By Josh Leve, AFS Founder & CEO
Another weekend, another solid fitness conference. This time it was NASM's Optima event held in Scottsdale, AZ. With 30 years behind them, NASM pulled out all the stops to celebrate.
From social events, morning workouts, networking opportunities, VIP events and a central fitness EXPO, NASM had a little something for every fitness professional who decided to attend.
With over 35 speakers and 70+ sessions, I was proud to present the State of the Fitness Studio Industry: Trends, Research and Future Initiatives You Need to Know.
One of the major takeaways for me, and when speaking to other presenters, was how the level of engagement in the sessions was off the charts. My presentation was met with a crowd who wanted to share their experiences, provide feedback to others and ultimately assist in the development and growth of future and current studio/gym owners.
It's all a collaborative effort to ensure the success and maturity of the studio/gym market continues to grow and prosper.
This is a major takeaway for me. There's no hiding success secrets from others. There's no, "we're doing it better than you and I'm not going to tell you how." It's all a collaborative effort to ensure the success and maturity of the studio/gym market continues to grow and prosper.
What's more, this type of engaged learning is the exact same approach studios and gyms have taken in their own businesses. The clients of fitness studios are engaged and assisting others reach their fitness goals, just like those in my audience were engaged and assisting other aspiring and current studio and gym owners meet their business goals. This intimate environment is breeding a culture that together we can accomplish anything.
With so many factors influencing the growth of studio market (the death of retail, millennials, women in the workforce), it's created the perfect storm for those looking for the next step in their career - the fitness entrepreneur. Someone who understands calculated risk, building a community, delivering high-touch results driven coaching, and provides personalized and customized options for their clients will learn to thrive in this competitive market.
The future of the studio industry is bright - I could tell, I witnessed it at NASM Optima.
Josh Leve is the Founder & CEO of the Association of Fitness Studios (AFS). AFS’ mission is to provide studio owners and entrepreneurial fitness professionals with the platform to effectively start, manage, and grow their businesses.
With over 60 industry partnerships – Josh’s success with AFS has translated into being featured in all major fitness publications and is also a featured speaker for events such as Club Industry, NSCA, NASM, Athletic Business, EMPOWER!, and more.
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