Penton's Club Industry Show Drew Thousands of Fitness Professionals to Chicago
BOULDER, Colo., Oct. 28, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Penton's Club Industry Show, the premier independent fitness industry event, wrapped up its 29th year at Chicago's McCormick Place Lakeside Center, Oct. 22-24, 2014. Leaders of fitness facilities from around the country as well as fitness equipment and technology vendors networked with their community and broadened their business potential.
The show drew thousands of engaged fitness professionals from top facilities, such as Gold's Gym, Life Time Fitness, 24 Hour Fitness, Crunch, Chicago Athletic Clubs, XSport and Fitness Formula Clubs. Exhibit hall attendees viewed live fitness demonstrations and the newest fitness products and trends from returning vendors such as Star Trac, Life Fitness, Matrix Fitness, and Octane, as well as more than 30 first-time exhibitors.
"Club Industry had a great turn out this year. All of the attendees seem really excited about ReebokONE so we will definitely be back next year and years to come," said Mike Caruso of ReebokONE.
A highlight this year was the debut of the Fitness Leadership Forum, a one-day learning and networking opportunity for top-level fitness facility owners and senior executives from clubs such as Asphalt Green, the Atlantic Club, Cincinnati Sports Club, Centegra Healthbridge Fitness Centers, Elmhurst Park District, Fitness Formula Clubs, Nike Sports Centers, Vida Fitness and Wisconsin Athletic Club. (Sponsored by Motionsoft, Stairmaster, Schwinn Fitness and GymGroups.)
"The Club Industry Show provides tremendous exposure for a new product like ours – the Fluidity Studio Barre and Fluidity Instructor Training, just launching to commercial facilities. As a result of our being at the show this year, we're writing orders and setting deals in motions with facilities across the country," said Dan Toigo, VP of Sales, Fluidity Studio, LLC.
The 4th annual CEO Summit, the premier fitness leadership conference co-located with the Club Industry Show, took place this year with the owners and CEOs of the top revenue-generating club companies in the United States. The event included CEOs of companies such as ACAC, Active Sports Clubs, AussieFit, Core Power Yoga, Corporate Fitness Works, East Bank Club, Healthworks, Fitness Formula Clubs, Gold's Gym LA, Gold's Gym Wisconsin and Virginia, Greenwood Athletic Clubs and Pura Vida, In-Shape Health Clubs, Midtown Athletic Clubs, New York Health & Racquet Clubs, Orangetheory Fitness, The Atlantic Clubs and The Houstonian. (Sponsored by Motionsoft)
In addition to the Fitness Leadership Forum and the CEO Summit, the two-day conference had more than 60 educational sessions. The Club Industry Show collaborated with the Association of Fitness Studios, who sponsored an in-depth lineup of education geared toward the important business components of running a fitness/small group studio.
Gerry O'Brion's keynote presentation drew a standing room-only crowd as he unveiled The Fitness Club Formula – Building a Powerful and Profitable Brand.' In his keynote, O'Brion shared great marketing tactics and engaging stories. Attendees were inspired with strategic directives for building and growing their business, and retaining their clients.
The Club Industry Show brought together the fitness community to recognize several industry leaders during the show.
- Club Industry recognized John McCarthy, an icon in the industry and the founding executive director of the International Health, Racquet and Sportsclub Association (IHRSA), with the 12th annual Club Industry Lifetime Achievement Award. McCarthy was recognized for his more than 25 years of contributions in the fitness industry, including his recent work as chairman of the Augie's Bash for the Cure, a fund-raising effort within the fitness community for ALS research.
- At the Top 100 Club reception, Club Industry recognized the fitness facilities that made Club Industry's annual Top 100 Clubs list. At that reception, two people won yearlong mentorships with two CEOs from the Top 100 Clubs list. Dawn Anderson, co-owner of Sand and Steel Fitness, Alexandria, VA, won a mentorship with Joe Cirulli of Gainesville Health and Fitness, Gainesville, FL. Phil Donnelly of Asphalt Green, New York, won a mentorship with Jim Worthington of Newtown Athletic Club, Newtown, PA. (MyZone and Matrix Fitness sponsored the mentorships.)
- The 2015 PFP Trainer of the Year was awarded to Mindy Mylrea of Santa Cruz, CA, during a special ceremony at the Club Industry Show. Mylrea has dedicated her career to the fitness industry as an influential fitness professional, educator, leader and innovator.
The Club Industry Show will return to Chicago to celebrate its 30th show Oct. 7- 9, 2015.
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 drives performance for more than 16 million professionals every day. They rely on us to deliver Insights, information and workflow tools to inform critical business decisions; networking and community to engage them with industry peers and partners; and data and marketing services to advance their business performance and deliver ROI.
Penton is a growth company with a record of strong performance and success, backed by its co-owners: MidOcean Partners and U.S. Equity Partners II, an investment fund sponsored by Wasserstein & Co., LP.
For additional information on the company and its businesses, visit www.penton.com.
MEDIA CONTACT:
Heather Smith
Club Industry Show
Penton
Phone: (303) 998-9232
Email: [email protected]
SOURCE Penton
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