The best part of every Health & Fitness Association Show (formerly IHRSA) I’ve attended, and this is my 34th, is getting reacquainted and spending time with friends and colleagues. For example, it was so good to catch up with one of the best fitness professionals in the biz, Carolyn Erickson (See Photo). I met with so many colleagues in such a short period of time that it’s hard to mention them all but just to name a few that I was able to spend some time with were: Jeff Skeen (CEO/Healthcare and Wellness Expert), Ed Navan (Medical Wellness/Recovery Expert), Keith Kaminski (Technogym), Mike Pasquale (Free Motion), Steve Menzel (Precor), Chris Griebe (AAG), Tim Hipp (Wellness Solutions), Al Noshirvani (ALTA/Fitech and HFA Board Member), Matt Remick (Owner, Rochester Athletic Club), Rick Casselbury (Owner, Universal Athletic Club), Carter Green (Les Mills), and of course, Norm Cates (Founder of Club Insider and Industry Icon).

My Conference started on Tuesday evening at the REX Roundtable social event that was held at Allegiant Stadium. I was able to spend quality time talking to my old friend and health club veteran, Herb Lipsman (CEO, SOZO). (Publisher’s Note: See Herb’s Article on Page #20.) Herb was with Dan Lynch (Wellness Veteran and Founding Partner, SOZO) and Rudy Fabiano (Owner, Fabiano Architects). Herb and Dan, along with others are developing a new unique club brand that will no doubt be successful, called SOZO. Rudy is doing the design, and it’s amazing as always! I was able to spend time with my REX Leader, Brent Darden, and also catch up with a great colleague, Jeff Esswein. The event was delightful, and everyone had a nice time.

A close second to spending time with colleagues and friends is the Trade Show and seeing all the latest and greatest equipment, products and services. I must say that this year was the largest trade show I’ve seen at HFA/IHRSA in many years. What was specifically notable to me was the number of weight equipment companies that attended, many of which I’ve never even heard of. The other noteworthy thing was the explosion of recovery equipment and medical wellness vendors. I believe this phenomenon is not a trend and is here to stay. Among both, the interesting thing will be to see how many companies are still here next year. Then, what will be the innovation? Things are moving so fast that there will no doubt be winners and losers. Most of the interesting innovations always seem to be the small start-up vendors on the very outer edges of the trade show floor. I always make it a point to spend time with many of those vendors to not only learn about their product and what stimulated the development but also to thank them for attending and supporting our Association.

During the show, one of the best things for me is the early morning workout on Friday. It’s so much fun! It’s like being a kid in a candy shop because you get to work out in the world’s biggest fitness center. I wore myself out in the hour and a half it was open. I easily used 20 pieces of cardio and 40 pieces of strength equipment. When can you ever do that?

On the downside, I heard from several attendees that there were too many panel sessions for the educational track and that, often, some of the speakers seemed unprepared. Also, while I love Las Vegas and Mandalay Bay is spacious and accommodating, the constant smell of smoke after a couple of days was hard to tolerate. Maybe it’s just me, but it seemed like a strange venue for a health and fitness conference.

I started off by saying I’ve attended and been a speaker at many conferences over the years. I can recall the days when there were just a few hundred of us that attended, and it was mainly tennis clubs. John McCarthy would make it a point to say, “Hello,” to as many attendees as he could, and it seemed like he knew everyone by name. It’s fantastic to see our Association and industry grow into such a vibrant and robust industry, full of passionate professionals who are truly inspiring and want to make a difference in the health and wellbeing of individuals. So, kudos to us, the change makers! If I didn’t get an opportunity to say, “Hi,” please send me a message to my LinedIn profile as I’d enjoy staying in touch.