While you were busy preparing for the January rush and maybe fitting in a few days of vacation for the holidays, the Club Industry team was moving over to a whole new company. It’s been an exciting couple of weeks since we learned we now have a new owner, Questex.
Questex has holdings that focus on the hospitality industry and include the SIBEC Sports & Health Industry event (a hosted buyer event in the fitness space) along with the International Hotel Investment Forum and Nightclub & Bar.
Questex purchased Club Industry along with Live Design and World Tea Expo from Informa for an undisclosed sum.
What does this mean for you? Club Industry will continue to deliver you the news and trends you need to keep up with what is happening in the industry. We will also continue our reports, webinars, podcasts and our Club Industry Show. (By the way, registration is now open for the Club Industry Show Oct. 14-16 in St. Louis, Missouri—yes, we have a new location in 2020.) But Club Industry is an integral part of this new company’s focus on the “experience economy,” so you may see some changes that will bring you more than what we have been able to in the past.
“The Experience Economy is here,” Questex CEO Paul Miller said in a media release announcing the purchase. “Companies driven by ‘experiences’ have a competitive advantage with business growth. In fact, they grow four times faster than companies that don’t embrace the Experience Economy.”
Miller also noted that research shows that 74 percent of consumers prioritize experiences over products or things.
“The customer experience has taken over from price and product features as the key brand differentiator because individuals want to participate in meaningful work completed on their own timetables,” he added. “As businesses compete for the attention of customers, experiences become a unique selling point.”
We’re excited about where this purchase will take us in the future and how it will help us deliver to you more of what you need to be a successful operator in the fitness and wellness business. Stay tuned as we develop the brand even further to be an asset that you can’t live without.