Resource Partners

Kent Orrgren at the European Health and Fitness Forum in Cologne

The 5th annual event brought together top experts from different sectors of the industry and over 400 delegates from 34 countries to discuss human capital in the European fitness sector.
 
The European Health and Fitness Forum, the leading conference for the European fitness sector, concluded on Wednesday in the Congress Center Nord at the exhibition centre in Cologne.

The sold-out event opened with the release of the latest comprehensive study on the European fitness sector, 'EuropeActive Health & Fitness Market Report 2018'. This European Health & Fitness Market Report, the seventh joint publication of EuropeActive and Deloitte, represents the most comprehensive report on the European health and fitness market and serves as a valuable source of information for industry stakeholders, investors, banks, and many more. Karsten Hollasch, who works as the corporate finance partner at Deloitte, presented the report.

During the day, experts from the active leisure sector, politics, health care and associated industries shared helpful input and practical examples on how change and innovation can be implemented successfully.

One of the experts at this year’s Forum was Dr Fons Trompenaars, who discussed a model to make leaders fit again. The organisational theorist and author in the field of cross-cultural communication said:

“In this era of disruption we need new type of leaders. Those who can think and deal with opposites: body and soul, digital and analogue, serve and lead 'And' as a leader make sure that you are there to enable others to perform better. Personal trainers know but apply it to your colleagues as well”

In the context of human capital from the perspective of McFit, Rainer Schaller, founder and president, said in his presentation:

"The topic of Human Capital is very important to me, because only with the right people in a working team, you can be successful in the long run. Therefore, the topic of corporate culture is our top priority. My motto is: do not sell fish if you do not fish yourself. By the quality of the results, you will always be able to tell if someone is passionate about it."

The roundtable discussion saw CEO's of leading fitness clubs debate on human capital in the European fitness sector. During the debate, Humphrey Cobbold of Pure Gym, Edgard Corona of BioRitmo & Smartfit, Doron Dickman of Holmes Place and Pierre Geisensetter of McFit Global Group shared their best practices on how they use human capital in their organisation under the moderation of Dr Fons Trompenaars.

Later on the day, case studies were shared by 3 entrepreneurs who presented their concepts and how they have used human capital. Kent Orrgren, CEO World Class, said:

"I believe that in today’s business environment it is important to invest in your human capital and make them true brand ambassadors. The strongest relationship between a company and its clients is created when an employee interacts with passion and dedication, in every contacts with their clients. For a business to be successful, it needs to leverage its unique human element. The real difference that makes the difference is the human capital"

The day culminated with the release of a new industry outlook study 'Human Capital in the Fitness Sector'. The aim of this book is to put the people element in management more in focus for the fitness and active leisure sector. There are chapters from expert authors and ten case studies from real life situations in fitness organizations. Apart from that, it also contains many tips for club owners and managers in the sector.

EuropeActive Board Member and Moderator of the event, Herman Rutgers, said in his concluding remarks:

“This was the 5th EHFF and definitely the best, both in terms of quality of attendees and the speakers, the dialogue in the roundtable discussions, the case studies presented and the topic that resonated well with the audience. We have raised the bar again for ourselves and will do our best for next year’s event to take place on April 3rd 2019!”