Kristen Walsh looks ahead to this year’s event which takes place in Seville, Spain, in October

The IHRSA European Congress has been designed to provide thought-provoking commentary on trends shaping business and the fitness industry across Europe and beyond; while taking place in Europe, the learnings for club operators have relevance far beyond this continent.

Presentations from experts from inside and outside the health club industry are complemented by networking events, focus group discussions, and lunch and evening receptions – all of which offers great opportunities to build relationships with colleagues from other markets.

Last year’s event, held in Marseille, France, attracted more than 550 participants from a record 42 countries and six continents, and the 16th Annual IHRSA European Congress – taking place on 17–20 October at the Barceló Sevilla Renacimiento in Seville, Spain – is expected to attract similar numbers.

You might be an owner, general manager, department manager or investor in the industry. You might work for a single health club company, multi-site operator or franchise. The event is ideal for anyone in a decision-making role in the health club business.

Innovation the Lego way
Two keynote speakers will address Congress attendees this year.

The first is David Robertson PhD, a professor at Wharton School who specialises in global innovation and IT, and who also authored the book Brick by Brick: How Lego reinvented its innovation system and conquered the toy industry.

His session – entitled 'Innovation management: The Lego Story' – will explain how managers are bombarded with dozens of theories on how to manage innovation. These theories all promise growth and profits, but the actual results are less positive.

Using the case study of Lego, Robertson’s session will explore how to manage innovation across a company.

In 2003, Lego almost went bankrupt. Lego’s managers had followed the advice of experts – “head for blue ocean”, “practice disruptive innovation”, “open innovation”, “develop the full spectrum of innovation” – and that advice almost led them to ruin.

But in one of the most successful turnarounds in modern business history, Lego restructured its innovation management system and saved the company. Today, it’s the most profitable and fastest growing company in the toy industry: sales have grown by 24 per cent a year, and profits by 45 per cent, every year for the past four years. The goal of this session is tell the Lego story and the lessons to be learned.

DIGITAL DISRUPTION
Meanwhile Marcos Eguillor, managing partner of BinaryKnowledge and adjunct professor at IE Business School in Spain, will present the theme of 'Going digital: The disruptive opportunity for the global health club & fitness business'.

In his session, Eguillor will:
• Review developing trends in the digital market, and discuss what digital transformation really means to your business.
• Offer an understanding of new users and their demands for connected fitness and e-health solutions.
• Offer insights into how the future of health clubs and the fitness industry might look globally, compared to the journeys lived by other industries.
• Explain what to do – and how to do it – when facing and embracing these changes, and dealing with the competition.

Other presenters will include IHRSA board chair Rasmus Ingerslev, who will present on 'Growing the fitness industry through innovation and technology'.

The full speaker line-up for the event is available at www.ihrsa.org/congress