Next week’s free Future of Fitness global virtual event includes topics on how technology can be your secret weapon, COVID-19 lessons learned, why a hybrid model is now necessary, finding your path to reinvention, what members want from their health clubs and more. And you have these sponsors to thank for that because they are offering some valuable insights on these topics and others as the industry looks at where it is headed in the future.
ABC Fitness Solutions President and CEO Bill Davis will present “Embrace Your Fear: How Technology Can Be Your Secret Weapon to Boost Your Business” at 10:25 am Eastern on Nov. 17. In this session, Davis will share 10 practical ways to embrace digital and technology as their secret weapon and be ready for what possibly could be the biggest new year rush.
Life Fitness is not only sponsoring the first day keynote by EuropeanActive President Dave Stalker, but Life Fitness CEO Chris Clawson is also moderating the panel “COVID-19 Lessons Learned” at 10:35 am Eastern on Nov. 16. Panelists are Martin Seibold, CEO of LifeFit Group; Todd Magazine, CEO of Blink Fitness; Brent Gallagher, co-founder of Avenu Fitness; and Cheryl McCarver, executive director of Cooper Street YMCA. In that session, the panel will look at the changes in business operations caused by the pandemic and the pivots that the industry has taken to see what lessons the industry has learned.
Clawson also is participating in the session “What Members Want from Their Health Clubs in an Age of COVID-19” at 11:55 a.m. Eastern on Nov. 17 with Stephen Tharrett of ClubIntel and the Zoom Q&A that follows that session.
Jennifer Urmston Lowe of Sports & Fitness insurance is sharing her expertise on changes to consider with your insurance in this 8:10 a.m. Eastern session on Nov. 17: “Three in 30: Three 10-Minute Takes on Changes in Staffing, Programming and Insurance Since COVID-19.” During this three-part session, Maria Gonzalez, CEO of ClubFitness Greensboro, will talk about how staffing has changed while Kia Williams, fitness educator and program director, Fit and Fierce Podcast, will talk about how programming has changed.
Freemotion went all out on their session, enlisting author and coach James Mac McPartland to lead its session “The Path to Reinvention” at 9:50 am Eastern on Nov. 17. In that session, McPartland will share stories from inspiring entrepreneurs who overcame adversity by successfully reinventing themselves.
Intelivideo is sponsoring, and its CEO Adam Zeitsiff is moderating, the 9:20 am Eastern, Nov. 16 session “Virtual Fitness: Why a Hybrid Model Is a Must for Your Club’s Survival.” The panel consists of Jennifer Halsall, EuropeActive board member and international retention and member engagement manager at Basic-Fit; Riz Sunny, CEO, My Bollywood Body and Muscle Mecca Gyms; Julio Salado, founder, Fitness Foundry; and Mike Hansen, managing partner of Endorphinz.
Fisikal CEO Rob Lander will talk at 10:25 am Eastern on Nov. 17 with Richard Carroll, senior brand manager of Third Space, on “Personalizing the Experience for the Four Generations at Health Clubs.” They will discuss how digital is the new personal and the necessity to personalize communications, fitness content and purchase opportunities for members.
At 9:50 a.m. Eastern on Nov. 16, you can check out “Commercial Recovery Experiences” by Therabody Vice President Paul Cauldwell. In this session, Cauldwell will walk you through the impact of recovery in a gym environment and give you insight about how health club members can incorporate a new form of recovery throughout the entirety of a workout rather than just post workout.
Maria Morton, Brand Optimization Manager for Club Automation, Motionsoft, and CSI Spectrum, part of Daxko's Club Division, takes part in the 12:40 p.m. Eastern, Nov. 16 session “Marketing Takeaways: Five Perspectives on Marketing Today.” Maria Morton, Brand Optimization Manager for Club Automation, Motionsoft, and CSI Spectrum, part of Daxko's Club Division, takes part in the 12:40 p.m. Eastern, Nov. 16 session “Marketing Takeaways: Five Perspectives on Marketing Today.” The other marketing expertise sharing their wisdom are: Meredith DeAngelis, chief marketing officer, Village Health Clubs & Spas; Marisa Hoff, director of operations, Stevenson Consulting; Allison Rand, vice president of marketing and communications for Vida Fitness; and Merikay Marzoni, director of marketing and public relations at Fitness Formula Clubs.
