World’s largest fitness trade show to prepare executives and business owners for the future

Germany's FIBO, the world’s largest fitness trade exhibition, is to expand its education component in 2018.

Being held in the city of Cologne from 13th to 15th April next year, the FIBO Academy will allow participants to deepen their training expertise, acquire exclusive business insights from industry greats, exercise with top international presenters and learn about new trend workouts.

Participants will also be able to earn education credits recognised by selected associations and institutions.

FIBO Director Silke Frank explains that the expanded format is FIBO’s response to trade visitor requests, advising “in an industry as dynamic as the fitness sector, it’s paramount to keep up with the developments of the profession.”

With one in five FIBO visitors already attending the show for continuing education purposes, Frank adds “that made it an obvious choice for FIBO, as the world’s largest fitness trade show, to further expand its continuing education selection in cooperation with the industry, working together to boost the quality of studio-based training and set new standards long-term.”

Among the partners contributing their professional expertise to the Academy are IFAA - International Fitness Academy, the German Fitness and Aerobics Association (DFAV), GluckerKolleg, the Professional Association of Yoga Teachers in Germany (BDY), Perform Better, SAFS & BETA, IST-Studieninstitut, BECO aqua college, Pure Emotion and Zumba.

FIBO Academy: theory, practice and networking
In 2018, attendees will learn from leading speakers including sports scientist Prof. Dr. Ingo Froboese, business coach Joe Alexander and the stretching advocate Julio Sans Tolivia.

Sessions will cover business topics like customer loyalty, fan engagement and digitalisation while delivering technical nuggets of wisdom concerning nutrition, motivation, trigger points and medical fitness.

Featuring master classes with international presenters, the practical portion of the program will not only create a unique live experience, but will also provide insights into new group fitness concepts in the market.

Rounding off the program will be a networking lounge with associations, institutions, speakers, presenters and exhibitors where participants will be able to design their own continuing education programme based on their personal needs and wishes – and their availability.

On Friday and Saturday at FIBO, the event will examine a key emerging issue in the industry: the ability to offer customers an individual exercise programme based on a well-founded inventory of their fitness and health condition in order to ensure long-term retention.

With the aim of extrapolating the best solutions, ideal equipment and right conclusions from the results, the show is collaborating with the DFAV, led by its training director Prof. Dr. Theodor Stemper and its chairman Volker Ebener, to create one of the largest and most informative Case History Courses.

The project is supported by F&G (the official publication of the DFAV association), the German Association of Health Studios (BVGSD) and employees from the University of Wuppertal and GluckerKolleg.

The course is set up as a sample sequence of steps for trainers to try out live at the trade show: after filling in an extensive case history questionnaire, they’ll continue to five stations for a comprehensive body analysis and tests of their endurance, strength, flexibility and coordination. Participants will learn how to ideally lay out such a Case History Course. In addition, they can test a selection of equipment and tools the sports scientists from Wuppertal consider suitable for putting together a case history. Participation is free of charge but does require an appointment.

In 2017, more than 1,000 companies from 49 nations participated, meeting more than 150,000 trade and private visitors from around the globe.

In 2018, FIBO will take place at the Exhibition Centre Cologne from 12th to 15th April preceeded by the 5th European Health & Fitness Forum on 11th April, a meeting of about 400 leading representatives of the European fitness sector. 

Click here for more information on FIBO 2018 in the Australasian Leisure Management industry Calendar.

Images courtesy of FIBO. 

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