At this year’s IHRSA in San Diego, California, we revealed an experience-driven approach to spatial environment, studio design, and programming solutions to the more than 12,000 fitness professionals in attendance. They were invited to try out our expanded mix and match cardio portfolio that optimizes flexibility and choice; see how small group training can be revitalized with our innovative Queenax® programming; and experience how new integrations between our Preva® OS and our partners’ produce new digital solutions that address real challenges. Somewhere in all that, we squeezed in some time to check out the industry!

The International Health, Racquet & Sportsclub Association (IHRSA) Convention and Tradeshow proves itself year after year as a fantastic learning opportunity for gym operators, as well an experience to inspire innovative growth in our industry. From listening to dynamic, world-renowned keynote speakers, to trying out state-of-the-art equipment and products on the tradeshow floor, or networking with industry colleagues, it’s easy to capture pearls of wisdom to take away. Here are just a few of the interesting discoveries we found at IHRSA 2019.

Industry’s Future Is Bright

Evidence shows the fitness industry has hit a stride in 2018, increasing club memberships and positioning for growth in 2019. Derek Gallup, ExOfficio IHRSA board member, announced at IHRSA that the industry grew in one year from 162 to 174 million club memberships globally. If this growth trend continues, Gallup projected memberships will surpass the IHRSA global initiative goal of 230 million by 2030.

Though focused on Europe, the 2018 IHRSA European CEO Study does reflect the state of affairs of the industry internationally. The study surveyed CEOs of 82 companies operating in 2,600 facilities across Europe. Respondents were asked how confident they are about the industry’s overall vitality, current health, future prospects, and staffing requirements. The study reports, “overall leaders in the European club industry are extremely confident about the current economic and marketplace conditions for the industry.”

While all good news, the study concluded that we can do better. Collectively as an industry, suppliers and fitness providers need to strive to reach beyond the 20% of Americans who already go to a club, studio, or gym. Derek Gallup summed it up nicely, “the real competition is inactivity.” Let’s take a look at some of the trends and innovations from IHRSA 2019.

Technology Continues To Influence

As technology evolves and influences the fitness industry, members are increasingly demanding different and more effective ways to work out that incorporate or adopt the new forms of technology. Digital fitness, virtual reality (VR), and innovative technologies continue to impact not only programming, but customer engagement, club design, payment methods, and management. 

VR Fitness Segment Growing

While IHRSA 2018 was a primer for virtual reality fitness, this innovative space is growing. Black Box VR, who exhibited for the first time at IHRSA last year, announced this year the opening of the world’s first virtual reality gym in San Francisco. They’re not alone -- more suppliers are entering the segment.

On the trade show floor, exercisers got to experience a variety of technology-driven programming, including a VR treadmill. A piece of fitness equipment that has been around forever, the treadmill seems the perfect companion for virtual reality. Additionally, the VR Fitness Machine from VR Fitness Company offers interactive virtual reality fitness sessions, giving members a fun workout and the club the ability to generate extra revenue.

SkyTechSports, known for the simulators used to train the US Olympic ski team, showcased BotBoxer, a robotic punching bag. Using artificial intelligence (AI) and a number of sensors to read body position, BotBoxer learns your moves and can predict your next punch. There is a layer of gamification to the boxing, making the workout fun with a bit of challenge mixed in for the exerciser.

Read: What Can Gamification Look Like In Your Facility?

PPV – Pay Per Visit or By the Minute

The truism that consumers seek more choice and control over how, when, and where they consume has the “Pay Per Visit” concept quickly becoming an acceptable means to find, use, and pay for fitness.  Whether or not you believe it could potentially replace memberships, PPV software platforms offer a way to get exercisers through the door by focusing on choice and convenience. These types of digital access platforms are also uniquely positioned to provide new data that a traditional gym membership doesn’t offer.

Zeamo, a service that lets exercisers join gyms for a week or month at a time, announced its new partnership with Crunch in New York at IHRSA (adding to their more than 1,000 clubs). Zeamo looks to help their club partners increase revenue through cutting edge technologies and their multinational corporate partners. For the company’s club partners, it provides supplementary revenue via over 40 million corporate employees, frequent travelers, students, and tourists.

Keep an eye on this technology space to enhance insurance covered fitness programs with a more frictionless ecosystem.

Console Technology

From everywhere one looked on the tradeshow floor, it wasn’t hard to spot some kind of display of animated instructions, workout data, 3D body images, or virtual reality. In spite of these large format displays, the traditional cardio equipment console screen continues to thrive and innovate.

Since its innovation, the basic concept of cardio equipment has changed little, but expectations have. Today, cardio console technology interfaces with third party fitness apps, social media platforms, and multiple entertainment options. Exercisers can access workout results, TV programming, the internet, interactive programming, and Bluetooth connectivity to pair devices and sync their workouts.

Precor displayed their expanded program of mix and match cardio equipment and connected solutions with Preva® Networked Fitness, offering both gym operator and exercisers increased flexibility and freedom of choice.

Fitness, Health, and Wellness

The crossover continues between the fitness and the health and wellness industries. The lines are beginning to blur as there are more opportunities than ever for professionals in the health, wellness, and human performance sectors to collaborate. More clubs are recognizing the value in a “team-oriented” approach where fitness trainers, physical therapists, sports psychologists, and nutritionists work together under one roof. 

It’s natural then to see suppliers of 3D body scanners and other health wellness-related products at the tradeshow. Mye Body Health Kiosk by MyeFitness displayed their FDA-approved body analysis kiosk that accurately measures weight, body fat percentage, lean muscle mass, heart rate, and blood pressure.

Experience Is Everything

Despite the technological advances made in an effort to increase group fitness training, members are moreover looking for an experience. Gym operators and owners should embrace the creation of complete experiences around with products and technology.

Transforming the group training space at IHRSA 2019, we showed off our unique “club within a club” concept. This concept is comprised of seven distinct experiences that integrate distinct programming, with specific equipment and lighting scenarios that can be delivered for multiple group training experiences all within the same environment. We delivers the education and training to pull this off. Take a peek at their latest customer using this concept at YMCA Evolve.

According to the IHRSA 2018 Health Club Consumer Report, personal training and small group training has grown into the primary source of non-dues revenue for many health clubs, with small group training now nearly twice as popular as personal training. 38% of millennials have tried small group training. Clubs looking to benefit from projected SGT growth will need to evaluate how they’re creating lifestyle experiences.

Staying Relevant

The pace of change and innovation seems to come ever faster, and the influence of emerging technologies continues to impact the fitness industry, demanding operators and club owners to evolve. In the last few years our industry has embraced mobile fitness apps, digital fitness aggregators such as ClassPass, streaming virtual fitness, and AI all as a way to deliver the fitness experience.

Gym operators and owners have the challenge to stay relevant and focused on what solutions will translate to creating lifestyle experiences and helping people in their fitness journey. The annual IHRSA Convention and Tradeshow is always a great opportunity to observe and take away the best solutions that better prepare fitness providers to adapt and stay relevant.

Continued from above, here are other signs of strong fitness industry growth:

• Gold’s Gym experienced its strongest quarter growth in the company’s history in 2018.
• Orangetheory® Fitness opened its 1,000th studio globally, as one of the fastest growing fitness franchises.
• Over $1.6 billion was generated for fitness start-ups.  
• There are more than 400,000 fitness professionals in the U.S., and that number is anticipated to keep growing.