Clubindustry

Well, it’s time for my time at the show to end. The feedback that I’ve been getting was that it was a successful show for many people. I’ve heard a lot of positive comments from attendees and exhibitors stopping at the booth.

People really enjoyed Alan Schwartz’s speech at the Lifetime Achievement Award presentation on Thursday. A lot of people were thrilled with Laila Ali’s presence and said she exuded a lot of warmth and “down to earthness.”

In addition, a few people commented positively about Phillip Mills’ presentation on sustainability from yesterday.

The Best of the Best award recipients were such warm people and very pleased to have the opportunity to come to the show, present their programs, attend seminars and visit with exhibitors.

Our magazine and show group tried something different with our booth. We set it in the registration area and called it the resource center with a map of the exhibit hall and a list of exhibitors along with a schedule of seminars and their room locations. We also had some tables for people to sit at in the booth and hold meetings.

In addition, this was the first year we offered Internet access at the booth, thanks to a sponsorship from KI Software. The computers were busy almost all day without too much of a line at any time.

We’ll be going back to the office next week to talk about how to improve the show for next year. Any suggestions you have are greatly appreciated.

Thanks for visiting the blog! We hope it was beneficial for you.-Pam

There’s nothing better than being a winner. Just ask Kristi Franks of Bodyworks Family Sports Center in Lubbock, TX. Not only did her facility win two of the categories in this year’s Best of the Best contest, but she also was the winner of today’s Eco T650 treadmill from SportsArt Fitness. I couldn’t believe it when James from SportsArt Fitness came to our booth for the drawing this morning at 11 a.m. and pulled Kristi’s name out of the bowl. She and Krista Burns, also of Bodyworks, hurried over to the booth after I announced Kristi’s win over the PA system. They were both amazed and excited to call their owner and let him know that one of the Bodyworks facilities would soon be the proud recipient of a new, eco-friendly treadmill from SportsArt Fitness.

By the way, SportsArt Fitness was also the sponsor of the Best of the Best awards ceremony and educational seminar held yesterday. Now that one of their treadmills will be in a Bodyworks facility, the two companies will forever be tied together in our archives. - Pam

The day before the early-morning workouts on the trade show floor, I decided to try out the hotel‘s fitness facility. Part of that was for research, and part of that was so I could continue my streak of walking at least once a day.

Walking down the hall leading up to the fitness facility, I could see through the windows that the place was packed, even for a little past 6 a.m. on a Thursday morning. That got me pumped up, as did the pictures hanging in the hallway next to the facility. Who wouldn‘t get an extra boost of energy seeing framed photos of Jerry Lewis, Bob Newhart and Sid Caesar?

I was pretty surprised when I found out that you had to pay to use the facility. I was later told that is not uncommon for hotels to charge their guests for the use of their fitness facilities. The hotel where we stayed at for the IHRSA show didn‘t have a fitness fee.

As I was waiting for an elliptical or a treadmill, I ran into Ajay Pant, the general manager of the Midtown Tennis Club back home in Overland Park. He was in Chicago to watch Alan Schwartz receive our Lifetime Achievement Award. Ajay encouraged me to give cardio tennis a try. I think I might.

Despite the heavy traffic, the facility had enough equipment–including some strength equipment– to accommodate everybody. Some fitness club vets were kind enough to spray and wipe down the treadmills or ellipticals after they were done using them. I followed suit after my workout was over.

Today, with the show about to close, the room was a lot less crowded. On the news, a deer had smashed into a window at a health club in Wisconsin. If I‘ve said it once, I‘ve said it a thousand times. When deer want to do cardio, they really want to do cardio. The other incredible story I saw while working out came two days ago when Chicago Bear legend Dick Butkus was promoting a “play fair” campaign. This from a guy who used to tear the heads off running backs and anyone in his path.

Just for fun, I used the locker room so that I could change into my swimming trunks for a little Jacuzzi time. No one was in the locker room while I was there, and I felt safe using the key the front desk staff gave me in exchange for my room key. Still, with news of locker room thefts all too common, I wouldn‘t want to put any of my valuables in a health club locker. I don‘t know what the answer is, but this is a problem health clubs have to correct in a hurry. -Stuart

Sustainability is the No. 1 topic for our businesses.

That was the message of Phillip Mills, creator of Les Mills International and owner of 10 Les Mills fitness clubs in New Zealand, during his keynote on Friday afternoon.

