio locations regularly in Bangkok, I’ve discovered the power of community and shared experiences in the fitness space which I feel can be mirrored in events. In fact, I feel so strongly about the power of community that I included this into my UFI Asia Pacific 2024 Session in Macau.

Aside from being clean, safe, and indoors, HYROX does so much to propel its community following through dedication and shared experiences. I literally trained for this event for months at BASE with friends and I am sure this is the case of many others at their training studios. And it is through the training process, that we share common hardships, joys, and ultimately victory and memories at the day of the race.

So onto the actual event itself and my observations:

1) HYROX tickets sales are not cheap. They range from $100 - $200 USD for competing athletes and US $12 dollars for spectator passes. And you know what? It’s worth it in my opinion. I believe you get what you pay for and the production value, the safety, and even the onsite experience is top notch. And I have found that the quality is consistent throughout different HYROX events in Asia. A good lesson for the exhibitions industry in terms of geo-adapted events—they should strive to maintain the same level of quality as the original.

2) HYROX’s demographic is pretty desirable! Not everyone can afford to train and compete at HYROX in terms of cost and time. The costs of competing slots (which quickly gets sold out) is just the tip of the iceberg. The amount of money and time one must spend to get ready for the race typically includes training at properly designated fitness studios as well as the costs of travel and proper gear for the race. I’ve personally observed the folks who have the time and resources to compete at HYROX (if not multiple races in a year which is common) tend average around the 20s- 40s group with middle to upper income earning power and active lifestyles. Talk about a core market for branding and sponsorships!

Lively HYROX Training Class at BASE Gaysorn Amarin

3) HYROX affiliate and sponsorship programs is a win - win. To be an official HYROX training studio, one has to become a partner with HYROX which is another great revenue stream for the organizer but also the studios. As the craze for HYROX soars in Asia, classes specific to preparing competitors to endure and excel in the race obstacles becomes more and more popular and fully booked. And HYROX is courted by many brands to get in front of this desirable, affluent, and active group! HYROX in Thailand for example had car manufacturer BYD as the top sponsor who even provided specialty BYD auxiliary events onsite such as the Insta-friendly challenge like of tugging their vehicles with a rope.

BYD HYROX sponsor provides experiential branding to this unique demographic

4) Hyrox merch creates loyalty, scarcity, and bragging rights. Let me tell you about HYROX merchandise. By the mid of day one, barely anything was left at the HYROX pop-up store—especially the limited-edition apparel which noted HYROX Thailand and range between $45 to $350 depending on item. With barely anything left of the racks, I still saw people standing in line just to buy the remaining HYROX patches which they proudly added to their large collection of badges befitting their backpacks. But one of the truly genius add-ons everyone gets are the photo packages. HYROX enlists Sportograph and an abundance of onsite official photographers to take photos of all the competitors while they compete. Using AI facial recognition software, one can quickly (and pretty accurately) view all of their photos after the race and download then for an additional fee.

5) Finally, HYROX drives a sense of global and micro communities. After the months of training, early morning runs in lieu of late nights out, to fervently “liking” social media posts after the race, to talking about the experience with gym friends after recovering, HYROX really brings about a shared experience and sense of community. As I was about to vomit on the last functional obstacle, “the 100 Wall Ball Squats”, I thought to myself “this will be my last race.” Yet, a few days later a friend of mine asked if I would pair up with him in two months for mens’ doubles HYROX in Hong Kong. It took me less than a minute to confirm “Let’s DO IT!”

Through training and share experiences, a BASE HYROX community emerges

So, as I often tell my clients, our exhibitions are more than just trade shows. Magic happens onsite when people meet and have shared experiences. And I see this all of the time. Old friends meet, new partnerships are brokered, and people have lots of fun. If we can learn to augment this sense of community for our trade shows and conferences, we’ll gain even more loyalty and business opportunities.