Clubindustry

Dear Britney Spears,

If I had known you were going to embarrass yourself at the VMA awards Sunday night, I would have stuck around Las Vegas long enough to talk you out of “performing” there.

I was in Lost Wages for only part of the day last week, attending the Planet Fitness/World Gym forum at the Rio hotel. I made it there and back in the same day, too.

Maybe it‘s time you started to think about re-branding your image, Brit. After all, you‘re a mother of two now, and it‘s probably best to put away the bikini and boots for a while–maybe forever.

The thing I learned in Vegas last week is that branding works, especially when you‘re a company like Planet Fitness, which bought World Gym last year and is trying to re-shape the World Gym image from its Ah-nold, Mr. Olympia days. When I walked into the forum at the Rio, there were logos of both clubs everywhere–and I mean everywhere. There was Planet Fitness, with its Incredible Hulk-looking, thumb-up logo, alongside the new World Gym “W” logo that looks like it came from Wonder Woman‘s closet.

The pieces of equipment that vendors displayed had Planet Fitness and World Gym logos on them, including a massage chair. Every seat at the tables in the ballroom had either a yellow or blue beach towel draped over it, complete with the company logos.

At each chair, there was a casino-like bucket (I‘m sure you know what those look like) that had the company logos on them. Inside the buckets were poker chips with Planet Fitness and World Gym logos, a red die with “World Gym” on it, a red hat with a vendor logo on it, a powder blue T-shirt with company logos on it, two logo-ed temporary tattoos as well as a specially made deck of playing cards with–you guessed it–Planet Fitness and World Gym logos.

They even had custom-made pens and notebooks with logos on them. Packets of gum and water bottles, too. I was half expecting to see logos embedded in the Danish at the breakfast they provided. (The Danish was large enough to put them there, too.) And here‘s an added touch: The candy dishes at each table included little packets of pain-reliever medication, the kind I‘m sure you usually use when you roll back to the room around 10 a.m.

This merger of Planet Fitness and World Gym could be productive, Brit, a lot more productive than your merger with K-Fed, the two kids notwithstanding. It‘s early in the ballgame, and the World Gym franchisees are still trying to feel their way through the process. Most are taking a wait-and-see approach, which is different from your philosophy: see and be seen.

Take it from me, Brit. The best way to stay out of trouble in Las Vegas is to leave Las Vegas before the sun goes down. No casinos, no clubs, no click-happy paparazzi can hurt you while you‘re on a plane heading home.

As for dancing and lip-syncing without rehearsing, Brit, just do as I say: Don‘t do it again.

Sincerely,

Stuart

Pam, Stuart and I recently learned that due to personal circumstances, Dr. Mike Nichols, CEO and founder of TempusClinic, will not give his keynote address during Club Industry 2007. Thankfully though, Les Mills came to the rescue and suggested that Phillip Mills, CEO of Les Mills, speak about sustainability and how clubs should embrace a “green” agenda. Because the green movement is such a hot topic, the show group is thrilled to cover it at the show.

Mills will give his keynote address at 11:30 a.m. on Friday, Oct. 12 at the McCormick Place Convention Center in Chicago. –Jennipher

Up until this week, the only celebrity sightings I‘d ever had were pretty tame. In my high school years, I walked by Mr. Aerosmith himself, Steven Tyler, at an outdoor art festival. In my college years, I randomly met one of the boys in the boy-band 98 Degrees. (Unfortunately it wasn‘t Nick Lachey, but instead the short, slightly balding member of the group. Nice guy though.) Then, years later at the same outdoor art festival where I saw Steven Tyler, I saw tennis player Taylor Dent. Oh, and when I was visiting my best friend in Los Angeles, I saw the lead singer of the Goo Goo Dolls and Ron Jeremy (not together), but, according to the locals, that‘s a common occurrence in Santa Monica, CA.

Okay, so fine. I have seen quite a few celebrities. But none of that compares with this week, which I‘ve appropriately titled “Best Celebrity Week Ever!” (Yes, we in journalism rarely use exclamation points, but an exclamation point was necessary there.)

On Wednesday, I had the opportunity to meet and interview Dr. Ian Smith from VH1‘s “Celebrity Fit Club.” Dr. Smith was in town promoting his new book, “Extreme Fat Smash Diet,” and I chatted with him about his book, his 50 Million Pound Challenge and working with difficult people, aka Dustin Diamond (best known as Screech from “Saved by the Bell”). Stuart purchased for the staff a fancy new digital recorder over the long weekend, so in a few weeks we‘ll have the interview with Dr. Smith up on the Web site for you to listen to as a podcast. Keep an eye out for it.

Then yesterday, I spoke with yoga guru Rodney Yee. Although I believe I masked my dorkiness over the phone during the interview, I was seriously psyched to talk to the same man who stars in my all-time favorite yoga DVD, “Power Yoga.” I‘m working on an article about the controversy over yoga copyrights and the Westernization and commercialization of yoga. Yee gave me a lot of insight into the matter, and I think his comments will add depth to the article.

For many “normal,” non-fitness people, seeing Steven Tyler is probably more exciting than meeting fitness celebrities and experts but not for me. No way, Jose. I‘ll take Dr. Smith and Mr. Yee any day to your common pop and rock stars!

Who‘s having the best week ever? I am! –Jennipher