Tame the flame - were you there?

Now that I and the FIA team have recovered from Flame jetlag, we can look back and reflect on the experience. I’ve said it already by a big thank you to everyone who attended Flame Conference 2012 in Sheffield last month and made it such a brilliant event. Thank you also to everyone who has passed on their feedback about the events, both negative and positive. We do use these comments to make Flame better every year (although the dozen or so of you who pointed out too me that the Ball of Fire was too hot may have overestimated the team’s ability to regulate the weather!)

Although the Ball of Fire did live up to its name, the glorious weather in what has been the wettest summer ever made for an excellent pre-conference Golf Day at Tankersley Manor Golf Club, and some impressive final results from our enthusiastic golf teams including a hole in one for DLL’s Paul Batty.

That evening we returned to Tankersley Manor for a pre-conference drinks reception and dinner, where we enjoyed some astounding evening entertainment from comic magician Ian Keable, who to my (and everyone else’s!) disbelief, hypnotised some of the industry’s finest – or did he?

The following day delegates arrived early for the Flame Conference at the Magna Science Adventure Centre. We heard a huge range of speakers including SAS hero Chris Ryan, trend-spotter Henry Mason, neuroscientist Dr Jack Lewis and brand guru Shaun Smith.

That evening Ponds Forge International played host to the FIA Ball of Fire for the Flame Awards ceremony. A highlight of the evening for me was inviting former England rugby player Matt Hampson to address guests. I’ve mentioned before that my team bought be a copy of Matt’s memoir, ‘Engage’ for my last birthday, and it is a truly brilliant read. The Matt Hampson Foundation (MHF) is the FIA’s nominated charity, formed by Matt after he was left paralysed by an accident whilst training for England under 21s. The MHF helps support young people suffering serious injury or disability, particularly those sustained through sport or physical activity. Speaking about his experience with such humour and positivity, Matt received a standing ovation, and I know that his is a cause our sector is well and truly behind.

Guests were all very generous in donating to the MHF through our silent auction and charity prize; I was pleased to announce today that we raised over £5000 for the charity.

Another highlight, as always, was seeing the reaction of the winners of our Flame Awards 2012 (sponsored by Matrix). Seeing just how ecstatic the teams were to win really brings home the value of these awards.

All in all it really was brilliant to see so many members of our sector together and I hope that we carry forward a spirit of unity and collaboration as a sector in the coming year.

We are now gearing up for LIW in September, where as always we will be running the FIA networking hub and launching our new Supplier Directory, and following that our Summit – the sector’s set piece political event for the year. Following on from the success of the re-launched FIA summit last year I know that I am really looking forward to this event, and we already have some top speakers in the pipeline. The event will be taking place in London on 22^nd November, so get it in your diaries now; more details will be released shortly.

The political agenda is front and centre for the FIA and our sector at the moment, with the upcoming publication of a report from a Lords select committee examining the physical activity and the Olympic legacy; watch this space for further information.

We were also very encouraged by a report released this week by the Royal College of Physicians which outlines a series of recommendations for establishing exercise as a routine tool for the prevention and management of illness. This is a ground-breaking document for our sector, and I was delighted that the report on several occasions highlighted the FIA as a “key collaborator” and the Joint Consultative Forum as the body to take forward many of the recommendations of the report.  There is still much work to be done in engaging the medical community, but this is a significant and positive step forward for our sector.

Follow the FIA on Twitter: @FIA_org_uk

Twitter Tips

*** Guest post by Flame Conference speaker, Frank Furness ***

Here are 3 tips that bring your more traffic without ever sending a single tweet.

Twitter Tip 1:

In the upper right hand corner of your Twitter page is the profile area, or information about you. One choice you have is what website you want to include a link to after the space marked “web.” Most people just send people to their main website. The problem is most people’s main website has no opt-in page so there is no way to capture the prospects email address.

