An Open Letter to the Health & Fitness Industry
Posted: June 18, 2021 in IHRSA
IHRSA: Success By Association
BOSTON, MA – IHRSA 2021 in Dallas, October 13 – 15, is our time to relaunch the momentum of growth for our industry in a BIG way! We will be “Celebrating the Industry’s Revival,” and we need you there!
Uniting for our common cause is arguably more urgent and vital than it has been for the last 16 months. Now is the time to pull together and get business flowing again for us all. With travel restrictions lifting and a flood of clubs already indicating they are coming, we are confident the turnout to this year’s convention and trade show will be strong!
We will take every precaution to keep you safe and we will make a promise to deliver to you the ideas, the technology, equipment and customers that will help you to turn the world’s appetite for fitness into your business growth. We already have more than 160 exhibiting companies joining us in Dallas. There are nearly 3,000 fitness locations within a 300-mile radius of Dallas! We need your commitment, too.
If we have learned anything from the pandemic, it is that our industry is at its best when it unites around a common purpose. For the past year and a half, the IHRSA board of directors and the IHRSA team have been focused on reopening, rebuilding, and reimagining our industry and our association.
Hundreds of industry leaders, from businesses large and small, have devoted countless hours and expertise to projects benefiting the entire industry. These include those who:
- Formed state alliances,
- Served the National Health & Fitness Alliance (NHFA) or the Global Health & Fitness Alliance (GHFA),
- Supported their national federations,
- Created headlight teams to tackle difficult problems, and
- Helped fund special research projects or important initiations, such as the development of an effective rallying cry for the industry.
The industry needs to use this unity now and reignite growth.
We’re All In This Together
Throughout the entire pandemic, IHRSA has been there every step of the way, supporting numerous initiatives. As a not-for-profit association, IHRSA relies on event revenue to fund advocacy, research, and membership support activities that ultimately protect and provide industry growth to benefit us all. Your investment to be part of IHRSA 2021 comes back to you through these industry-focused efforts.
Let’s Show the World We’re Back!
Operators large and small need to move forward with confidence; there is no better proof of that than when all stakeholders meet to encourage each other.
This is what we’ve been waiting for: a chance to gather among friends and colleagues to share a laugh, hug a friend, explore a business opportunity—everything that makes our gatherings so special and networking so powerful!
IHRSA thanks its Industry Partner members for their vital support in securing a stronger future, especially those who have already committed to joining us at IHRSA 2021. For those still on the fence, we sincerely hope to see you there. We are confident that your return on investment will exceed your expectations. Many of us will be making our purchasing decisions for 2022 as we shop the show floor in Dallas—as there is nothing better than to be able to experience all our industry has to offer under one roof!
We are bullish on the future. But to reach our potential, we need to come together in person to support the industry, each other, and IHRSA, our association. Please join us in Dallas this October.
Thank you for your support.
Carrie Kepple, Chair, Styles Studios Fitness, Peoria, IL
Alan Leach, Chair-Elect, West Wood Club, Dublin, Ireland
Luke Carlson, Discover Strength, Bloomington, MN
Chris Craytor, acac Fitness & Wellness, Charlottesville, VA
Frank Lawrence, Little Rock Athletic Club, Little Rock, AR
Monica Marques, Companhia Athletica, São Paulo, Brazil
Michele Melkerson-Granryd, Castle Hill Fitness, Austin, TX
Aaron Moore, VIDA Fitness & Aura Spa, Washington, DC
Bryan O’Rourke, Vedere Ventures, Fitness24Seven, Thailand, Covington, LA
Chris Smith, FW Fitness BC Ltd., Richmond, BC Canada
Chris Stevenson, Be Military Fit, Los Angeles, Westlake Village, CA
José Teixeira, SC Fitness, Lisbon, Portugal
Greta Wagner, Chelsea Piers, Stamford, CT
Loni Wang, Catic Wellness Group, Shenzhen, China
Brad Wilkins, Cooper Fitness Center, Dallas, TX
Steve Capezzone, Healthtrax International, Glastonbury, CT
Anastasia Yusina, FITSPACE Studios and Strata Fitness Holding, Moscow, Russia
Jim Worthington, Ex-officio, Newtown Athletic Club, Newtown, PA
