Health & Fitness Business ’11: SNEWS TV returns, FIDA plans seminar, networking happy hours, and more…

Leave some room in your show schedule to attend events, seminars, smile for SNEWS TV, attend happy hours, go to early morning workouts, and cruise the Interbike show floor next door to Health & Fitness Business.

The event calendar at the coming HFB show , Sept. 14-16, in Las Vegas at the Sands Convention Center, is filling up, guaranteeing attendees will have plenty to keep them busy – and that doesn’t just mean for retailers with vendor appointments or for exhibitors standing in the 10-by-10. Learning and networking opportunities are available at the annual retail show, co-located with the huge Interbike www.interbike.com show since 2010.

“With less than five weeks until the 2011 Health & Fitness Business show, the event is coming together beyond our expectations,” Andy Tompkins, show director, told SNEWS. “Not only will the HFB floor be larger than 2009, but Interbike has also grown.

“We credit this growth to a renewed sense of consumer confidence, which is translating into higher sales for both retail fitness and cycling brands, as well as their retail partners,” he said. “This energy should be very tangible on the HFB floor.”

Smile, you’re on candid camera

In 2010, SNEWS brought TV to the show for the first time (www.outsidebusinessjournal.com/snewstv). In 2011 the production crew will return with Michael Hodgson’s “What’s Hot,” Therese Iknoian’s “Trends ‘n Topics,” interviews, features and more. Got ideas or news? Contact SNEWS TV, in partnership with Adventure Network and Heliconia Digital Productions, at TV@adventurenetwork.com to ensure you’re covered.



To see a few shows from the 2010 show, click here.

Events, seminars and the happiest of hours not to miss

FIDA, the Fitness Industry Dealers Association (www.fitnessdealers.org), will present a seminar just for fitness show attendees. Exact time to be determined, the session – “Using online marketing to grow your business” – is scheduled for Sept. 14, the first morning of the show, before the show opens. The FIDA-sponsored seminar will be presented by Buzz Truitt, director of business development for Netsertive. Attendees will also hear news about the new group and how to get involved. Stay tuned to SNEWS show updates for details.

A list of seminars and events considered more applicable to the fitness industry is available by clicking here; however, all events are open to all attendees of both shows; don’t miss the opportunity for free education and retailer interaction. The master list of all is available by clicking here. For example, the agenda includes:

• Wheel Learning Lessons of Bicycle Retailing or The Seven Laws of Bike Shop Success, a talk about specialty retailing (Sept. 14, 10:30 a.m.) – Presenter Chris Kegel owns Wheel and Sprocket, an 11-store retailer in Wisconsin and Minnesota.

• Your Customer Doesn’t Live Here Anymore (Sept. 15, 4:30 p.m.) – Presenter Tom Shay, is a retail expert with a lifetime of experience on retail floors. Show management said that many Interbike attendees consider Shay’s presentations to be keynote level.

Networking, happy hours, and free pint glasses

Several chances to relax with a beverage at the show:

• At the end of the first day, Wednesday, Sept. 14, join the industry in the SNEWS Community Hub (#539) on the floor for the annual HFB show happy hour co-sponsored by Diamondback and SNEWS, from 4-6 p.m. Free beer and a time to kick back, meet and greet. Plus, dealers can stop by the Diamondback Fitness booth (#415), take a test ride the new 510Ef or 910Ef front drive ellipticals, and pick up a free Diamondback 16-ounce pint glass with a special SNEWS subscription discount offer. Available as supplies last. If you can’t take a test drive, stop in at the Diamondback booth an hour before the happy hour to see if a glass is still available (SNEWS discounts available at the Happy Hour).

• On Thursday, Sept 15, join the HFB show team and SNEWS for an end-of-day networking opportunity – with free beer – again in the SNEWS Community Hub, also from 4-6 p.m.

• If you are in town earlier, drop in to the pre-show welcome reception, Tuesday, Sept. 13, at 9 p.m. in the Lavo restaurant at the Palazzo hotel.

• In town earlier? Fitness attendees are welcome at the Interbike Outdoor Demo, Monday and Tuesday, Sept. 12-13, where attendees can test bikes and gear, heading into the hills on rides in Bootleg Canyon in Boulder City, plus refresh themselves with free coffee, beer and ice cream. Shuttles to the venue from the Sands run all day.

“We have heard positive feedback from both fitness and cycling retailers on the convenience and opportunity the synergy between the HFB and Interbike shows offer,” Tompkins said. “All of these factors will contribute to a one of a kind event where the retail fitness community can learn, share, network and grow for the year to come.”

Exhibitor list expands, retailer list grows

Show management noted several additions to the exhibitor list, including SABER Sports Medical, BodyCraft, TuffStuff Fitness, JK Fitness, Humane Manufacturing and Virtual Reality Cardio.

Click here to see a complete exhibitor list.

Click here to see an interactive show floor plan.

In addition, Tompkins noted that the show, as of Aug. 1, had registrations from 2,100 retail stores who listed fitness as an area of interest or specialty.

“I go to the Health & Fitness Business Expo to connect face-to-face, shake hands and get the personal interaction with my vendors’ sales managers and company principals,” said Marty Scheller, of Scheller’s Fitness & Cycling, Louisville, Ky. “That really makes a difference in the success of my business. And with HFB combined with Interbike, now, it’s even more valuable and efficient for us.”

— Therese Iknoian