So what you want to do is include a link to an opt-in page, or at least a page that has an opt-in box somewhere. While your followers on Twitter are a list, you also want to add them to your email list.

Also make sure you change the link every now and then to provide some variety.

Twitter Tip 2:

Also in the profile area in the upper right hand corner is a space to create your bio in 71 characters or less. Most people include things like “mother, father, internet marketer, CSI fan, love buttered popcorn” or some other way in which to be cute or funny.

As is often the case, don’t do what most people do. Instead, use the 71 characters in the bio to let your follower and prospect know what you can do for them. After all, your follower and prospect is looking at your Twitter page and asking “what’s in it for me?” So show them.

Twitter Tip 3:

Included in your profile section is a category called “favourites.” What most people do is link to their favourite tweets. Again, don’t do what most people do.

Instead favourite the positive things people are saying about you. Then when someone comes to your Twitter page and clicks on your Favourites, they can see all these “mini-testimonials” about you.

I’m looking forward to giving you loads of tips and tricks around Facebook, YouTube, Twitter and Linkedin at the FIA Flame Conference on 27th June.

Chris Ryan says, ’Let’s Talk Tactics’

In a taster exert from the opening keynote speech which he will deliver to delegates at the 4^th annual FIA Flame Conference in Sheffield next, SAS hero Chris Ryan talks about how his team’s tactics could switch from stealth to violence in a blink of the eye, and how they had to be able to adapt to any situation in order to survive…

“When I was undergoing SAS continuation training, it was drummed in to all of us that the role of a special-forces operator is twofold. Sometimes we would be sent in to gather information: this meant putting in an observation post, lying low, watching and waiting. When that was the case we’d need to go in light – armed, of course, but only with the precision tools we needed for the job. Our role was to stay invisible.

“To do our job with the minimum of fuss and without anybody knowing we were there. If we were compromised, our tactic was to ‘shoot and scoot’ – to engage the enemy if necessary then exfiltrate as quickly and stealthily as possible.

“Sometimes, though, we’d be looking for a fight. If our orders were to take out personnel or installations, our tactics would need to be altered accordingly. Stealth would still be the order of the day at the beginning of the operation. Often we’d be setting up an ambush, so it would clearly be essential that we worked silently and without being seen. If it was possible to take out any of the enemy clinically, with suppressed weapons and without alerting anyone to our presence, we’d do that. One less person to worry about later on.

“At some point, though, we knew things would go noisy. When that happened, the tactics changed. Stealth was no longer our best friend; violence was. We’d use all the weaponry at our disposal to eliminate the enemy completely, or to destroy their installations. If things went according to plan, the operation would go noisy at a time and place of our choosing. Good for us. Bad for the enemy.

“Tier 1 operators need to be equally skilful with the scalpel and the hammer. They need to be the Grey Man, able to merge into the background – which is why a lot of the operators working in Afghanistan wear beards, so they don’t stand out when they’re among the locals in-country. But when the situation requires it, these men must be able to bring all the most brutal forces of war to bear in order to overcome the enemy and achieve their objectives…”

The battle field may be a long way from the gym floor, but the lesson we can all learn as professionals  from Chris, aside from sheer courage and perseverance, is adaptability. As the saying goes, all failure is failure to adapt.

You can hear more of Chris’ extraordinary story at the FIA Flame Conference on 27^th June, Sheffield. Places are going fast so book now.

Follow Flame Conference on Twitter @FIA_Flame, #tametheflame

In Search of Excellence

By Tim Webster, FIA Flame Conference programmer

Excellence is the unlimited ability to improve the quality of what you have to offer. Sometimes the improvement is just 1%, but that 1% is often the difference between winning and losing, between the good and the great. Blindingly obvious isn’t it?

This year’s FIA Conference is all about celebrating the fact that we have come a long way as a sector, indulging in a little “what-if” thinking, challenging what we currently do and asking if it could be done better, differently, more efficiently, more cost-effectively or not at all?

