Sector Focus
‘fitness-tainment’ and there is still
plenty of opportunity for creativity and
growth.
Another major player in the industry
is BodyPower attracting over 100,000
visitors to NEC Birmingham. Event
director, Phil Mortimer explains that
a shift in gym pricing is helping to
accelerate growth. He adds: “There are
well over 7,000 fitness facilities across
the country now, and this number
continues to grow week on week. It’s
fashionable now to be a member of
a gym, wear the clothing, drink the
shakes, and this trend doesn’t show any
sign of slowing down.
“If you drive through most town/
city centres there’s usually at least
a couple of gyms, if not more. The
emergence of ‘budget gyms’, those that
charge perhaps £10-£20 per month
has been one of the biggest changes in
the industry over the past 4-5 years.
Gyms are now a lot more accessible to
everyone, both from a location and also
a price point.
“If you go back five years - it would
have been very much the supplement
companies, those that sell protein
powders, pre-workout, mass gainers
etc. We still have these at the expo, but
other types of companies have now
come onto the scene as well – if you
look at gym clothing nowadays, a lot
of the big high street retailers now do
their own range of fitness gear, and
there are more and more specific fitness
clothing companies launching all the
time.”
Other events include Elevate,
attracting 8,000 visitors to ExCeL
London. Elevate is a hybrid event
attracting B2B and B2C visitors. Now in
its 5th year Elevate has quickly become
the main event in London for public
and private sector decision makers,
entrepreneurs, healthcare professionals
and sport scientists. While there a
many smaller, targeted, niche events
around London, there does appear to
be room for a larger event catering to
the healthy and in some cases fanatical
audience.
“Gyms are now a lot
more accessible to
everyone, both from
a location and also a
price point”
FITNESS TRENDS
Group Training
With millennials and Gen Z controlling
the trends more a more every day,
group training is becoming more
popular. The social aspect of group
training make it feel less like exercise
and more like fun, so it’s no surprise
that 80 per cent of fitness club
members are millennials or Gen Z.
Yoga HIIT
Hybrid fitness classes such as Yogalates
(Yoga and Pilates) or Aqua Zumba
having been rising in popularity
recently, thanks to their catchy names
and unique workout styles. Yoga HIIT
(high-intensity interval training)
is the latest combination, putting
together zen yoga poses with high-
energy, intense workouts. The arguably
opposing styles help to burn calories
whilst also stretching muscles and
improving flexibility.
Functional Training
In 2020, the focus in workouts is
turning from burning the most calories
and lifting the heaviest weights, to
learning proper technique. Functional
training is a style of working out which
refines balance and co-ordination
whilst also building strength in the
muscles used most in everyday tasks.
Functional training aims to help people
to continue functioning at an optimal
level for as long as possible, and is
particularly important for older adults,
April — 29