FitNation 2022 - Community and Cooperation Essential for the Future of Fitness
Industry leaders gathered at Europe’s fastest-growing fitness conference to discuss the biggest innovations and challenges facing the industry
Amsterdam, October 31st, 2022
FitNation, Europe’s fastest-growing fitness conference, returned on October 25th at the Eye Film Museum in Amsterdam to educate and inspire almost 300 industry guests by analyzing and discussing the most significant topics in fitness and health.
The key message delivered from the event was the need for the global fitness industry to cooperate with one another and join forces with industries and organizations outside of fitness, to strengthen the industry and offer a broader and more holistic health service that focuses on building communities to keep members motivated and loyal.
The basis for this should be taken from how the industry overcame the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic by proving itself to be adaptable, flexible and resilient after such transformative digital changes, which enabled it to still engage with customers and show its value.
The event included eleven keynote presentations and workshop sessions from international speakers including fitness technology entrepreneur Bryan O'Rourke and inspirational ultratrail runner Anne-Marie Flammersfeld, as well as industry leaders from companies such as Virtuagym, EGYM and fit20. The debated topics ranged from the role of esports and gamification for fitness, future digital innovations in health, effective growth strategies for modern fitness business and personal performance enhancement.
The schedule provided a special panel discussion on the impact of the global economic crisis on the fitness industry with Andreas Paulsen, CEO of EuropeActive, Patrick Rijnbeek, Director of NL Actief, Wellness Expert Jennifer Halsall-De Wit and Stefan Blahovec, Founder of Form Factory. This was moderated by renowned nutritionist and writer Dr. Ludidi.
According to Andreas Paulsen, the fitness industry has proven its importance for our health generally rather than just for leisure, shown by it being seen by many governments as an essential service since 2021. For him, building strategies between associations, including with data, offers a genuine opportunity to transform fitness clubs into the ‘third space’ in people’s lives for their physical health and mental well-being. This can be enhanced through better connectivity and digital strategies that create a community of consumers who can engage with all types of health services.
This, according to Patrick Rijnbeek, means the industry can make health and fitness more accessible for people who do not find it easy to go to a gym or exercise regularly, such as those with disabilities. The industry should align with associations that support those demographics, as well as ensure that everyone has a fitness membership that they can afford.
In his keynote address, Bryan O’Rourke emphasized the importance of a fitness brand being part of a wider ecosystem of community and content that elevates the human experience, with modern consumers being the producers, or ‘Prosumers’. For him, intelligent communication and work between companies and countries is critical for the next stage of fitness and health. For Jennifer Halsall-De Wit, the key for the future health of the industry is for companies and organizations to collaborate with one another and create synergies with different services, in order to provide a broader healthcare solution that understands specific customer needs and is less reactive.
The official date of October 12th was also announced for FitNation 2023, to be held again at the Eye Film Museum in Amsterdam. The FitNation 2022 event was supported by EuropeActive and NL Actief and sponsored by Virtuagym, Matrix, Hidden Profits Marketing, Mollie, Inbody and Club Joy.
To find out more about FitNation, including tickets for 2023, please visit: https://fitnation.co/
For any further media inquiries about FitNation 2022, please contact Joe Baker at joe@fitnation.co.
About FitNation
FitNation is a global platform to educate, motivate and inspire fitness professionals, from gym and studio owners to personal trainers and entrepreneurs.
Each year it hosts the annual FitNation conference, which brings the brightest minds in the industry together to explore the most important and exciting topics and innovations in health and fitness.
Additionally, FitNation delivers further content and insights through regular Lunch & Learn webinars and its 'How to Grow Your Fitness Business' podcast on Spotify & Apple Podcasts, ensuring fitness professionals never stop learning.
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