Education Takes Forefront at 2015 Club Industry Show

BOULDER, Colo., Oct. 15, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- The Club Industry Show, produced by Penton, wrapped its 30th year last week, drawing more than 3,500 engaged fitness professionals to McCormick Place in Chicago, October  7-9. The positive energy of this event was palpable, as leaders of fitness and wellness facilities of all sizes came together from around the country for networking, education opportunities, group exercise demonstrations and to view the latest equipment and technology from vendors.

Attendees from top facilities, such as Gold's Gym, Life Time Fitness, Powerhouse Gyms, Chicago Athletic Clubs and Fitness Formula Clubs, explored the newest fitness products and trends from returning vendors, such as Life Fitness, Core Health & Fitness, Matrix, and Precor as well as 38 first-time exhibitors.  This year's tradeshow had a strong focus on companies in the wellness sector, including Keiser Corporation, H2 Wellness and Qualisy. 

"Exhibiting at the Club Industry Show allows us to showcase our products and help increase brand awareness," said Justin Humphrey of Troy Barbell. "You can meet all the decision makers in one place, have a quicker sales process and meet new leads. We have been in business for more than 20 years, and there is no better venue than meeting face-to-face at a show."

Event highlights included:

• The Club Industry Show conference had a 29% growth in conference attendance. Education sessions were broken down into 10 tracks and more than 65 sessions.  This year was the debut of the Fitness Leadership Track, chaired by Bill McBride, CEO of Active Sports Clubs, which educated up-and-coming executives about solutions for accelerating growth and skills to advance their careers. 
• Award-winning journalist, entrepreneur and bestselling author Shane Snow offered the  keynote presentation,  "The Art and Science of Accelerating Success in Business and Life," which focused on lateral thinking to resolve problems.  Attendees took away a framework for adding innovation and fresh ideas to their business.
• The Club LIVE stage in the exhibit hall allowed attendees to participate in live fitness demonstrations of the latest group fitness workouts, featuring sessions from Pound, TruFusion Power Pilates, Victeli B's Boot Camp Challenge and Zumba.

"This year's Club Industry Show has been a fantastic event for us.  We have a new product launch and the energy and excitement has been amazing!" said Michael Ritter with Abs Company.

Co-located with the show was the CEO Summit, which was in its fifth year and drew 70 CEOs, its largest attendance ever.  The event offered a day of education and networking for CEOs of the top 100 health clubs in the country. Attendees dove into an interactive case study led by Steven Rogers, Harvard Business School professor.  The CEO Summit was sponsored by Motionsoft, MyZone and Good Earth Distribution.

Several industry leaders were recognized at this year's event:

• Augie Nieto, co-founder of Life Fitness and chairman of Octane Fitness, Augie's Quest and ALS Therapy Development Institute, was presented with the Club Industry Lifetime Achievement Award. Nieto was recognized for his popularization of the Lifecycle and for bringing the industry together to find a cure for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Nieto was diagnosed with ALS in 2005 at the age of 47.
• The 2016 PFP Trainer of the Year Legacy Award was given to Mark Nutting, fitness director and master trainer at Saco Sport and Fitness in Saco, Maine. The PFP Trail Blazer Award was given to Tanya Slusser, team lead and trainer, Project Walk Claremont in Claremont, California.

The Club Industry Show will return to Chicago Oct. 12-14, 2016, at its new venue, the Hyatt Regency Chicago.

About Club Industry Show
Club Industry Show, produced by Penton, is the premier annual independent fitness industry event focusing on for-profit and not-for-profit facilities. The combination of unmatched professional development, strategic business solutions and industry networking make Club Industry a must-attend event for the fitness business professional.

About Penton

Penton is an innovative information services company that empowers nearly 20 million business decision makers in markets that drive more than 12 trillion dollars in purchases each year. Our products inform with rich industry insights and workflow tools; engage through dynamic events, education and networking; and advance business with powerful marketing services programs. Penton is the way smart businesses buy, sell and grow.

Headquartered in New York, Penton is privately owned by MidOcean Partners and Wasserstein & Co., LP. For more information, visit http://www.penton.com or follow us on Twitter @PentonNow.

MEDIA CONTACT:

Tina Beebe   
Marketing Manager
Club Industry
303.998.9372
[email protected]

SOURCE Penton

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