The Club Industry Executive Summit Wraps in Chicago
Posted: October 25, 2022 in Suppliers
Club Industry
CHICAGO, IL – The 2022 Club Industry Executive Summit attracted more than 200 owners and C-suite individuals at commercial clubs, studios, YMCAs, parks and recs, JCCs and medical wellness centers. These executives had an opportunity to learn from experts and each other over the day and a half.
Thank You to Advisory Board: Club Industry Content Director Pamela Kufahl recognized the 10 members of the advisory board and two CEO Summit guides for their help in putting together the topics for the event, suggesting speakers for panels and serving on panels themselves. The members were (left to right) Tom Johnston (guide for CEO Summit), Micah Logan, Natalie Alcantara (guide for CEO Summit), Jessica Yarmey, Lindsay Vastola, Allison Flatley, Sandy Wiedmeyer, Jason Stowell and Deb Bellenger. Not pictured: Al Noshirvani, Jeff Saunders and Chris Clawson.
Case Study with Donato Tramuto: Health eVillages Founder Donato Tramuto offered a case study at the CEO Summit on the afternoon of Oct. 17. The CEO Summit is an invitation-only pre-event to the Club Industry Executive Summit and is for the owners and C-suite at the top revenue-generating clubs and studios in North America.
Industry Research on Gym Perceptions Released: At the CEO Summit, ABC Fitness Solutions Chief Marketing Officer Cristine Kao shared for the first time the results of the company’s research on consumer perceptions of gyms and how that could impact pricing and programming.
Welcome Everyone: The Club Industry Executive Summit kicked off with a welcome reception in the Explore room of the Renaissance Chicago Downtown, setting up an opportunity for people to network prior to the start of the event the next morning.
Opening Keynote: Donato Tramuto also offered the opening keynote for the Club Industry Executive Summit, reflecting on his life, overcoming adversity and being a compassionate leader.
Industry Alignment: The first panel of the event focused on industry alignment. Moderator Adam Zeitsiff (standing left), president of Stronger U Nutrition (a Self Esteem Brand), asked panelists to share the efforts they have undertaken to get policyholders to be more aware of the vital role that the fitness industry plays in the health of the country. Panelists were (left to right) Paula Neubert, president and general manager of Club Greenwood who also is a founding board member of the Colorado Fitness Coalition; Micah Logan, founder of MELD Fitness + Wellness; Francesca Schuler, president and co-founder of the California Fitness Alliance; and Gale Landers, owner of Fitness Formula Clubs and chairman of the National Health & Fitness Alliance.
Reaching the 80 Percent: One of the panels addressed the need to be a more holistic wellness resource in order to reach the 80 percent of the population that does not belong to a health club. The panel was moderated by Allison Flatley of Allison Flatley Consulting (far left) and the panelists were Suzanne Rich of Cryo Science; Jeff Saunders of the YMCA of Greater Cincinnati; Deb Bellenger of Body by Definition, and Kevin McHugh of The Atlantic Club.
Staffing Strategies: One of the biggest challenges facing the industry is staffing recruitment and retention, which was addressed by this panel, moderated by Sid Upadhyay of Wizehire (far left) with panelists Dan Duran of ISSA, Mark Miller of Merritt Clubs, Sandy Wiedmeyer of RecPlex and Michaela Brown of VIDA Fitness.
Operations Best Practices: Operations strategies have changed since the pandemic, a topic that this panel addressed. Eddie Tock of REX Roundtables (far left) moderated the panel, which included Chris Craytor of acac Fitness & Wellness; Don Murphy of Gold’s Gym Newburgh & Middletown, New York; Jason Stowell, JCC consultant; and Annie Ostolasa of Axiom Fitness.
Raising Capital: Peter Moore of Integrity Square shared insights into the prospects of raising capital in 2022 and beyond.
Changing Lanes: In his presentation, Tim Rhode of Rhode Management Consulting shared a framework to follow when leaders need to make decisions.
Web3: One of the panels undertook the task of demystifying Web3 and metaverse for the audience. Moderated by Jason Stowell, JCC consultant (not pictured), the panel included (left to right) Terry Woods of Myzone, Ryan DeLuca of Black Box VR, William Erb of KeepMe and Jessica Yarmey of KickHouse.
Technology All Around: This panel spoke to the pervasiveness of technology in the fitness industry and what the industry can anticipate in the future. Panelists were (left to right) Al Noshirvani of DXFactor, Bryan O’Rourke of Vedere Ventures and the Fitness Industry Technology Council, Diva Richards of Hard Work No Excuses, LLC, and Tara Levitt of Club Sports Group. It was moderated by Chris Clawson of Talon Leadership Consulting.
Reimagine: The panelists for the last panel of the event looked at how the industry must reimagine itself. Moderated by Lindsay Vastola (not pictured), the panelists were (left to right) Bill McBride of Active Wellness and BMC3 Consulting, Steve Schwartz of Midtown Athletic Clubs, Sean Todman of Renaissance Athletic Club and Niki Leondakis of CorePower Yoga.
Doing the Right Thing: Raj Sisodia, one of the founders of Conscious Capitalism, wowed the crowd with his closing keynote on healing the world. He shared stories of how business owners who took care of their employees created happier and more loyal workforces that stayed longer.
Medical Fitness Forum: Attendees had the option to stay through the afternoon of Oct. 19 to attend one of two optional workshops. The Medical Fitness Forum, curated by the Medical Fitness Association, featured a keynote address by Doug Ribley, president of Douglas A. Ribley & Associates, on the topic “How Medical Fitness & Healthcare Coexist.”
Your EQ: Lindsay Vastola of VastPotential Fitness Leadership Development, kicked off the other optional event, the Not-for-Profit Workshop, on the afternoon of Oct. 19 with her presentation “Trickle-Down Leadership: Embrace the Power of EQ to Elevate Your Club Culture & Success.”
Changing Models: Anthony Janca, chief membership innovation officer at the YMCA of Metro Chicago, offered insights on how models are changing in the not-for-profit world as part of the Not-for-Profit Workshop.
Additional Revenue Streams: Sandy Wiedmeyer of RecPlex closed out the Not-for-Profit Workshop by helping attendees determine which programs offer the greatest revenue potential with her presentation, “A Systematic Approach to Creating and Selecting Additional Revenue Streams.”
