#loripatterson

Wow!  Club Industry (CI) 2013 was an amazing conference which delivered incredible content.  Chicago and Club Industry welcomed us with open arms. Thanks CI for setting up great host hotels!

I had the opportunity to sit through several presentations and walk the expo.  I am so excited to share all the knowledge and industry education I walked away with this past weekend.

Day One

I hit the floor running on Wednesday morning with Victoria Patterson, Social Media Presentation (Prezo) – From Popularity to Engagement.  Victoria packed the house, not a chair left in the session and tons standing in the back.

My hands hurt from writing so much and I know all the other attendees shared my pain.  Here are some of the great “take aways” from the Social Media Prezo. 

In social media marketing, the way to get your message out is to create engaging content in the form of education, inspiration, and entertaining posts, thereby adding to the consumer's experience. They are looking to you for valuable content, and you can continue to share the essence of your brand and what you have to offer via creating the conversation. 

Focus your time only on 2-3 platforms. Instead of gathering dust on having as many social media platforms as you can, focus on creating valuable content, and spreading the word on just a few platforms based on your target market. 

Lastly, build your audience for free by sharing this quality content consistently, and encouraging your current audience to share it with their friends as well. 

Off to the next presentation… who has time for lunch?   Not me!  I joined Lori Patterson, CEO of VicteliB in an engaging presentation “How to Create Revenue Streams through Group Training”.

I could sum it up but IHRSA already did!   Check out what IHRSA had to say about creating a revenue stream through group training.

Then, I was off to get my afternoon boost with some amazing women.  I joined Lori Patterson, Sarah Kooperman, Casey Conrad, Karen Woodard, Donna Krech, Lisa Coors, and Shea Vaughn for an uplifting and inspiring workshop for women in the fitness business.  

The “take aways” were unforgettable for business AND life.

“Just hit delete” – Sara Kooperman

“Financial security is knowing if you lose it all today you can get it back.” – Donna Krech

“Follow your heart and take your brain with you.” – Karen Woodard

“The million steps I took in and out of the gym over 29 years led me to where I am today.” – Lori Patterson

We wrapped up the night with Club Industry at the Public House for cocktails and networking.

I meet some amazing people who are leading the industry with great products and new clubs.  I met Roger and Courtney Wittenberns who launched a new women’s club, Oxygen Fitness.  Their clubs and concepts are innovating and cool!  Then, I met a Jake Soll, CEO of Share Your Fit.  His social media technology is propelling clubs to the next level through referrals. 

Day Two

The day started early with a Boot Camp Challenge® workout to wake us up before the technology panel I attended. 

Then it was off to the “Personal Fitness Devices: Capitalizing on This Growing Customer Trend” seminar. I joined John Ford - SVP of Product with Netpulse, Kelsey Cipolla -Assistant Editor with Club Industry, Lori Patterson - CEO of VicteliB and Casey Conrad - President of Communication Consultants.

Here is what I learned:

The fitness industry needs to embrace technology or they will miss out like the music industry.

The technology industry desperately wants to partner with the fitness industry.

Technology can boost personal training and gym memberships.

I ended the conference back with the same women who inspired me the day before.  They broke up into topic specific round tables to share their expertise from the fitness industry.

Oh but wait it’s not over!  We finished our evening with an amazing dinner with Bryan Daddio - CEO of Turbo Roster. 

Our dinner was amazing and Turbo Roster has it going on. They have created an online class registration platform which links to social media, Hoo-Aah! His solution also offers rewards with Turbo Bucks for checking in through social media. Talk about free word of mouth.  Thanks Bryan for a great dinner.

To wrap up, Club Industry 2013 was amazing! I realized the world of fitness is growing, the technology is innovating and those who are thinking outside the box are going to thrive.

Smiles,