Eleanor Roosevelt said: “Do one thing every day that scares you.” This is of course much more difficult than it sounds but if we are to grow our sector we must challenge our own thinking and that of our colleagues each and every day.

As Tom Peters says: “Doing what worked yesterday is always the default option. Thing is, that doesn’t work anymore.”

In my opinion, in order to challenge our thinking we must look outside our own sector at businesses that are doing things differently and so this year’s conference features non-industry speakers from top-to-bottom. That’s a risk in itself, but there’s no point in challenging you to think differently if we aren’t prepared to do the same.

Over the coming weeks and months we aim to bring you some of the thoughts of our speakers at this year’s conference, starting with our keynote speaker, SAS hero Chris Ryan later this week.

Are you the crème de la crème?

There is only a week left to get a 10% early-bird discount on entry to the FIA & Matrix Flame Awards 2012. Have you entered yet?

Established in the 90’s and receiving more and more entries year on year, the longevity and desire to win a Flame award is plain to see. But what is it that makes these the hottest awards in our industry?

Delivered by the FIA for over 15 years, the Fitness, Leadership And Management Excellence (Flame) awards are our crème de la crème industry awards that recognise excellence and best practice within the health and fitness sector.

The strict Flame award criteria and in-depth three stage Flame assessment process offers clubs and centres a rigorous independent business assessment to help benchmark their facility and honour the people who make such a profound contribution to their communities and organisation.

The assessment process may be tough going but this gives the Flame awards their credibility and therefore any club or facility who succeeds in getting a Flame award knows that they are delivering the best quality service in their category.

The 2012 FIA and Matrix Flame process encompasses; stage one qualifying information through an online entry form and participation in a Net Promoter Score (NPS) survey, stage two, the formal assessment through an onsite visit by an independent auditor, Leisure-net Solutions in partnership with Right Directions and stage three a customer satisfaction survey. The winners are announced in front of a large audience of over 800 industry peers at the prestigious Ball of Fire at the Flame Conference in the summer.

You may have seen that earlier this year the Health Club Awards, run by HCM and the National Fitness Awards, run by Workout magazine were launched. These are consumer awards voted by members, which are valid in their own right but do not follow the in-depth and diverse Flame award assessment process. 

To enter or to find out more about Flame, visit www.fia.org.uk

It’s all happening in Manchester

Stephanie Creighton, Public Affairs and Policy Officer at The Fitness Industry Association looks back on the Labour Party Conference.

This week, was a busy week for Manchester; hosting Chelsea FC at Eastlands at the weekend,  Jonny Depp and Samuel L Jackson in the city filming, and hosting the Labour party conference is no mean feat in one week. Luckily I only found out that Jonny and Samuel were in town as I left, otherwise I may not have spent as much time at the conference!

An important conference for the party, Labour were once again reunited to lick their wounds after their defeat at the May general election and announce who they had elected to be their new leader. Arriving at conference on the Sunday, the winner had already been declared. ‘Red Ed’, as he had become known to some during the campaign, had been victorious, controversially for some as the previous forerunner in the contest, his brother David had been defeated. Ed Miliband’s narrow victory was discussed at length by party members throughout the conference and there were definitely divisions in opinions amongst party members.

Conference for me began with an intimate roundtable event with the shadow health team debating the future of healthcare in the UK. The current shadow team were keen to develop policies and listen to health stakeholder groups advice on their own areas of expertise. The main focus of discussion was around the plans for GP Commissioning Boards, which has been proposed by the current coalition government. Opinions on the proposals were varied and it is clear that more detail is required to understand how this will work effectively in practice. Unfortunately, public health was only discussed briefly. The white paper indicates that a public health service will be developed by the new government, perhaps implying that this would run separately from the NHS and the structures already in place. I was delighted when it was Steve Field, Chair of the Royal College of General Practitioners who raised this, declaring that it was crucial that public health was a priority for GPs and other members of the medical profession. It was great to hear that the GPs were singing from the FIA hymn sheet!

