Think Mobility is Just a "Trend" in the Fitness Industry ?

I write about technology's impact on the world - particularly the fitness industry and wellness biz. The typical response I get from fitness industry leaders is one of "that's cool" but the underlying skepticism is hard to miss. After all , the latest technologies haven't knocked off many of the same approaches used for the past few decades. So tech is cool alright - but most industry veterans don't really pay attention. Perhaps they should.

When you realize that there is an entire convention on mobility in health care, perhaps the fitness and wellness industry should take notice. Next week, the Mobile Health Expo is occuring in Las Vegas. Its the only event focusing on the convergence of mobile technology and healthcare across the entire mobile health ecosystem, including mhealth, telemedicine, wireless and connected health. Mobile Health Expo is designed to catalyze the discussions, partnerships, visions and public policy debates in order to move mobile health into the future. The event will focus on eight market drivers: aging at home, disease management, health inclusion for developed and developing countries, provider education, patient education, healthcare gaming, mobile wallets and benefits. The 2010 event takes place October 19-21, 2010 at the Las Vegas Caesars Palace Convention Center.

Executives from around the world convene to focus specifically on Health and the Mobility of the industry - and the tag line ? How about "Everything in Health is going Mobile." Indeed it is. Let's get a similar conversation and event started for fitness.

Social Media & Influence - What Is It ?

You've got to love Brian Solis. I've read his books (love Engage) and really enjoy his great posts and thought sharing (its not just that we share first names although with different spellings). His latest article addresses Influence - and reviews interesting research that makes some important points. Here is one thing I'd like to share with those in my world who might not get it yet :

SOCIAL MEDIA WORKS ! TAKE A MOMENT TO UNDERSTAND WHAT IT REALLY IS !

Brian partnered with Vocus to run a formal study on influence. As a result, 700 business leaders, entrepreneurs, and marketing professionals contributed to the report, which is available now as a free download. Here's is what Brian says in closing:

"In the end, it’s our job to become “the influencer.” We owe it to our communities of customers, prospects and the people who affect their decisions to lead by example. Then and only then, can we master the ability to influence the influencer."

The fitness industry, as well as other industries I work with, need to understand and deploy this potential of influence via social media. In fitness if we are to truly impact the well being of people we should consider this important information. Look at the graphic below and read the report to discover more. One thing is already clear, influence is not popularity and popularity is not influence. Interestingly, according to research, size does not matter either.

Park and Recreation Centers - The Colorado Annual Conference

Wanted to thank the Colorado Parks and Recreation Association for their invite to speak at their fantastic conference this year in Breckenridge, Colorado. Park and rec centers play a vital role in delivering exercise opportunities and quality of life to communities across the country. Our company Fitmarc is happy to support the leadership in their important roles. Colorado is one of the leading states in Parks and Recs so my hats off to them and their leadership.

I shared with them a vision of the future for Parks and Recs and how technology will impact it. You can learn more about the 4 key trends and predictions here . And many thanks to Levi for his description of how the talk went in the video below.

Mobility - The Coming Wave of Tablets and the Fitness Industry

There is a wave of new tablet devices hitting the market. Now RIM will be announcing their latest addition. As a recent WSJ article reported, "The tablet, which some inside RIM are calling the BlackPad, is scheduled for release in the fourth quarter of this year...... It will feature a seven-inch touch screen and one or two built-in cameras. It will have Bluetooth and broadband connections but will only be able to connect to cellular networks through a BlackBerry smartphone, these people said. Since the tablet won't be sold with a cellular service, it's not clear which carriers or retailers will sell the device."

Still, RIM's tablet will face stiff competition in an increasingly crowded market. The launch of Apple's iPad in April sparked a rush to build similar devices by a raft of firms from Korean electronics giant Samsung Electronics Co. to Taiwan's Acer Inc. and Cisco Systems Inc. and Dell Inc. of the U.S. Many of those competing tablets will run Android, meaning RIM's new operating system will go head-to-head with Apple and Google offerings in tablets as well.

How will Tablet Devices influence the fitness industry ? A new wave of technologies will enable devices to be on the fitness floor in a more interactive and functional way. Think of the possibilities for personal trainers, group fitness instructors and fitness managers, for example, who dont have to be glued to a monitor to see realtime information or to provide information to members. If you're not dialed into how tablets can make a difference in the fitness industry contact me and I'll tell you more.



Technology and Fitness Facilities - Attend My October 14th Webinar

You might have read some of my postings on technology and fitness (check out my 2010 IHRSA presentation on Technology and the Future of the Fitness Industry along with other writings and the radio interview with  Michael Scudder). Happily I visited the IHRSA web site and came across Jean Suffin's article The Infinite Digital Domain. Here's a quote:

Once the prospect has been transformed into a dues-paying member, they can continue to make good use of the Website, conducting all sorts of transactions, including: signing up for classes and personal training sessions; checking their account; purchasing products; making dues payments, etc. In the process, they also avoid the pitfalls of phone tag, and, a benefit for clubs, don’t eat up valuable staff time.

Jean is right and the article shares a lot of great examples of organizaitons jumping in on the opportunity of delivering and interacting anytime and anywhere for their members. The implications to the industry, however, are vast and go beyond what the article covers, having a significant impact in the near term and long term. Think of the financial services industry and its transformation from the late 70's till today. How many of you still go to a bank on a regular basis  anyway?

Please consider attending my October 14, 2010 IHRSA webinar from 2:00 - 3:30 EST on Becoming More Competitive -- How the Industry is Changing and What to Do About It. Technology advancements and key business trends will be shared and hopefully help leaders make more informed assessments for their strategies.