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18 Dec 2014
Leisure Industry Week announces new two-day format
BY
Jak Phillips
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LIW event director James Samuel is leading the trade show towards a stronger focus on physical activity
Leisure Industry Week (LIW) organiser UBM Live has unveiled a new two-day format for the longstanding trade event, part of its ongoing repositioning strategy. Having seen falling attendances in recent years, UBM teamed up with ukactive to survey more than more than 40,000 industry professionals for their feedback on the show. This information, together with focus groups and consultations with key exhibitors and buyers, plus a suggestions hub at this year’s event, has been gathered to explore how the industry’s longest-running trade show can be developed to meet suppliers’ and operators’ changing needs.
Following the recent announcement that LIW would officially rebrand as a health, wellbeing and fitness-focused event from 2015 onwards, the shortened format is another tweak made in response to audience feedback.
LIW event director James Samuel noted there was a “clear desire” among participants to maximise their time at the event and reduce time away from work.
“Return on time and investment are the key drivers for our audience, fitting the show into a new two-day format will provide an event that maximises both of these and again meets our audience needs,” he said.
Leisure Opportunities understands that the cost of exhibiting at LIW will not be lower on a like-for-like basis as a result of the revised format. However, there is an early bird offer in place for those who book before the end of January 2015.
It was also announced that LIW has signed a partnership with consumer fitness expo BodyPower to deliver a new seminar programme at LIW 2015. ‘Profiting from Secondary Spend, fuelled by BodyPower’ will aim to highlight “the missed opportunity around sports nutrition” and provide practical advice to leisure and fitness facilities to profit more from these purchases.
BodyPower CEO Nick Orton said: “I’ve thought for some time that gym owners and managers visiting LIW would benefit from a top quality seminar stream which focuses on the additional revenues from secondary spend offerings, so it’s a great pleasure that the BodyPower team will be programming this exciting new feature at LIW.”
Leisure Opportunities editor Liz Terry, who has been attending LIW since its inception in 1989, views the Bodypower tie-up as a savvy step and feels the event could benefit from further embracing the consumer market.
"While LIW and IHRSA are facing static or declining attendance figures, FIBO – with its 116,000 visitors in 2014 – is romping ahead, reporting a 15 per cent increase in visitors this year. You have to ask – what's making the difference?
"The most obvious explanation is that FIBO opens to both the trade and the general public and with fitness becoming far more of a personal responsibility and broadening beyond the gym, this fits well. Many suppliers sell to both trade and consumer markets, so perhaps it's time other trade shows considered doing more to adopt this model?
Continuing this theme, Terry suggested that like FIBO, the trade show may need to broaden its market to reach a wider audience as a means of fostering growth.
"Another consideration is that the UK is no longer a big enough market for many companies and it's time LIW started viewing its territory as being Europe-wide and expanding its horizons," she added.
"The growth of wellness will also be having an impact – it's no longer enough to talk about health and fitness in isolation, our trade shows need to reflect the way the wider industry is developing as part of the wellness, spa, sport and fitness sector.
"The industry has never been in better shape and we need our industry trade shows to reflect that and to evolve to meet the changing needs of the market."
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