IHRSA 2021 welcomed thousands of health and fitness industry professionals in Dallas, TX—and virtually—to celebrate the industry’s revival, learn business strategy, sample fitness equipment, and more.
After a daunting two year hiatus, last week, fitness industry professionals gathered for IHRSA 2021, the 40th Anniversary IHRSA International Convention & Trade Show.
IHRSA President and CEO Liz Clark said:
“It was great to meet so many industry leaders in person. They not only showed their commitment to the industry by being in Dallas, they came eager to learn and everyone greeted me with smiles and showed their genuine appreciation for all IHRSA has done to help the industry recover. It was amazing to receive such a warm welcome and experience firsthand what being part of the IHRSA family means to our members.”
For the first time ever, IHRSA 2021 attendees were able to join in-person in Dallas, TX, or virtually to attend education sessions presented by industry experts, network, socialize with other fitness professionals, and experience cutting edge fitness industry equipment and technology during the Trade Show.
HRSA 2021 by the Numbers
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Despite many travel restrictions, nearly 4,000 health club operators, suppliers, and fitness industry professionals traveled to Dallas to attend IHRSA 2021 in-person.
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The vibrant exhibit hall, with 220 exhibitors, showcased a wealth of new products, services, and solutions throughout the two-day Trade Show and early morning workouts. Exhibitors were pleased with turnout and consistently highlighted the high quality conversations with key decision makers and buyers.
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Attendees had access to over 100 education sessions, networking opportunities, exercise classes, and, new this year, IHRSA Skill Workshops, SPARK! Sessions, and special events like Talks & Takes, sponsored by ABC Fitness Solutions, and the IHRSA Think Tank. For the first time, many programs were offered virtually, streaming around the world!
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People were excited to share their experience on social, posts tagging IHRSA and using the #IHRSA2021 received more than 110,000 social media impressions, reaching nearly 75,000 people. Take a look at the IHRSA 2021 Social Wall.
Additional Convention Highlights
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Liz Clark experienced her first IHRSA Convention, connected with many industry leaders, and noted that she considers this year’s convention theme to be resilience.
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With travel restrictions looming, international audiences gained a wealth of resources, education sessions, networking opportunities, and more by registering for IHRSA’s first-ever hybrid platform. If you didn’t take part, you can still register to experience IHRSA 2021 on-demand until December 31.
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Keynote presentations from Diana Kander (sponsored by ABC Fitness Solutions), Dr. Kenneth Cooper (sponsored by MXMetrics), and Scott Stratten (sponsored by Matrix Fitness) were live-streamed.
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The 12th Annual IHRSA Women’s Leadership Summit (sponsored by Club Automation, Motionsoft, and CSI Spectrum) was headlined by Tiffany VanDeMark, founder & CEO of VanDeMark Partners.
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The IHRSA Foundation VIP Reception (sponsored by Glofox, NASM / AFAA and Welld Health) brought the IHRSA Board of Directors and many industry leaders together to network and learn about the many important projects the IHRSA Foundation has embarked on over the past two years.
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The Annual IHRSA Financial Panel moderated by Rick Caro focused on A Financial Perspective On The Return of The Fitness Industry and featured a distinguished panel of Wall Street experts.
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New this year, IHRSA Premium Members and invited guests attended the IHRSA Global Think Tank: An Exclusive Leadership Forum (sponsored by Gympass) headlined by Bill McBride of Active Wellness, Blair McHaney of MXM and Worx Health Clubs, and Eddie Tock of REX Roundtables for Executives.
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Live Spanish and Portuguese translation for virtual attendees with translation in Russian, Japanese, and Chinese taking place for their time zone viewing.
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Alan Leach will serve as IHRSA Board Chair for the 2021/2022 year.
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Four new directors were warmly welcomed to the IHRSA Board: Luke Carlson, Aaron Moore, Jose Teixeira, and Loni Wang. Steve Capezzone, Anastasia Yusina, and Ex-officio Jim Worthington were thanked for their Board service as their roles of advisors to the IHRSA Board come to a close at the end of 2021.
2021 Award Recipient
IHRSA debuted the Jim Worthington Advocate of the Year Award at IHRSA 2021. After the pandemic’s impact, advocacy and public policy are now, rightfully, at the forefront of IHRSA and its advocacy arm, the National Health & Fitness Alliance. This new annual award recognizes an individual who sacrifices and takes risks to advocate for the fitness industry and keep the fight going. This year, IHRSA honored the man who inspired the creation of this award, Jim Worthington of the Newtown Athletic Club.
IHRSA 2021 Resources
- Official show images are available for a limited time at thephotogroup.com, access code: ihrsa21press.
- We’ll be posting more IHRSA 2021 videos, keep an eye out on our YouTube page.
Join IHRSA in Miami Beach in 2022!
For those who were unable to attend IHRSA 2021, or couldn’t get enough of this year’s event, another convention is right around the corner. In nine short months, the health and fitness industry will convene in Miami Beach, FL, from June 22-24 for IHRSA 2022! Visit ihrsa.org/convention to learn more and view the 2022 IHRSA Exhibitor Prospectus.