LIW 2012– were you there?

A delegation of FIA staff and myself travelled up to the Birmingham NEC last week for three packed days of everything health and leisure: LIW 2012 – the biggest annual trade show for our sector.

And once again, the show didn’t disappoint this year – it is great to see how members continue to innovate and develop solutions to gaps in the market, with suppliers showcasing some amazing pieces of new kit, including a personal favourite opposite us on the Life Fitness stand – the Synrgy360 which ran a demo loop to keep us entertained.

A big thank you as always to the LIW team who did such a great job on creating our excellent FIA stand – a hub in the middle of all the activity, showcasing the FIA’s achievements and current projects.

It was great to see so many members visiting our stand to find out more about the FIA, to hold meetings or just grab a seat (and a drink – kindly provided by VitaCoco and UltraBody) and relax for five minutes.

My personal highlights included having the opportunity again to give a keynote, which showcased the FIA’s passion and drive for delivering on an Olympic and Paralympic physical activity legacy;  seeing some of our brilliant Team GB athletes at the show including the UK’s most successful gymnast Beth Tweddle, rower Greg Searle and the inspirational weightlifter Zoe Smith (who I made sure I had my pic taken with); and our drinks reception (sponsored by Life Fitness) on Wednesday night, which I think personally was the best yet, with a great atmosphere and band, and a successful raffle for our chosen charity, the Matt Hampson Foundation (see below for the winners). The IOU seminars in the education village were also a huge success, covering a wide range of relevant topics. But the best thing about LIW is always for me and the team to meet our members in person – thank you to everyone who took the time to come and visit our stand.

The FIA stand was a hive of activity throughout the three days, hosting an afternoon tea sponsored by TRX, a lunch for Sporta members, a speed networking session and a dinner and lunch for the leaders in health and fitness hosted buyers’ programme. 

We also launched the process for the Flame Awards 2013 at LIW, kicking off with a series of popular seminars presented by myself, David Monkhouse and Mike Hill on what Flame is, how to enter and how to stand the best chance of success. Following on from the success of this year’s awards, we are encouraging operators from across the sector to enter, no matter what their size or business model.

Going back to my keynote speech, I spoke about how together we can achieve more and work towards an ambitious aim of making the UK the most active nation in the world. This is not the FIA's legacy to deliver but the sectors. The FIA is the facilitator, creating partnerships and pathways to help deliver more people, more active, more often. This was reflected in our recent rebrand consultation, which returned an overwhelming ‘yes’ to our keeping this as our mission. I know many of you are very eager to find out more about our new name and brand identity, but you will have to wait until the big reveal at the  Summit in November.

If you missed my keynote you can read a report here summarising the key points.

At such a busy time for all of us working in this sector, it is so rare to be able to have the opportunity to socialise and network in an informal atmosphere. The next time we will see all our members together again now will be at our Summit in November – have you booked yet? The 300 or so of you who came along to the Summit when it re-launched last year will know what an interesting and thought-provoking event it was, and this year we have set ourselves a target of exceeding those expectations with our line-up of high profile speakers. Don’t miss out on being there – if you are an FIA member and you book before 25^th October you can also take advantage of an early-bird booking discount. Look out for guest blog posts from some of our speakers, coming soon.

And finally, if the LIW piqued your interest in education and professional development, you can now book for the FIA’s upcoming seminar series on accessing funding and also watch out for our upcoming webinar series– a new membership benefit for FIA members covering topics as wide as retention, social media, music licensing and public health structures. Whether you are an independent operator, manager of a single site or a PT, we will have something for you. Keep up-to-date one what is really going on in the sector.

All will soon be revealed, but in the meantime you can contact colin@fia.org.uk to find out more.

I look forward to seeing you at one of our upcoming events soon; if there were any questions left unanswered at LIW we are only a click or a phone call away – please do keep in touch.

LIW FIA raffle winners:

Congratulations to all our winners and thank you to the company’s who generously donated the prizes.

Matt Hampson Rugby Ball (MHF) – won by Juma Abdullahi

Book – Engage – The rise and fall of Matt Hampson’ (NHF) – won by Duncan McSporran

Lifecycle GX Bike (Life Fitness) – won by Patricia Carswell

Three courses/workshops from Lifetime – won by Sharon Clare

TRX suspension pack – won by Peter Gilpin

5 x ‘London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games: The Official Commemorative Book’ (spogo.co.uk) – won by Harry Sanders, Pete Todd, Steve Roberts, Jon Nasta and Chris Gledhill

Two conference and ball packages for the Flame Conference 2013 (FIA) – won by Jenny Wildi

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

What an LIW it was…

On the morning of Monday 20^th 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

The FIA Welcomes Mark Talley & ‘Making a Difference with Better Variety!’