Mills began his keynote with a video about the need to become environmentally more efficient and a book that he and his wife Jackie wrote, titled “Fighting Globesity - A Practical Guide to Personal Health and Global Sustainability.” The book outlines how fitness and nutrition affects the planet and how individuals can make changes to their lifestyles to positively affect the world and environment.

During his keynote, Mills stressed to the 100 attendees the importance of “greening your body.” He said that fitness professionals and fitness facilities must do four things:

1. Create greener facilities. He suggested that clubs shift to solar water heat, purchase water-saving toilets and showerheads and use low energy lights.

2. Become advocates for green. He said clubs must start marketing themselves differently so that the public doesn‘t see gyms as merely a place to look better. He recommended that clubs tell their members about their energy-saving features and have their staff members recommend books on green, healthy living.

3. Become better at running their businesses. Mills said clubs must do a better job of creating fun and exciting clubs that are community-based. Group exercise is a major part of this, he said, noting that group fitness members stay twice as long in clubs as typical non-group ex members do.

4. Create a powerful sense of cause and mission. All clubs should have a strong sense of purpose and be environmentally sound, he said, adding that this type of message is what really speaks to and resonates well with the public.

Mills ended his keynote with some thought-provoking stuff: “Think about what you‘d like to leave as your legacy,” Mills said. “You have to have a strong sense of purpose.” –Jennipher

Yesterday morning, Pam and I attended the early morning workout at the Palmer House Hilton. The name of the game was Turbo Kick, and the good people from Lincoln Park Athletic Club definitely kicked our you-know-whats. After a 45-minute sweat fest of kicks, jabs, jacks and wheels (an odd, yet highly effective core move that involves a lot of twisting and crunching), we were definitely in need of a shower and a good breakfast.

Next on the agenda was the session, “Get the Scoop — Sports Supplements Promises and Pitfalls,” led by Anthony Almada, president and chief scientific officer of IMAGINutrition. Our art director, Jennifer Ray, accompanied me during the presentation, and I think it’s safe to say that we learned quite a bit. She even commented she’d have information to take back to the personal trainer that she works with. Almada debunked a number of myths that many in the industry believe, including “Muscle weighs more than fat.” (In fact, a pound of muscle does weigh as much as a pound of fat because a pound is a pound. Fitness professionals really need to say that muscle is more dense than fat and takes up less room on the body, thereby making a person smaller.)

Almada also gave advice on how to evaluate sports supplements and shared market research. Unfortunately, Jennifer and I had to duck out of the presentation about 20 minutes early to help set up for Laila Ali’s keynote and the presentation of the Lifetime Achievement Award to Alan Schwartz, but we still learned a lot. (Look for more about the keynotes from Stuart and Pam later.)

Yesterday, I also had the chance to stop by a number of manufacturer booths, including Life Fitness, SCIFIT and Star Trac. All of these companies are doing amazing new things from iPod connectivity and user-friendly design to virtual personal trainers and equipment that uses less energy. This year, the show floor really is full of great new ideas, and it’s really exciting to watch. –Jennipher

Any new venture brings with it some trepidation. Today marked the first awards presentation at Club Industry for our annual Best of the Best contest. We were a little concerned about the turnout for the event, especially when there were only a few people in the audience a few minutes before show time. But over the course of the seminar, about 35 people came to hear what made our “best” programs tick.

After our editor, Pam Kufahl, made her introduction and SportsArt marketing director Scott Logan had some opening remarks, a video presentation produced by Jenn (Shaver) and Jen (Ray) went flawlessly. I think they need to add “Mix Master Artists” to their resumes.

Not only were the four winning programs all from the state of Texas, all the presenters were (and still are) female. I think we should call them the “Cowgirls” or the “TexAnns” as they do at Tarleton State University.

The four winners and presenters were as follows: Best Behavior Modification Program–Texins Activities Centers and Health Fitness Corp., Dallas, TX (Blair Archer, wellness coordinator); Best Children‘s Program–Bodyworks Family Sports Center, Lubbock, TX (Kristi Franks, youth fitness director); Best New Member Integration Program–Cooper Aerobics Center at Craig Ranch, McKinney, TX (Kelly Warrington, program director); Best Nonmember or Community Program–Bodyworks Family Sports Center, Lubbock, TX (Krista Burns, events coordinator).

