Celebrating success with our franchisees at IHRSA 2019

Celebrating the success of our franchisees is a key component of the énergie franchise philosophy, which is why each year the winner of the ‘énergie Business of the Year’ award wins a trip to IHRSA, the annual International Health and Racket Sports Association Conference, hosted in the United States.

The IHRSA conference presents a fantastic opportunity to learn the latest industry insights, hear from exceptional speakers and look around one of the largest fitness equipment trade shows in the world.

énergie’s Head of Fitness, Training and Innovation, Ian Rushbury and the Precor team flew back to San Diego earlier this month and were joined by our ‘énergie Business of the Year’ winners Jo and Peter Gunter, who are the owners of our énergie Fitness Hoddesdon and énergie Fitness Palmers Green gyms.

From left to right: Klaudia Kubisztal (Financial Controller), Peter Gunter (Franchisee), Ian Rushbury (Head of Fitness, Training & Innovation)
On attending the event, Jo commented: “For me the educational sessions and keynote speakers were inspirational. In particular, Chris from Stevensen Fitness gave a presentation on member engagement. His philosophy sits well with our Take the Stage ethos – but for me went one step further. I am looking forward to updating my teams on his inspirational approach to member engagement.”

“The convention itself gave us opportunities to speak with current and potential suppliers and experience the latest innovations. Sunset yoga on Pacific Beach, Quest 10 outdoor workouts, Planet Fitness, Coronado Island swims, 12-mile walks, the seals at La Jolla, gastronomic tours of the best restaurants in San Diego, the list goes on. A big thank you to énergie and Precor – we could not have asked for better travel companions.”

From left to right: Klaudia Kubisztal (Financial Controller), Peter Gunter (Franchisee), Ian Rushbury (Head of Fitness, Training & Innovation), Jo Gunter (Franchisee)
The team were also joined by Klaudia Kubisztal, énergie Financial Controller and winner of the ‘énergie Central Team Member of the Year’ award.

Following the trip, Klaudia said: “I absolutely loved every minute of being in San Diego. During the trip we listened to so many fantastic speakers, got to meet likeminded fitness industry professionals and learned about delivering vision and creating an innovative business environment during the supplier trade shows. The sunset yoga by the beach was also a real highlight of the trip for me.”

énergie Chairman, Jan Spaticchia, was also in attendance – delivering an inspiring educational session which discussed “The Challenge of Change” on day one of the conference.

As we plan ahead for the return of IHRSA to San Diego in March 2020, our franchisees will be hoping to win a spot on this fantastic trip.