Clubindustry

For those of you who attended IHRSA 2010 two weeks ago and for those of you who wished you were there, we’ve posted images from the show on our photo gallery. Maybe you’ll see yourself. Of course, if you didn’t attend, that would be impossible, now wouldn’t it?

If you didn’t get a chance to attend the IHRSA conference this year, you can get a peek at some of the events, products and seminars at the show by reading through our blog entries. We covered the trade show floor, most of the keynote events and Augie’s Bash. And we certainly don’t want you to miss the performance by the IHRSA board of directors, so we included a link to the video in our blog entry about that.

Next week, check back on our home page for photos from the show to get more information about some of the events, products and exhibitors.

Now that we’re a week removed from the IHRSA show in San Diego, I want to offer a few leftover thoughts. more

The last time the IHRSA show tugged at your emotions in the late afternoon was when ALS battler Augie Nieto spoke at the 2007 show. Last Thursday, Kristina Ripatti and her husband, Tim Pearce, showed similar courage in their presentation. more

Chip Heath, who spoke at IHRSA on Friday immediately after the IHRSA Annual Meeting, did a nice job of knowing how long to speak and knowing what parts of his speech he didn’t need. more

Compared to last year’s IHRSA financial panel session, which occurred right smack dab in the middle of one of the country’s worst recession in decades, the mood was a little lighter and the outlook a little brighter at this year’s financial panel in San Diego. more

Yesterday began with early morning workouts, but I did a little different workout from what I normally do. Yes, I tried out the Precor EFX and AMT, but that was just a warm-up. My real “workout” was a stretch at the Tailored Flexibility booth. Aaron Taylor, the owner (kind of clever use of his last name in the name of the company), put me through some of the stretches that he uses on his clients, who include boxer Muhammad Ali, golfer Betsy King and comedian Billy Crystal. Some of the stretches showed me that I definitely sit too long as my right hip flexor hurt. If Taylor lived in Kansas City rather than Phoenix, I’d definitely be going back for another visit. more

So, most of the rest of yesterday was spent walking the trade show floor visiting various vendors and running into people from the industry who I only get to see at conferences. more

So, how long do we have to wait for a fitness revolution? According to Malcolm Gladwell, author of “Blink” and “Tipping Point,” not long. Any revolution can happen almost overnight.

Gladwell was the keynote speaker yesterday at the IHRSA conference (sporting a tamed-down hairdo that made him look less like a mad scientist). He spoke about how people always think change takes time, but true revolutions often happen quickly. For example, when radios first came out, few people bought them. They saw no need for them as they were marketed as a way to hear the news—and at that time in the United States, most cities had five or more newspapers, so people were inundated with news. more

Yesterday morning’s all-conference gathering began with a few awards and a not-so-award-worthy performance. (Although it was fun to see the IHRSA board loosen up.) more