I think the low-key atmosphere of the room helped all four women calm their nerves (not that they showed any) and allowed them to give stellar power-point presentations. All were very professional and enthusiastic about not only winning their awards, but also about showing off their clubs‘ programs in a positive light.

After the four presentations, Kelli Calabrese presented the Lifetime Achievement Award to Phil Kaplan, one of the elite personal trainers in the country. Kaplan acted surprised about winning the award, and then jokingly thanked Martin Scorsese and Al Pacino, as if he had just won an Academy Award.

The Lifetime Achievement Award was perhaps a little misplaced in the show. Plus, the Best of the Best awards seminar was competing against the giant that is the trade show floor. There has been early discussion about moving the Best of the Best to a more marquee time at next year‘s show. It‘s worth doing. -Stuart

Last year at the IHRSA show, Pam and I were known as the jean-jacket twins. It’s notoriously cold in the exhibit halls and session rooms at almost any trade show we attend, so naturally, we bring jackets everywhere we go. For the IHRSA show in San Francisco, Pam and I had both, coincidentally, packed our jean jackets and wore them every day and everywhere at the show. We made quite the dynamic denim duo if you ask me, but everyone noticed and commented on our similiar apparel.

This year, though, I have a new twin: our art director Jennifer Ray. It was Jennifer’s first Club Industry show, and therefore the first time she had met many in the industry face to face. The first words out of many manufacturers’ and attendees’ mouths were, “Are you two twins?” Yes, we have the same first name, same shade of red hair and, for this show, very similiar tastes in fashion. We both ended up wearing nearly all black yesterday, and this morning, at early morning workouts, we both donned pink dri-fit T-shirts and black pants with a matching pink strip. Dorky, I know, but I swear it wasn’t planned.

They say great minds think alike…that must apply to fashion, too. — Jennipher

It‘s the third day of the show, and boy am I feeling it. You always think traveling for work is going to be fun, and generally it is, but after a few days of little sleep, lots of walking and tons of schmoozing, it can wear a girl down.

Take for example my less than restful Wednesday night. At about midnight, I woke to someone trying to use their keycard to get into my room, mistaking 12-117 for their own. After that got my adrenaline going, I was then unable to get back to sleep. So, I lay there, willing myself to sleep, until I started to hear raised voices from the room next door. As the voices got louder and the couple started arguing more intensely, I got up to put my ear against the door to see what was up. I was just about to call security though, when I heard a piano being played. Then more shouts. Then more piano. After a couple of confused moments, I realized the people next door were watching a movie.

Duh.

I then laughed myself to sleep.

Then, Thursday night I couldn‘t fall asleep, exhausted as I was. It‘s like the entire trade show was still going in my head - all the music, the hum of the treadmills, the sound of instructors leading spin classes. I think I finally conked out at midnight and was up bright and early at 6 am for today‘s early morning workouts.

However, as sleepy as I was, I definitely perked up after some coffee and a meeting with Octane Fitness. There, I tried out their latest elliptical which has some really cool interval programs.

Next up was some weight lifting over at the Star Trac booth. The company partnered with Koko, and I spent about 30 minutes with Koko, a piece of equipment with an interactive digital personal trainer. “Koko” knew his/her stuff.

I finished my workout with a quick 15 minutes on Cybex‘s Arc Trainers, one of my favorite pieces of equipment because it makes you feel like you‘re walking on the moon.

Because, I‘m flying out of Chicago this evening and returning back home to Kansas City, I know I‘ll get a good night‘s rest in my own bed, but I‘m not sure I can say the same about my everyday workouts. The show may be exhausting, but you sure do get fit! –Jennipher

With a story on corporate fitness on tap for our November issue, I zeroed in on as many seminars as I could attend in connection with The Corporate Fitness Show track.

The first seminar I sat in on dealt with how clubs fit in with employer wellness programs. Thomas Blackadar of FitLinxx exercise solutions moderated the seminar.

Blackadar had several statistics to show how health insurance costs can be reduced if employees of companies simply participated in wellness programs. He said that $5 billion could be saved by improving the employee participation in wellness programs by just 10 percent. Blackadar and FitLinxx‘s research shows that 20 percent of the employees in a given company represent 80 percent of the health care budget for that company. More corporations are putting incentives in place and are targeting that 20 percent to get them into wellness programs.