On Monday, I went to the London 2012 fringe with Tessa Jowell, Shadow Minister for the Olympics. Questioned about the sporting and health legacy, Ms Jowell discussed the legacy at length but as always with esteemed politicians failed to address the crux of the question. No actions that have been taken have resulted in a significant increase in physical activity and sporting participation. I pondered on her long response, criticising the loss of free swimming and praising the work of the Youth Sports Trust in increasing participation levels in school sport. I left, pleased that I had sparked a long response but disappointed in the lack of ideas and encouragement.

The most engaged labour MP, pioneering public health, surprisingly was Hazel Blears. Speaking at a DEMOs and Dr Foster Intelligence fringe, she repeatedly affirmed her belief that tackling public health issues were crucial for the health service and were crucial to health reforms. The dedication to public health given at that fringe lifted my spirits.

On Tuesday morning, I could hardly believe my eyes. As I sat with Fred Tuok in the Midland hotel following our meetings with the Chartered Society of Physiotherapists and Ben Bradshaw MP, I saw three people drinking Champagne. I had to check where I was. Yes this was the labour party conference. Yes it was pre 12pm. My mind boggled.

The leaders speech on Tuesday was the focus of the conference. I ended up watching it in the exhibition hall where I could hear the live version booming out from the hall, and the screened version which was on a 5 second delay. I knew when the clapping and cheering was coming. Ed’s first speech clearly marked that this was the new generation of the labour party. Only time will tell whether this is the new generation, a new era or a new version of the same.

That evening, as rumours flew around about David Miliband’s future in the party, I was told on good authority that his decision had been made and he had chosen to stand down from frontline politics. His decision was confirmed on Wednesday evening - a great loss to the frontline politics of the labour party.

What a conference! And one which will never be discussed without mentioning the Miliband name. A new generation, a new start, a new kind of politics? This story has only just begun. Leaving Manchester, minus the conference cold I arrived with, I reflect on the two conferences I have just been to which were probably more similar than they appeared on the surface. Both leaders’ were aiming to unite the party members, and show what they could achieve as a collective movement.

Looking forward to next week in Birmingham, I can’t help but feel the conservatives will put on an entirely different show altogether…

A Look Back on the Lim Dem Party Conference

Stephanie Creighton, Public Affairs and Policy Officer at The Fitness Industry Association looks back on the Lib Dem Party Conference.

On the first leg of my political relay I spent four days in Liverpool with the Liberal Democrats. This was a historic conference, the first in 65 years when the Liberal Democrats have formed part of the government. But of course it is not only a Liberal Democrat government but a coalition in partnership with the Conservatives, some of whom made history by coming to Liverpool and addressing the Liberal Party faithful.

Before this landmark conference we waited with baited breath in anticipation of the political fireworks which could explode before our eyes. Media speculation was rife about potential splits in the party and that conference would be the time for the left of the party to voice any anger they had over the coalition and its plans. But no such luck! Liverpool’s conference came and went with relatively little drama. Only a couple of motions and votes took a different line to the official coalition government position but who expected the Liberal party to vote in favour of the ‘coalition’s’ free schools policy?

The man of the moment, the Rt Hon Nick Clegg MP, roused the crowd on the third day of conference with his leaders speech. ‘Stick with us’ was his message to the party, take the opportunity to change politics and make history. A firm speech was delivered which was gratefully received by the conference floor although this led me to consider what he could have said which would have not resulted in a standing ovation?? A confession that he was secretly a Tory who had infiltrated the party years ago and had waited for this day to come? Disappointed this hadn’t happened, I left the hall to reflect on his words.

Luckily I had been sent the speech so I didn’t have to remember much but lo and behold! There was no mention of public health and sport in his address. How could this be? With a public health white paper due to be published in December, the increasing burden on the NHS due to the physical inactivity epidemic, and the Olympic and Paralympic Games being hosted in Great Britain in 2012, surely this should have been high on the liberal democrat political agenda?