The FIA is please to introduce Mark Talley, Fitness Director at LA Fitness as one of its key speakers, and special guest bloggers in the lead up to the 'FIA Health & Fitness Conference at LIW 2010' (21st - 23rd September, NEC Birmingham). Welcome!

Everyone tells us we don’t do it well enough, so just how can we start interacting with and engaging our members more effectively? My session on ‘Member Interaction & Engagement - Making a difference with better variety’ will draw upon established research and my practical experience gained over the last 20 years.

As an operator, not an academic, I will provide you with some practical tools and advice to help you create and manage a more engaging experience for your members. In particular I will reveal the new LA Experience, designed to enhance the experience of existing members through increased meaningful interaction, increase engagement of its people and improve sales and membership yield.

I look forward to seeing you there!

Mark Talley

Mark’s session will be taking place on September 22, 11.30am at Leisure Industry Week 2010. For further information about LA Fitness please visit www.lafitness.co.uk.

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.

Introducing TV Life-Coach Pete Cohen & ‘What It Takes to Be Exceptional!’

The FIA is please to introduce TV life-coach Pete Cohen as one of its key speakers, and special guest bloggers in the lead up to the 'FIA Health & Fitness Conference at LIW 2010' (21st - 23rd September, NEC Birmingham). Welcome!

During my session at the ‘FIA Health & Fitness Conference at LIW 2010’ I will be looking at ‘What It Takes to Be Exceptional!’.

Research now shows that the lack of natural talent is irrelevant to great success. So what are the secrets of exceptional people?

Talent has little or nothing to do with being exceptional. You can make yourself into any number of things, and you can even make yourself great or even exceptional.

The first major conclusion I will look to draw during my session is that nobody is great without work. It is nice to believe that if you find the field where you're naturally gifted, you will be great from day one, but this just doesn't happen. There's no evidence of high-level performance without experience or practice.

The best people in any field are those who devote the most hours to what the researchers call "deliberate practice." It is activity that is explicitly intended to improve performance that reaches for objectives just beyond one's level of competence, provides feedback on results and involves high levels of repetition.

But how do we translate this into business? Many elements of business, in fact, are directly practicable. Presenting, selling, negotiating, delivering - you can practice them all!

Maybe we can't expect all people to achieve greatness, it’s just too demanding. But the striking, liberating news is that being exceptional isn't reserved for the few. It is available to you and to everyone, and this is what I will be exploring with you at the ‘FIA Health & Fitness Conference at LIW 2010’.

I look forward to seeing you there!

Pete Cohen

Pete’s session will be taking place on September 22, 11.30am at Leisure Industry Week 2010. For further information about Pete Cohen please visit www.petecohen.com.

The FIA talks to Georgina Jupp from CK Academy ahead of LIW 2010

As the FIA continue to count down the days until Leisure Industry Week 2010 (21st - 23rd September, NEC Birmingham), it has invited some of its key speakers at this years 'FIA Health & Fitness Conference at LIW 2010' to provide an quick taster of what to expect from their seminars.

The FIA is pleased to be joined this week by Georgina Jupp, Managing Director at CK Academy. Georgina is here to provide an insight into her background and forthcoming customer care session at the 'FIA Health & Fitness Conference at LIW 2010'. 



Georgina's session will be taking place on September 22, 10.30am at Leisure Industry Week 2010. For further information about Georgina and CK Academy please visit www.ckacademy.co.uk.

New Website Launched - Feedback Please?

Well Leisure Industry Week is over for another year and following months of hard work from the staff at LIW and the FIA I think we can confidently say it was a true success. In fact don’t take my word for it:

‘I just wanted to say a really big thank you to the FIA team for all the hard work at LIW...really well done chaps and pass on our thanks from the Trixter team’ Patrick Murray, MD Trixter Europe Ltd.

Luan Underwood, MD of Fitness TV had this to say, ‘We had a thoroughly enjoyable time and have made some extremely promising leads and useful contacts. The stand and supporting signage were super and exceeded expectations. I would also like to extend an applause to the rest of your team who all, without exception, seemed to work really hard, entirely professionally and with an unfailing smile on their faces.’

