Dear Colleagues,
We continue to celebrate the ‘rebirth’ of our industry with a welcome mixture of optimism and innovation. The positive energy has been contagious and welcome despite. Faced with rising costs our business is resetting in ways we never imagined. Our business thrives on it Through resolve we do it over and over again!
Our customers want us, need us and they look to us for guidance, market intelligence and support at the ground level. As they adjust and evolve, we evolve right along with them, always facing with more questions than answers, and ongoing challenges. As we move forward, let’s agree that there’s a proactive approach to every aspect of our businesst.
KEEP YOUR VALUES CONSTANT AND YOUR ACTIONS FLUID.
New opportunities emerge. We never really know how many clubs and what type of clubs will thrive and what will they look like when they do? There are always holes in the market to fill. Consumer migration to the home setting has receded, yet we know it’s cyclical. Consumer perception about “shared spaces” changes and it is also cyclical. Expectations continue to evolve driven by new technologies. It will continue to evolve. But how?
Conjecture still dominates our conversations. I don’t have answers, but after much contact across the fitness industry, with our Board of Directors, our members, health club owners and operators, non-profit executives, and numerous players from outside our industry, this much can be said. The upsurge of energy is contagious. Constraints have loosened. Everything is in motion. The lid is off. The clock of history in our business was reset by a Pandemic and we are thriving again. .
We always look back with amazement about who we were and what we’ve become. It’s astonishing. There’s plenty of independent thinking going on out there!
All this said, our Board of Directors and our members continue to believe our best role and our value is to offer a limited number of cooperative initiatives, doing them well. Examples include:
- Publishing the Commercial Market Trend Report, an annual data collection effort that tracks the global sale of commercial fitness equipment by product line, unit and volume sales and dealers sales activity, and more. We own comparative data since 2000.
- We offer three appointment-based VIP events: FISA East and FISA West, and ‘FISA for YMCAs’. Held at world-class resorts and hotels such as La Quinta Club & Resort, Four Seasons Palm Beach Resort & Club, Turnberry Isle Collection, The Loews Coronado Resort, and Omni Rancho Las Palmas, the format includes prearranged, one-on-one meetings, social and networking activities with owners and executives of regional health club chains, independent clubs, YMCAs, JCCs and hospital-based facilities. It’s a great value for all participants, making efficient use of everyone’s time. Where else can you meet 30-40 decision-makers in one place, over 2½ days?
- ‘FISA for YMCAs’ provides a similar format to connect with programming executive staff from Large and mid-tier YMCA groups.
When you browse our membership directory, you’ll see the names of companies you recognize and expect to see….those with great products, great people and insights to help commercial customers thrive. Be assured that as a supplier or as a customer, no matter your size, your product or service, your input is welcome as a part of our long-term commitment to help meet the needs of our industry.
Sincerely,
Sal Pellegrino
Director