Jeff Van Dixhorn, chief revenue officer of Club Automation, CSI Spectrum and Motionsoft, is one of the presenters in the Technology Quick Hits at 11:15 a.m. Eastern on Nov. 16. The other presenters are Jeff Esswein, vice president of strategic accounts and digital content for ICON Fitness (Freemotion—a sponsor), and Mike Rucker, chief digital officer at Active Wellness.
In addition, Concetta Lewis, vice president of people development at Daxko, will moderate a panel, “The Business Case for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion,” at 9 a.m. Eastern on Nov. 18, with panelists Julian Barnes, co-founder and CEO of Boutique Fitness Solutions, and Rodney Morris, founder and CEO of Workplace Culture Workout.
Also part of Daxko is Motionsoft, and Motionsoft Founder Al Noshirvani is moderating a panel at 12:35 p.m. Eastern on Nov. 17 entitled “The U.S. Industry’s Survival Requires Health Club Alliances.” The panelists on this presentation—JoAnna Masloski, COO of Wellbridge; Gale Landers, founder and CEO of Fitness Formula Clubs; and Scott Gillespie, owner of Saco Sport & Fitness, all helped to create alliances in their states. They will share their process and the importance of doing so. Right after this panel, the four will be available on a Zoom call to answer your questions directly.
MXM President and CEO Blair McHaney will pull double duty at this event. At 9:55 a.m. Eastern on Nov. 18, he will present “Creating a Better Customer Experience,” in which he will frame up how the member experience and member expectations have changed, what it means for club owners and operators, and where we should be focusing our energy for innovating our businesses. In addition, he will be one of the experts on the last session of the event, “Ask the Experts About the Future of the Fitness Industry,” which will occur at 11:15 a.m. Eastern on Nov. 18.
In addition, Jenny Hymer, vice president of customer experience at MXM, will speak at 11:15 a.m. Eastern on Nov. 16 in Retention Quick Hits.
Healthcare integration takes center stage on Nov. 18 with four sessions, three of which involve sponsor Concierge Health. The company’s chief development officer, Matthew Schober, will moderate the panel “How Healthcare Integration Saved These Clubs and Can Save Yours During the Next Pandemic,” at 9:10 a.m. Eastern. In this panel, David Rachal III, founder, CEO and chief medical officer of Healthefit, as well as Dr. Raj Gupta, owner of Soul Focus and Gupta Enterprises, will share how providing medical services within their facility helped generate revenue even during the COVID-19-related temporary closures of health clubs. Immediately after the session, Rachal and Gupta will be on an interactive Zoom call where you can ask them questions about how you can do the same.
After that Zoom call, jump into the 10:25 a.m. Eastern session “How U.S. Clubs Can Increase Membership Revenue by Partnering with Health Insurance Companies,” on which Schober will be a panelist. On this session, which will be moderated by Jeff Skeen of Results Redefined, Schober and the other two panelists—Brett Hanson, executive leader in personal health for Rally Health (a subsidiary of United Health/Optum); and Garrett Marshall, president of fitness streaming for Xponential, will discuss revenue sources that health club operators should leverage, in particular those that involve health insurance companies and other third-party programs.
Another session on healthcare integration will be presented by WellD Health CEO Chris Craytor, who is also president and COO of acac Fitness & Wellness. In his session “Healthcare Reimbursement Strategies for Fitness: Moving Beyond Check-in Programs” at 8:35 a.m. Eastern on Nov. 18, he will share lessons learned and insights from his work developing various healthcare integration strategies, including best practices related to reimbursement, maintaining clinician relationships and operationalizing a for-profit medical fitness business.
Other sponsors of the event are:
- Les Mills
- Fitness on Demand
- Myzone
- AV Now
- CLIMBR
- Eleiko
- Gym Valet
- Keiser
- Matrix
- Stages Cycling
- Virtuagym
Some of these sponsors may have additional sessions in the sponsor hub portion of the platform, so make sure to check out that section next week. All will have resources for you. And we encourage you to thank these sponsors for their support of such an important event and their dedication to the betterment of the fitness industry.
Discover more sessions by checking out the full agenda here. And register for the event here.