Launched at LIW was the new FIA website to be found at http://www.fia.org.uk/. So what is new on the site?

• Well the FIA gym finder now has the functionality to allow the general public to directly send an enquiry through to an FIA member club/centre. Great news to help generate more footfall into our industry and an added benefit of FIA membership.
• The marketing doughnut is also up and running on the site which allows all members to access expert knowledge on how best to market their club in these tough times. The doughnut is updated twice a week with new ideas and best practice and should become a major tool for club owners and sales managers in their business strategy.

Over the coming months the FIA website will continue to evolve to attract both the consumer and the industry and increase the information and tools available for everyone. But far from thinking we know it all I would like to hear from all sectors of the industry about what you would like to see on the site and what would help you in the day to day running of your club or centre.


I received valuable feedback from independents, trusts, multi site operators and suppliers while at LIW and now we can start use that feedback to ensure your trade body is offering what you need. However let’s not let it stop there if you have positive or challenging comments (I actually love these because it directs me the way you want the industry to go) please contact me and let’s continue to ensure the FIA offering improves and you get value for membership.


Richard Blackmore - FIA Sales and Marketing Director

Leisure Industry Week Announcements

LIW looms like the Kilimanjaro peak on my horizon. To all my fellow exhibitors, I hope you have a great LIW – may all your enquiries be great leads. To all visitors, I hope you have a great time and, having spoken to quite a few exhibitors, I know you will walk away with at least three good ideas. This year’s LIW is a big one for us for three major reasons:



1. We will announce the results of the 2009 MoreActive4Life campaign
2. We will unveil our new CMO
3. We will launch the next generation of MoreActive4Life: a proposition developed with the obesity specialists MEND, which will give every FIA member an exciting new consumer proposition and a new tactic to leverage the Change4Life connection.


John Searle, our new CMO, must be unique in our industry having an illustrious medical career behind him, a Level 3 qualification and he was a former arthritis sufferer who cured himself through exercise (and a few drugs). John is critical in the FIA’s/ industry’s medical community ‘engagement plan’. If we can overcome their lack of knowledge of the benefits of “exercise medicine” and perhaps even whatever prejudices they have, then we really will have a 360 Degree solution to the nation’s public health time bomb – a solution comprising the DH, the FIA, programme developers (such as MEND), FIA members and ‘referers’ ie the healthcare community. That would be brilliant for consumers and very lucrative for FIA members (if we get it right).

I am now off, in a packed car, to head up the M40 with mission critical collateral in my keep. God help me if I break, lose, misplace or damage anything..... I will have to suffer the wrath of Hayley, our Events manager .......... for three full days! Day and evening!!


David Stalker, FIA Chief Operating Officer

Post Holiday Blues and Pre LIW Madness...

With LIW just around the corner the FIA office is buzzing accordingly with anticipation and preparation. Next week is a little different to the norm - with a sports beach, hosted buyer programme, fitness zone… Congrats to the LIW boys!



This last week has been a busy one for me; having just returned from a glorious holiday in the Algarve in a relaxed a smiley mood, I drove straight into the events planning turmoil and have duly forgotten that I’ve been away at all… The fading remnants of a hard-fought-for tan are all that remains!

From Monday morning my feet have barely touched the ground and as always, the scales of work/home life never balance themselves out – Instead of returning home to a cosy sofa, Eastenders, glass of wine and a stir-fry (my preferred school-night activity), I’ve been plunging a ceaselessly blocking toilet (not our own doing I assure you!), screaming at a dying laptop (which melodramatically keeps showing me the “blue screen of DEATH!”), wondering how on earth people got by before the internet existed, and desperately trying to learn the language of the “Computer Geeks” in order to communicate with those funny salesmen on Tottenham Court Road who are trying to sell me a new laptop! As a high point to the week I had some great meetings with Keiser and Cybex, who are set to support the FIA through 2010.

Despite the frantic nature of the week I am confident that our various events at LIW next week will be a success – our Drinks Reception on Tuesday night has been highly subscribed to (in fact it is totally full to bursting point). This will be a great chance for Health & Fitness to gather, chat, drink & nibble – all thanks to our lovely, generous sponsors; Fitness TV and Matrix!

I am pleased to say that I think this week’s storm is finally calming and I hope that the FIA staff BBQ this evening will vanquish any remaining knots of stress and bring me back to holiday mode!

Hayley Bevan - FIA Events and Sponsorship Manager