Practical business benefits for the leisure industry

Held at the NEC Birmingham, Leisure Industry Week runs from 20-21 September and will cover a wide range of topics including Sport & Physical Activity, Play and Training & Nutrition.

Leisure Industry Week (LIW) is the heartbeat of the UK leisure industry. It is designed to offer delegates genuine world class education and practical business benefits, with a focus on delivering real commercial benefits through attracting new customers and driving down operational costs.

It is the UK’s largest gathering of leisure decision makers, influencers and buyers, bringing together thousands of like-minded professionals to shape the future and growth of the sector. Fresh off the successful first edition, BodyPower is pleased to introduce the new look LIW, featuring six distinct educational streams, each with a targeted marketing campaign to attract new footfall and reach visitors who had never considered LIW in the past.

The show features seminars on employee engagement, business strategy, social media marketing, point of use sales and more. Delegates will discover health, fitness, play, wet leisure & spa, sport and facilities management education streams with a dedicated timetable of industry leading speakers, including a host of keynote names mixing celebrity, sport and business.

Steve Orton, UK managing director, said: “Our goal is to put on a world class event that provides relevant and worthwhile experience for all roles and positions within the industry. We don’t want people to come for just one seminar, we want visitors to come to LIW and benefit from an entire day of world class education, networking and to see the latest equipment and services on the market.

“I firmly believe that the new format of LIW will allow us to realise this vision and enable us to put on a comprehensive program that anyone operating in the sector will benefit from immensely.”

Fitness
A world class education programme offers fitness professionals the opportunity to advance their knowledge and education over two action packed days. Listen and learn from the industry’s finest educators, coaches and professionals enabling any level of fitness professional to come away from LIW feeling inspired and motivated.

The fitness stream consists of three focal areas. The Fitness Business School, offering business acumen for fitness professionals, will run alongside the Training and Nutrition Theatre, with theoretical and practical application of topical trends and speaking points.

Fitness Business School
The Fitness Business School offers fitness professionals the ability to learn from the fitness industry’s most prominent coaches and educators that have successfully developed their own businesses.

With over 200 years of combined experience, The Fitness Business School will enable you to change your career for the better, through high quality advice, round tables and cutting edge information. There are numerous avenues for a fitness professional to advance in. The Fitness Business School will ensure you have a rounded view of the industry, ensuring you understand how to drive your business forward, how you can gain more clients on a commercial gym floor through to understanding how social media and digital media have changed a fitness professional’s life.

With over £5,000 worth of knowledge and advice shared, The Fitness Business School is an unmissable event for any aspiring fitness professional who wants to make a difference in the fitness industry.

Training and Nutrition
Two days of world class education will ensure fitness professionals come away having taken on board practical and evidence based information that can be applied on a day to day basis in a facility or online with clients.

Designed to provide trainers, coaches and industry professionals with workshops, hands on opportunities and lectures to increase knowledge, and with a focus on the latest theoretical developments in fields of training and nutrition, the theatre will cover a range of topics including training styles for hypertrophy, female training considerations, HIIT training, macronutrient variations based on gender, coaching contest meal preparation and encouraging lifestyle changes for weight loss.

Independent Operators Conference
Created specifically to support the owners of independent gyms, the Independent Operators Conference will deliver a host of seminars to improve business performance at low cost.

Visitors will discover seminars covering free marketing options such as Facebook and Linkedin, the importance of human interaction in the retention process, optimal staffing to meet core business requirements and creating a customer culture so that your members will never want to leave.

Health
Supported by SPORTA, the national association of leisure and cultural trusts, the Health Education Stream will focus on the impact of physical activity on the nation’s health and how the leisure industry has a huge role to play in driving change.

Covering a wide range of major topical issues which impact on people’s lives day in day out, seminars focus on everything from children through to the ever expanding ageing population. The seminar programme will highlight the benefits of integrating physical activity into everyday operations and how the industry can benefit commercially from an increased emphasis on health practices. The link between leisure, physical activity, health, medicine and fitness should be closer than ever. The Health Stream will cover topical issues that ensure a stronger bond between professionals.

Play
Play is the primary activity for many children and can provide the perfect platform to get people active as an effective alternative to the gym. The Play Education Stream will tackle the issue of inactivity through the medium of play and offer practical insight into how play businesses can boost their commercial performance by creating a wider appeal for families.

Providing seminars on differentiation, branding, market diversification, safeguarding and training needs, the Play Education Stream will explain the importance of play to all ages and backgrounds, creating facilities for active and game based play and provide operators with the tools to attract new audiences and boost profitability. The Play Education Stream is ideally tailored for: hotels; campsites; schools; councils; visitor attractions; country parks; adventure parks; activity centres; academies and more.

Sports
The Sports Education Stream will focus on two main themes; encouraging sporting participation and developing sports facilities. Delegates will discover workshops with a host of leading brands providing practical tools and tips for raising awareness of your sport and creating interest from new groups and demographics. The Sports Education Stream will also tackle the often daunting process of facilities development, offering practical advice on planning, material selection and multi-use considerations.

The Sports Education Stream is ideal for anyone working in the sports industry or looking to add sports to their business. The seminar programme is designed specifically for: national governing bodies; schools; universities; sports clubs; sports facilities; local councils; gym chains; golf clubs; functional training specialists; strength and conditioning coaches; groundskeepers; and sports coaches.

Facilities Management
Delivered in partnership with Facilities Management Forum and Sport & Leisure Facilities Forum, the education programme will be devoted to all aspects of the design and layout of a leisure facility. Delegates will learn how to effectively set up their own facilities to maximise sales and customer experience. Designed to support you in improving customer experience and operational efficiency, the seminar programme will feature topics and discussion on entry systems, energy efficiency, booking software, lighting, flooring, layout, planning and much more.

The Facilities Management Education Stream is ideal for anyone responsible for the day design and maintenance of a facility. The seminar progamme is designed for: facilities managers; procurement teams; architects; interior designers; specifiers; pool maintenance professionals; IT professionals; cleaners; and operations managers.

Spa & Wet Leisure
Focusing on increasing swimming participation and improving operational efficiency to increase revenue and drive down costs, the Spa and Wet Leisure Education Stream will deliver seminars on effective programming for swimming classes, water treatment, health and safety, filtration and much more to provide delegates with the tools to save on costs and boost revenue.

In partnership with STA and SPATA, the Spa and Wet Leisure Education Stream is targeting: swimming coaches; water parks; spas; pool designers; swimming pools; gym chains; pool maintenance professionals; engineers; leisure trusts; and councils.

Further Information
www.liw.co.uk