We take a look ahead to FIBO 2014 – the world’s largest fitness trade fair for fitness, wellness and health – which takes place in Cologne, Germany, next month

Last year’s move to a new location in Cologne saw the birth of an even grander scale FIBO: an exhibitor increase of 10 per cent, a floor space expansion of 20 per cent and a visitor boost of over 30 per cent delivered an event far beyond what anyone had projected or planned for. Instead of the expected 80,000 visitors, more than 100,000 attended FIBO 2013.

This year’s FIBO, taking place on 3–6 April in Cologne, will be ready for similar visitor numbers. FIBO director Ralph Scholz says: “We’ll offer our trade visitors a much clearer structure at the trade fair, and this year we’ll address gym owners in an even more targeted way through ‘FIBO Expert’ in Halls 6–9.”

Exercise is medicine
When physicians and physical therapists used to run into traditional gym operators, both sides were worlds apart. But times have changed, and mutual reservations have declined significantly. This coming together of the two worlds – medical and fitness – is a development that will be given even more weight at this year’s FIBO.

The theme of ‘Fitness creates health’ will be evident both across the congress and the conference programme – which are dominated by exercise medicine and therapy – and the trade fair, which this year will adopt a more issue-orientated, specialised, technical structure. “We’ve worked hard to present the fitness and health segments more strongly as an internally connected unit,” says Scholz.

The second FIBOmed Congress, taking place on 4–5 April, is a prime example, with its theme of ‘Exercise is the medicine of the 21st century’. This year’s Congress follows on from the success of the inaugural event last year – an interdisciplinary convention organised by the Springer Medizin internet portal and the publisher Ärzte Zeitung Verlags-GmbH, and sponsored by the German Sport University Cologne and the German Society for Sports Medicine and Prevention (DGSP).

Similar ‘exercise is medicine’ themes will be picked up on Physio Day on 5 April, and at the workshop on Health Management at the Workplace on 3 April. The focus of Physio Day – jointly organised by Thieme Medical Publishers and advanced training provider FiHH Das Fortbildungsinstitut – will be on health-orientated sports physical therapy. The workshop on Health Management at the Workplace will be organised by the German Association for Health Management at the Workplace (BGM).

Integrated health & fitness
FIBO’s reinforced orientation toward health topics continues at the trade fair, with Hall 7 set to focus on health topics. Along with FIBOmed, this Hall will be positioned right at the intersection of fitness and health. Here, visitors will see targeted, certified products designed specifically for the healthcare market. These will be complemented by special exhibition areas – the ‘Active Office’ and a ‘Measuring Devices and Diagnostics’ zone – as well as a 200sq m show entitled ‘The physical therapy office of the future’.

Functional training
Interest in functional training and group fitness continues unabated at gyms – reason enough for FIBO to further expand this area of the show for 2014. In Hall 9a, exhibitors will showcase new products for this free-moving, three-dimensional style of training, including brands such as Transatlantic Fitness, Les Mills and Escape Fitness.

The FIBO Functional Forum, featuring IFAA and Perform Better – also located in Hall 9a – is a new addition presenting the functional training trend through expert lectures and both theoretical and practical training sessions.

This new forum is already generating high levels of interest among gym operators, as Partrick Arntzen of City Fitness says: “We still consider functional training and boxing to be major trends. We’re excited to find out what kinds of innovations we’ll see in this area at FIBO this year.”

Stephan Schulan of Jumpers Fitness echoes this sentiment: “FIBO gives me a concentrated overview of the most important innovations in fitness equipment, including functional training.” And Timo Becker from the body + soul Group adds: “I’d like to find out more about trends like cyber fitness, and functional and athletic training, and even fee-based small-group activities.”

FIBO Innovation Award
As every year, a key focus across all areas of FIBO will be to draw attention to the latest, most innovative product developments on show from around 700 international exhibitors. Some of these products will be in the limelight on the Friday of FIBO, as the winners of the FIBO Innovation Award. For the first time, awards will cover five categories: Training Equipment for Fitness, Rehabilitation and Prevention; Health Promotion; Interior & Design; Training Concepts; and Wellness & Beauty.