On the morning of Monday 20th September, Mr Jonny Sullens stood atop a surf board, waves crashing around him as he surveyed the building of his empire… As any good Event Director should do, Mr Sullens was road-testing the products that would, the very next day, be available to the punters of the Fitness Industry… I still await the photographic evidence of this particular health & safety assessment – The Wave-Surfer.
From the moment we arrived to set up the FIA Industry Lounge on Monday, it was clear that this show would run smoothly (if I may boast such confidence) – conversations with some surprisingly relaxed exhibitors assured me of this.
The buzz of the show kicked in on Tuesday morning as the whir of fitness equipment demos filled the air – kranking, spinning, bikini-clad cross-training – not to mention the “whir-free” varieties: boxing, pole-dancing, dancing… and a rather tired Santa Claus having a snooze (yes, that made me look twice - I thought it was our Finance Director first time around!)
Dave Stalker’s keynote, where he launched the five year industry strategy was the perfect opening to LIW and marks a real turning point for our industry. Stay tuned for the roll out plan…
Hopefully you all had the opportunity to visit us on our mammoth double-decker Industry Lounge stand (many thanks to the Jonnys for creating such an incredible structure that didn’t collapse under the strain of 80 lunch-filled Health & Fitness Leaders, as per my nightmares…). We enjoyed the pleasure of hosting lunches for SPORTA, Community Sport Seminar delegates and those on the Health & Fitness Leaders Programme as well as meeting our many members and launching our brand new Individual Memberships (which incidentally can be purchased for just £29.99)
The jam-packed FIA Drinks Reception on Tuesday night saw over £300 raised for Help for Heroes – many thanks to all who contributed! To view the raffle prize winners click here. We were honoured to have the inspirational Berni Shrosbree with us at the reception to share news of his most recent adventures (unfortunately this was greeted in part by a wall of noise – combatative solutions for next year on a postcard please!).
Wednesday, saw a wealth of free education up for grabs, which was well attended and received. A part of this was the independent operators tailored IOU Seminars, which saw over 250 clubs in attendance! The seminars looked at the cornerstones of their operation; concluding with 6 independent club owners offering their views on the challenges they’ve faced over the past year. The day ended in the best possible way - a huge party in the centre of Birmingham –dancing, a great band and general merriment led to many a sore head the following morning…
Thursday’s seminars with Sport England were extremely popular and couldn’t have come at a better time. We look forward to working further with them in the build up to 2012.
All in all, I think you’ll agree - a full and exciting show. Fabulously organised (our congratulations go to UBM) and diligently attended (our praise goes to those Industry bods that recognise the need to invest in their industry and make the most of events such as these). It was fantastic to see so many of you there and I look forward to more of the same at the next industry event!
To view our photos from the show – check out the FIA Flickr Page
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