Blackadar suggests that health clubs have the people and the instruction necessary to gain leverage into the employee workplace. Clubs need to help track an employee‘s workout data to improve their health. Insurance companies need to be targeted, too, so that they can see verifiable data of these employees. Electronic medical records are coming of age, Blackadar says, and the cost to collect and move data is being reduced drastically. Wearable electronics and activity monitors are more commonplace in the consumer market.

HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) comes into play when discussing how medical information can be moved around, especially when HIPAA protects the privacy of an employee‘s medical information. That was one of the topics discussed by Marc Onigman, who started Club Industry magazine in 1983 and organized The Corporate Fitness Show.

The tricky part for corporations, Onigman says, is helping an employee get fit without violating HIPAA privacy laws. A few questions were raised: Can corporations single out employees who are “high risk” before providing them with a wellness program? Are unfit people willing to go through a medical exam to see if they have high cholesterol or high blood pressure so that they can qualify for a company‘s wellness program? Also, how tough is it to sell self-reported data though the use of exercise-tracking devices to insurance companies, especially since most of that tracking takes place outside the office? The answers have yet to be determined.

A “data monster” is coming soon, Onigman says. All our information could one day be stored on a space as small as a credit card. With this data force, there will be a need for a HIPAA-compliant server, he says. Recently, Microsoft launched HealthVault for people to track their personal health online.

Trying to offer employees incentives for getting fit through wellness programs and other company-sponsored programs goes against societal norm, Onigman says. Nothing is offered to the person who turns in a book on time or drives the speed limit. We penalize bad behavior, but we don‘t normally offer incentives for good behavior, he says.

In a separate seminar on nutrition, Onigman says there are not as many diets geared specifically for men as there are for women. Most men eat without caring a lot about what and how much they are putting in their bodies, he says.

Chocolate, particularly dark chocolate, has almost become a health food, even though it is a delivery mechanism for sugar and fat, Onigman says. He joked about Domino‘s Oreo pizza, saying it reminded him of a Saturday Night Live skit.

Travel plays a role in our diet, especially when there are so few options of healthy food that can stay fresh for long periods of time, Onigman says. Freshman college students who battle the “freshman 15” face no restrictions on their diet once they leave home.

Onigman concluded the seminar by discussing the idea that the anti-smoking campaign that began 10-15 years ago may have correlated with the start of the obesity epidemic. An interesting idea, and one that needs further investigation. -Stuart

After our original plans for tonight failed to materialize, The Four Musketeers–Pam, Jenn, Jen and me–went out to dinner. First, we had to make a stop at H&M, a Sweden-based clothing store that apparently is the complement to Sweden-based IKEA. The thing is, at H&M, you don‘t have to assemble the clothes yourself. Jenn and Jenn made out like bandits, but Pam and I chose not to buy anything. I thought about picking up a pair of jeans, but I didn‘t want to look too Swedish and be forced to go blonde and blue-eyed.

With a sheet of paper in hand listing restaurants near our hotel, we finally decided to eat at this trendy place called The Gage. We had a 30-minute wait, and during that time, the question being bounced around was what famous actor/actress do we all look like? Earlier in the day on the trade show floor, someone came up to the red-headed Jenn (Shaver, not Ray) during her talk with a manufacturer and said, “Didn‘t you win the Oscar for ‘The Hours?‘ Aren‘t you Julianne Moore?”

First of all, Nicole Kidman won the Oscar for “The Hours,” not Julianne Moore, who did get an Oscar nomination for the film. Second of all, I believe the guy who asked the question won an Oscar for the acclaimed film “Doofus Interruptus.”

We finally sat down at our table, and after all the talk of who looks like a famous person, our waiter arrived. Much to our surprise, it was Danny Bonaduce! Swear to God! If it wasn‘t him, it had to have been his long lost twin. The red hair. The goatee. The energy. Everything!

But this Danny Bonaduce was much nicer and didn‘t feel the urge to throw any of us over his shoulder. He was the type of waiter who really, really enjoyed his job. He did such a good sell job on the halibut and risotto specials that two of us had the halibut and two of us had the risotto. Then came the desserts (delivered by Susan Dey), and all four of us shared our four different selections. My chocolate torte was voted the best. My tummy agreed.

After the bill arrived and David Cassidy took our plates, we headed out, and we thought we were never going to see Danny Bonaduce again. That was, until he followed us out the door because one of us (who shall remain nameless) forgot to sign the check. It was a clear oversight, and it in no way diminished our appreciation for our very own Danny Bonaduce (look-alike). -Stuart