FBC UPFRONT» Happenings


2017 IHRSA European Congress a Success


recommended a balance of both club and consumer digital tools.” Herman Konings stated in his pre-


sentation that the best target group is the 60–75-year-olds, who have more money than older or younger genera- tions and who are also willing to spend it. He cautioned to be carefull with 45–60-year-olds who have less mon- ey and time due to career and family pressures. Younger people are good prospects because they want to invest in themselves. An expression Konings used that


got a lot of attention was “meat pup- pets,“ referring to people in jobs who will soon be replaced by robots or ar- ticifial intelligence. Pablo Fincillas focused on the com-


IHRSA’s 16th Annual European Congress takes place in a different city each year: in 2016 it was in Sevilla, Spain, and the year before in Marseille, France. This year’s event, held in London, England, drew a record atten- dance of 650 persons from 40 countries.


The Congress is education- and net-


working-focused, with a small exhibi- tion area featuring 25 sponsors. One of this year’s presenters was Maureen Hagan of GoodLife Fitness. Another Canadian, Frances Michaelson, was also in attendance. “Thank you IHRSA for another


stimulating and beneficial European Congress,“ said Michaelson. “The op- portunity to share knowledge and ex- periences with my colleagues from around the globe is an opportunity I am grateful for and would never miss. It was a big bonus for me this year hav- ing the European Congress in London. Getting there was easy, and who doesn‘t love that city.“


10 Fitness Business Canada January/February 2018 The theme of the Congress was digi-


tal transformation, and several speak- ers were from outside of the industry. Ari Kalijisto of Finland said, “I liked


the event very much. The first keynote speaker, Ben Hammersley, stated that you have to be interested in technol- ogy, but you don‘t have to be first. He


bination of online and offline vehicles. Alan Leach showed the results he has achieved using his sales team educa- tion system. Rick Caro led a CEO pan- el featuring operators from the U.K., Denmark and Russia. The final day featured club tours in


central London. Several groups walked to nearby clubs in a light drizzle, which did not dampen the spirits of the attendees. The 2018 European Conference


is October 15–18 and will be held in Lisbon, Portugal.


Maureen Hagan with Hans Muench at the IHRSA 16th Annual European Congress.


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