Two more industry greats have been added to the list of experts at this year’s Retention Convention.

Former ukactive CEO, Dave Stalker, who is now the CEO of Oxygen Freejumping, will open the conference, when ‘great minds meet in Manchester’ on 18 May to learn about the impact a happy workforce has on health club membership retention.

Stalker has worked at every tier of the corporate leisure and activity ladder, from frontline fitness instructor to CEO in a range of environments from leisure management contractors to corporate wellbeing. He is also Chair of the CIMSPA and children’s physical activity company Fit For Sport. Stalker will kick off the day outlining how each and every aspect of the industry has changed over the last 30 years and explain why failure is guaranteed without a solid retention strategy in place.

The convention itself will be hosted by industry legend, Dean Hodgkin who, himself an operator, has 30 years on the clock, including presenting at trade and consumer events in 36 countries around the globe.

Hodgkin says: “I’m honoured to host this prestigious event as I appreciate the incredible value and potential for change this unique day brings to our sector. Not only does the speaker roster read like a who's who of industry legends, but the topics represent the acute challenges we face on a daily basis.”

Other speakers at the event, organised by world-leading health club retention expert, Dr. Paul Bedford, include counter-terrorism specialist and leadership expert, Steve Jee, who spent 20 years in the British Army as a military intelligence officer. He will discuss how the fitness industry can take ideas from Roman times and apply them to today’s challenges, exploring the type of behaviours we need in the workplace to inspire, align, lead and excel.

Australia’s Justin Tamsett, a former health club owner and well known business and leadership thought leader, will share the seven keys to building a winning team, whilst global presenter, best-selling author and owner of the professional development programme Sizzle Maker, Lexie Griffiths, will deliver a session entitled ‘Sizzling Customer Service - Engage and retain life long members by creating an outrageous customer service organisation’.

Training and education specialist, Keith Smith, will talk about How to get a Return on Your Education Investment, explaining the importance of making education stick with further coaching back at site.

Hodgkin, who has worked as a consultant to businesses in local authority leisure provision, the premium health clubs market, the low cost gyms sector and the boutique studio niche, as well as holding a senior management position within the luxury spa sector for many years, will chair the event and challenge the speakers with questions from an operator’s point of view. He continued: “The Retention Convention 2017 promises to send delegates back to the trenches with an enlightened vision and both the motivation and the road map to make immediate and lasting improvements in the service they deliver.”

The Retention Convention 2017 will take place at at the Manchester Conference Centre in Sackville Street, Manchester from 9am - 5pm on Thursday 18 May.

You can book your tickets here: www.eventbrite.co.uk.

For further information email [email protected], tweet @guru_paul or call 07956 311899.