Be recognised for excellence

IHRSA is seeking nominations for the 2014 European Club Leadership Award, which will be presented at the annual IHRSA European Congress in Amsterdam in October.

The award recognises the European club leader who has done the most to advance his or her company, and the industry, through strong leadership and performance. Individuals may nominate themselves or others for the award.

The deadline for entries is 3 September. For further details, visit www.ihrsa.org/awards

Fitness Hut’s Nick Coutts (above left, with Brent Darden) was honoured last year

Ask an expert: Hiring PTs

What should a club look for when hiring a personal trainer? Frances Michaelson, owner of Muscle Up in Canada, offers her thoughts on this topic

Frances Michaelson

Owner,

Muscle Up, Canada

‘‘Certification has become big business. I’ve been personally training clients for 18 years, and opened Muscle Up – a personal training centre in the West Island of Montreal, Canada – 12 years ago.

“I only hire trainers on a part-time basis and they’re all contracted out employees. I’m not affiliated with any particular certifying organisation, and don’t hire trainers according to their certification status. I believe a good trainer is somebody who’s combined knowledge and passion with the ability to provide a high quality service to their clients.

“A certification alone is not enough and will not breed success. Continuing education is what’s most important. There are too many quick, easy to get certifications available today, including online courses that teach nothing about communication or client-trainer relations.

“I’m well aware of many club owners who are not fitness professionals, and who therefore rely on trainers being able to show they are certified – but they have no idea if the trainer has really retained anything and if they can apply what they learned. These business owners hire based on the certification paper because they believe this is enough to ensure the client is in safe hands.

“Unfortunately, several individuals are now taking advantage of these cheap and quick online certifications that teach very little about the anatomy, and of course teach nothing about people skills.

“It doesn’t take a special person to be able to study and pass an examination, but it does require a certain talent to keep clients motivated and achieving results. Personality, a caring attitude and a desire to keep learning is what’s most important to me.”

Read more answers to this question at www.ihrsa.org/industryleader

Michaelson looks for personality. a caring attitude and a desire to keep learning in her PTs

Momentum gathering for European Congress

Last month’s pages noted that the general sessions speakers for the 14th Annual IHRSA European Congress would be Jonas Kjellberg, one of the creators of Skype, and Annemarie van Gaal, a financial columnist in the Netherlands. Kjellberg will speak Friday 17 October on ‘Entrepreneurship & Creating a Winning Sales Culture’. Meanwhile, van Gaal – whose session is on Saturday 18 October – will speak on the topic of ‘Doing Unconventional Business’.

The congress will also offer a wide range of concurrent sessions. These will include:
- The future of the industry – CEO panel discussion
- Wearable technology: Friend or foe to the health club industry? – Dave Wright, MYZONE.
- Boost strength training participation among women: A presentation of a White Paper – Peter Borchert, Precor
- Activate your local community: The evolution of commercial facilities into ‘wellness hubs’ – Francesco Arlotti, Technogym

In addition, there will be seminars on topics including retention (Paul Bedford, Retention Guru); leadership (Brent Darden, Brent Darden Consulting); virtual classes (Rasmus Ingerslev, Wexer Virtual); and membership sales (Doug Miller, Sales Makers International);

The European Congress will take place on 16–19 October 2014 at the Beurs van Berlage in Amsterdam. Keynote sessions and concurrent sessions will be simultaneously translated into Dutch, French, Italian, Russian and Spanish. For more information, please see HCM July 14, p29).

Visit www.ihrsa.org/congress for more information and to register.

IHRSA calendar 
Visit www.ihrsa.org/meetings for details and to register for these events

28–30 August 2014
15th Annual IHRSA / Fitness
Brasil Latin American Conference
& Trade Show
São Paulo, Brazil

16–19 October 2014
14th Annual IHRSA
European Congress
Amsterdam, The Netherlands

18–21 November 2014
ChinaFit / IHRSA China
Management Forum
Guangzhou, China

11–14 March 2015
IHRSA 2015
Los Angeles, California, US