The 40th Anniversary IHRSA International Convention & Trade Show, held in Dallas, TX, drew nearly 4,000 health club operators, suppliers and fitness industry professionals despite travel restrictions.
The event, held for the first time in Dallas, hosted 220 exhibitors for its two-day trade show. Attendees had access to education sessions, networking opportunities, exercise classes, and, new for this year, IHRSA skill workshops, SPARK! Sessions and special events. Many programs were also offered virtually.
Highlights included:
- Keynote presentations from Diana Kander, Dr. Kenneth Cooper and Scott Stratten.
- The 12th Annual IHRSA Women’s Leadership Summit was headlined by Tiffany VanDeMark, founder and CEO, VanDeMark Partners.
- New this year, IHRSA premium members and invited guests attended the IHRSA Global Think Tank: An Exclusive Leadership Forum headlined by Bill McBride of Active Wellness, Blair McHaney of MXM and Worx Health Clubs, and Eddie Tock of Rex Roundtables for Executives.
- IHRSA debuted the Jim Worthington Advocate of the Year Award at IHRSA 2021. This year it honored the man who inspired the award, Jim Worthington of the Newtown Athletic Club.
- Alan Leach was elected to serve as IHRSA Board chair for 2021/22 years. Four new directors were appointed to the Board: Luke Carlson, Aaron Moore, Jose Teixeira, and Loni Wang
“It was great to meet so many industry leaders in person,” said IHRSA’s new president and CEO Liz Clark. “They not only showed their commitment to the industry by being in Dallas, but they also 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.”