But fear not! One Lib Dem Minister covered it. Speaking at a fringe event put on by the FIA in partnership with MEND, WSFF and PSNC, the Paul Burstow MP outlined his party’s commitment to tackling the public health crisis. Referring to a psycho-social-physiological approach to public health, he said that the government had no choice but to tackle the growing number of diseases which were becoming a burden on the tax payer. Announcing that the government would be prepared to use regulatory intervention to tackle public health issues, Mr Burstow highlighted government plans to work in partnership with the private sector to combat these issues with a shared responsibility.

Earlier in the week at the London 2012 fringe event, Don Foster, Chair of the Lib Dem backbench committee voiced his support for the need of a physical activity and sporting legacy from the games. The audience, which was full of local councillors, were supportive and eager to get involved and capitalise on the power of the games in their local areas.

Although we are still waiting for policy specifics, and tangible ways in which industries and local authorities can get involved and deliver, it is clear this is a party (and a part of the government) that is serious about these ambitions.

And so the journey conditions.  Next, I will be reporting in on a new labour leader stepping into the limelight and rallying the party for the very first time and a very busy conservative conference who are still basking in their new government position.

Stephanie Creighton

Public Affairs and Policy Officer

The FIA talks to Michael Crowe from Think Feel Know ahead of LIW 2010

With just over a week left until LIW, the FIA would like to introduce Michael Crowe, Director of Think Feel Know, who is joining us here as a guest blogger, and at the 'FIA Health & Fitness Conference at LIW 2010' (21st - 23rd September, NEC Birmingham) where he will be exploring the best ways to lead during the recession.



Michael's session will be taking place on September 22, 9.30am at Leisure Industry Week 2010. For further information about Michael Crowe and Think Feel Know please visit www.thinkfeelknow.com.

FIA Annual Golf Day

Competition = rivalry for supremacy. A definition that is brought to life by the FIA’s Annual Golf Day, teams will compete in a desperate struggle of stamina, strength and pure skill, scrabbling through treacherous forestry and swampland, all to win the most coveted of titles… Best Dressed Golfer.

No really, quite on the contrary, whilst the golf day does appeal to the competitive nature of our industry’s finest, it additionally provides a great opportunity to spend the day with some people that you perhaps don’t know so well but maybe should! The emphasis will be on fun, relaxation, socialising and golf of course.

However, if you’re anything like me then the alternative to 18 holes of greenery, lakes, sand and funny metal sticks may appeal -

We will be offering the chance to dip your toe into the world of golf with a focused golf pro clinic. There will be a maximum of 12 participants per clinic, ensuring you will receive adequate personalised attention to make you the next Tiger! You’ll then stop for lunch before popping around the corner for an indulgent facial, back, neck and shoulder massage before spending the rest of the day in the spa (I feel relaxed just thinking about it).

The Golf Day this year takes place at the Lilley Brook Golf Course in Cheltenham, designed by Dr Alistair Mackenzie (designer of the Augusta course). Lilley Brook describe their course as being “an aesthetic and strategic mix of pleasures for both the eye and the mind”, featuring some beautiful wildlife; red maples, Indian bean trees, walnuts and oaks. Here’s a little tip for success…

On the 12th hole (a 397-yard par 4 that sweeps uphill to the green), keep your tee shot to the left of the fairway to have the best angle into a green which slopes wickedly from back to front!

There is still time to get down the driving range and perfect your swing for this beastly competition – there’s no excuse for coming last… And if you do happen to lose, our after dinner speaker Bob “The Cat” Bevan will be quick to point it out!

The Awards Dinner in the evening will recognise and showcase the high achievers of the day – surely motivation enough to start practising?

I look forward to seeing the best of the industry fighting it out in their Burberry and Callaway on the 13th July! To book your place now click here.

Hayley Bevan
Events and Sponsorship Manager
Fitness Industry Association