Health and Fitness EXPOs & Tradeshow News
The Australian Fitness & Health Expo celebrates – 15
years on and still going strong
Sydney, Australia, FOR RELEASE: 3 MARCH 2010 --
2010 will mark the 15th birthday of the Australian
Fitness & Health Expo – the largest fitness and health
event to be staged annually in Australia.
Exhibition Manager, Ashley
Robertson, said the milestone was indicative of the
success of the event and its popularity and necessity
amongst the Australian fitness industry.
“The expo has functioned as
the must-attend event for the industry since its
introduction to the scene in 1995. Since its inception,
the exhibition has sustained ongoing growth and continued
to address and reflect the fluctuating trends and needs
of this complex industry,” Robertson said.
The early years In 1987,
the Australian Fitness Network hosted its first fitness
convention and mini tradeshow on the Gold Coast – known
as the Network Convention, the event ran annually until
1999 when it changed scene to Melbourne. Following a
successful launch in Melbourne, the event alternated on
an annual basis between the two cities.
Nigel Champion, CEO of
Australian Fitness Network, said that their experience
with the Gold Coast and Melbourne events had prompted
them to reconsider the needs of the industry and in the
mid 90’s, the company recognised a need to host a fitness
convention and exhibition in Sydney.
“We identified an
opportunity in the Sydney market for a fitness convention
and an expo that would appeal to not only the Australian
market but also the wider Asia Pacific region – and so
the Fitness Industry Leisure Expo was born,” Champion
said.
Fondly known as FILEX, the
acronym was coined to reflect both the convention and the
exhibition, and in 1995, the inaugural event debuted at
Sydney Convention & Exhibition Centre, Darling Harbour.
The first FILEX
“FILEX debuted in 1995 and
attracted 60 exhibitors and in excess of 3000 visitors.
Back then Personal Training was exclusively for the rich
and famous so the majority of suppliers were more focused
on the needs of group exercise and strength training.
This focus was reflected in the exhibitors which were
primarily music, clothing and equipment suppliers,”
Champion said.
Multi-million dollar
leisure brand, Lorna Jane, took space at the inaugural
event and, following a successful introduction to the
event, has continued to exhibit every year since.
Founder, Lorna Jane Clarkson, said that she took a chance
on the first expo as it was the largest event of its kind
on offer in Australia and provided a platform for her
business to showcase the Lorna Jane brand to the fitness
industry.
“We could see that the expo
provided an opportunity for all the Australian fitness
industry to come together and allowed us to identify new
customers. Since we first exhibited back in 1995, the
expo has become a tremendous vehicle to showcase our
ranges and gather feedback from the people who live in
our products,” Ms Clarkson said.
2010 also marks a special
milestone for Lorna Jane with the 20th anniversary of the
label which, from humble beginnings, has flourished to
almost 500 employees and 70 stores across Australia and
overseas.
Other exhibitors included
Gatorade, Reebok, Nike, IEP Body Mechanics, Avia, Clubnet,
Ecomist, Repco Fitness, Kelmix, Cutting Edge, HF
Industries, Aerobics Wear Australia, Mono, Music and
Motion, Amedican Streetware, LA Gear, Rhythm Express and
Rock Wear.
In 1998, the exhibition
took on Gatorade as its major sponsor and was renamed The
Gatorade Fitness Expo. The sponsorship naming rights
narrowed the relevancy for what is a dynamic industry and
in 2001; the exhibition was renamed and became the
Australian Fitness Expo. The new name repositioned the
expo by increasing the visitor demographic to include the
growing number of consumers in the fitness and healthy
lifestyle industries.
A change of hands
Diversified Exhibitions
Australia purchased the event from the Australian Fitness
Network in 2005 as the continued growth of the expo
called for the more specialised skills of an exhibition
business.
“The exhibition was a large
event and we were keen to bring our resources back to
servicing the ongoing professional needs of our members.
In order for the expo to achieve and maintain its growth,
it needed proper exhibition management – the sale to
Diversified was the right choice and six years later, we
still believe we made the right decision,” Champion said.
Diversified Exhibition
Manager, Ashley Robertson, said Diversified was attracted
to the expo as it fit well with the company’s core
business values.
“Diversified seeks to
connect, educate and strengthen business communities
through market-leading events. We identified FILEX as an
exhibition that was contributing to the health and
wellbeing of people in both the fitness and local
communities and offered room for substantial growth,”
Robertson said.
A new era of fitness
The emergence of the modern
day personal trainer in the late 90’s provoked
substantial changes for both the fitness expo and the
wider fitness industry. Traditionally, the industry had
centred on the operation of fitness centres that focused
on servicing exercise classes to music – often referred
to as aerobics.
With the industry trending
towards Personal Training, many new opportunities,
programs, resources and businesses were created and were
reflected in the changing nature of fitness expo
exhibitors. With a much greater diversity in the range of
exhibitors, the expo evolved into a ‘must attend’
industry event.
“Diversified has
endeavoured to focus on the needs of the industry – which
continually evolves in response to international health
and fitness trends and the development of society in
general. Year on year, we adjust the expo to suit the
requirements of the industry and, through time, this has
seen substantial changes in the exhibitions dynamics,”
Robertson said.
In 2010, Diversified
announced yet another re-naming of the expo to recognise
the gains that fitness companies are making in the health
industry.
Robertson said that the
rebrand of the show for 2010 has shifted the focus back
to trade to ensure that industry participants will have
access to the most up to date knowledge available.
“Each year the event has
sustained its growth with more exhibitors and more
visitors showcasing the latest trends in the fitness and
health industry. This longevity demonstrates the strength
of the fitness industry and ensures the continual
injection of more and more leading product and service
into the Australian market,” Robertson said.
The Australian Fitness &
Health Expo provides a platform for the entire industry
to meet, discover what’s new, network and learn. With
more than 300 exhibitors, stage demonstrations, seminars,
and much more, the expo allows fitness professionals to
educate themselves and the wider community.
The 15th Australian Fitness & Health Expo will take place
at Sydney Convention & Exhibition Centre, 30 April – 2
May 2010.
Media Enquiries:
Mary-Jane Morse
Pinque – 02 9360 6166
0428 254 316
[email protected]
ABOUT THE AUSTRALIAN
FITNESS & HEALTH EXPO
The Australian Fitness & Health Expo is the industry’s
largest expo for the fitness and health industry in
Australia. The pinnacle event for the fitness industry,
the expo attracts more than 15,000 buyers and connects
attendees with manufacturers, suppliers and retailers in
health and fitness industry. Further information:
www.fitnessexpo.com.au
ABOUT DIVERSIFIED EXHIBITIONS
Diversified Exhibitions is one of Australia’s largest
exhibition organising companies with a portfolio of 30
trade and consumer exhibitions, operating in key industry
sectors such as Food, Security, Building, Oil & Gas,
Fitness and Retail.
Diversified runs
exhibitions at premier venues throughout Australia and
has its head-office in
Melbourne. Further information: www.divexhibitions.com.au

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