IHRSA 2021 ignites fitness industry comeback

With its 2020 event having not been held, the International Health, Racquet and Sportclub Association (IHRSA) has advised that its IHRSA 2021 event celebrated the fitness industry’s revival.

Based in Dallas, Texas, USA, the hybrid event, held from 13th to 15th October, the event welcomed thousands of health and fitness industry professionals.

At what was IHRSA’s 40th anniversary International Convention and Trade Show, for the first time ever, attendees were able to join in-person or virtually to attend education sessions presented by industry experts, network, socialise with other fitness professionals, and experience cutting edge fitness industry equipment and technology in the exhibit hall.

Commenting on the success of the event, IHRSA President and Chief Executive, Liz Clark stated “it was great to meet so many industry leaders in person.

“They not only showed their commitment to the industry by being in Dallas, they came eager to learn and everyone greeted me with smiles and showed their genuine appreciation for all IHRSA has done to help the industry recover. It was amazing to receive such a warm welcome and experience firsthand what being part of the IHRSA family means to our members.”

IHRSA 2021 achievements
• Despite many travel restrictions, nearly 4,000 health club operators, suppliers, and fitness industry professionals travelled to Dallas to attend IHRSA 2021 in-person.
• The Trade Show, with 220 exhibitors, showcased a wealth of new products, services, and solutions throughout the two-day Trade Show and early morning workouts. Exhibitors were pleased with turnout and consistently highlighted the high quality conversations with key decision makers and buyers.

• Attendees had access to over 100 education sessions, networking opportunities, exercise classes, and, new this year, IHRSA Skill Workshops, SPARK! Sessions, and special events like Talks & Takes, sponsored by ABC Fitness Solutions, and the IHRSA Think Tank. 
• People were excited to share their experience on social, posts tagging IHRSA and using the #IHRSA2021 received more than 110,000 social media impressions, reaching nearly 75,000 people. 
• Keynote presentations from Diana Kander (sponsored by ABC Fitness Solutions), Dr. Kenneth Cooper (sponsored by MXMetrics), and Scott Stratten (sponsored by Matrix Fitness) were live-streamed.
• The 12th Annual IHRSA Women’s Leadership Summit (sponsored by Club Automation, Motionsoft, and CSI Spectrum) was headlined by Tiffany VanDeMark, founder & CEO of VanDeMark Partners.
• The IHRSA Foundation VIP Reception (sponsored by Glofox, NASM / AFAA and Welld Health) brought the IHRSA Board of Directors and many industry leaders together to network and learn about the many important projects the IHRSA Foundation has embarked on over the past two years.
• The Annual IHRSA Financial Panel moderated by Rick Caro focused on A Financial Perspective On The Return of The Fitness Industry and featured a distinguished panel of Wall Street experts.

2021 Award Recipient
IHRSA debuted debuted the Jim Worthington Advocate of the Year Award at IHRSA 2021. After the pandemic’s impact, advocacy and public policy are now, rightfully, at the forefront of IHRSA and its advocacy arm, the National Health & Fitness Alliance. This new annual award recognizes an individual who sacrifices and takes risks to advocate for the fitness industry and keep the fight going. This year, IHRSA honoured the man who inspired the creation of this award, Jim Worthington of the Newtown Athletic Club in Pennsylvania, USA.

IHRSA 2022 will take place from 22nd to 24th June next year in Miami, Florida, USA.

Click here for event details for IHRSA 2022 in the Australasian Leisure Management industry Calendar.

Images: Recently appointed IHRSA President and Chief Executive Liz Clark addressed the more than 3,600 in-person and online attendees on the first day of IHRSA 2021 (top) and scenes from the exhibit hall (middle and below).