In the exhibition, visitors will be able to engage with around 350 exhibitors who’ll be showcasing products and services aimed at increasing physical activity. The exhibition areas at Elevate 2019 will be divided into sectors including commercial fitness, innovation in elite sport, active aquatic, design, build and interiors, Elevate Kids and COPA. Elevate is where key suppliers of physical activity equipment showcase innovations to the UK market, enabling health club operators and other physical activity professionals to make purchasing decisions and discover the latest innovations.

Exhibitors will stage demonstrations throughout the show

The Elevate Innovation Awards will return again for 2019, with a panel of experts judging the best sector products and services in six categories: Workout Innovation, Facility Innovation, Health and Wellness Innovation, Rehab and Recovery Innovation, Innovation for Human Performance and Best Start-Up.

The Tech Lab innovation space at Elevate will be organised in conjunction with ukactive’s Active Lab and the Sport Tech Hub, which is funded by London Sport. Tech Lab will feature technology start-ups that are disrupting the physical activity market.

The conference and seminar programme boasts over 300 speakers

The Elevate Thought Leaders’ Conference will delve into how the physical activity and healthcare sectors can contribute towards a happier, healthier, more active nation.

With the UK government’s efforts to eliminate physical inactivity focusing on a range of pressing challenges from increased investment in the NHS and digital disruption to community-wide behaviour change initiatives and prevention over cure, the conference aims to inspire big-picture thinking that will maximise the power of the physical activity sector as a positive force for societal change and impact.

The conference will feature keynote talks and strategic debates from senior representatives in various areas of the industry. Already announced as headline speaker for the conference, the UK Government’s chief medical officer, Sally Davies, will outline the industry’s vision for physical activity and healthcare.

Charlie Foster, senior lecturer in physical activity and public health at the University of Bristol will also keynote. Foster said: “Elevate gives scientists the chance to sense-check their work against the realities of practice, share their learning and grow their impact. It will increase the reach and impact of effective research into practice, helping the nation become more active.”

Active kids
Dr Zoe Williams, Public Health England physical activity champion, will chair a session titled ‘What will it take to get our children active?’ Williams spoke ahead of her session, saying: “Elevate goes from strength to strength, which aligns with how the physical activity and health sectors continue to build collaborative relationships.

Dr Zoe Williams

“Health and fitness providers are trying to engage those who have the most to gain from increasing their activity levels. It tends to be the same people that we – as healthcare professionals – see regularly; the inactive, socially isolated and those with long-term conditions. As much as I like my patients, success is when the physical activity provider sees them regularly and I no longer do.”

Of particular interest to health clubs and gym chains will be the ‘What do your customers really want?’ seminar, chaired by David Minton, MD of Leisure BD. The seminar will focus on how customers want to be communicated with, and how they make buying decisions; what influences these buying decisions and behaviours. It will also look at changing expectations towards health and fitness; how this should influence the industry’s response in the way products and services are sold; and how the sector can better use personalisation and localisation.

Other highlights
Other thought leaders speaking at the conference include James Sanderson, director of personalised care at NHS England; Chris Grant, MD at 14A; Justin Musgrove, CEO of Bannatyne Group; David Stalker, CEO at MyZone EMEA; and Robert Copeland, professor of physical activity and health at Sheffield Hallam University.

There will also be on-stage interviews with former Welsh international rugby player Gareth Thomas and Mark ‘Dot’ Perkins, registered physiotherapist and captain of the Invictus Games

An extensive range of seminars and workshops will also be on offer at Elevate, in a variety of streams. These include Strategies for an Active Nation, Future Performance, The Business of Physical Activity, Active Aquatics, Maximising Wellbeing & Performance, The Business of Physical Therapy, and the newly created Moving Medicine and Active Kids streams.

Featuring for the first time in 2019, the Moving Medicine stream will showcase the science, evidence and tools required to enable effective conversations and communication of this information within practice case studies.

With a targeted audience including fitness professionals, sports coaches and personal trainers, the Moving Medicine stream is set to add a further dimension to Elevate. A standout seminar will focus on Moving Health Professionals: “Everyone active every day”, in which Mike Brannan, national lead of physical activity at Public Health England, will explore the core components of the Moving Health Professionals programme and its progress to date.

• Alliance Leisure
• CoreCollective
• Coventry City Council
• David Lloyd Clubs
• iKidz Training and Consultancy
• LA Architects
• Manchester City FC
• Academy
• Sport England
• Swim England
• Third Space
• Totum Sport
• ukactive

Elevate gives operators the opportunity to try the latest kit before they buy

Debuting alongside Moving Medicine will be the Active Kids stream. Seminars in this stream will critically examine the latest trends in activating kids, exploring the role of behaviour change, motivation and goal setting, and the use of digital and technology for activation.

Active Kids will attract leisure providers, gyms and family entertainment centres alike, in the hope that health challenges facing children in contemporary society will decline.

“With Sport England’s recent Active Lives and Young People Survey showing that 82 per cent of young people are failing to hit the Chief Medical Officer’s guidelines, Elevate Kids has been developed to bring the key stakeholders and industry together to sustainably decrease figures such as these,” says Elevate founder, Max Quittenton.

The Business of Physical Activity seminar stream is aimed at those delivering physical activity in the community; local authorities; leisure operators (private and public); leisure trusts; and gyms.

The Business of Physical Activity seminar stream is aimed at providers

The event is an opportunity to network and catch up with contacts

Elevate’s business seminars will see industry experts providing insights into trends shaping the sector, including how to get the attention of the investment community and how to use the data you gather. Practical sessions will cover areas such as marketing, membership retention, build and design, cost-efficiencies, partnerships and staffing. There will also be an afternoon session dedicated to aquatics and pool operation.

Other notable seminars include Making a success of your business: the role of technology’ and Virtual coaching: the future of wellbeing and fitness? chaired by GG Fit’s director, Guy Griffiths and KvS performance’s director, Dr Ken van Someren, respectively. Liz Terry, editor of HCM magazine, will present the The future of fitness: trends and innovations seminar, which will give insights into the future of the health and fitness sector.

• Thought Leaders Conference PayAsUGym
• The international exhibition fibodo
• Elevate Innovation Awards FitnessCompared

• CIMSPA
• ukactive
• London Sport
• UK Sport
• ISEH and the Chartered Society of Physiotherapists
• HCM Magazine (media partner)

Liz terry

As official media partner for Elevate, HCM will have a team at the event, based on stand K63.

You’re welcome to come along and meet the team to share your news and pick up complimentary copies of HCM and Sports Management magazines, plus industry careers magazine Leisure Opportunities.

Liz Terry, editor of HCM magazine, will be speaking at Elevate on 9th May at 10.05am to highlight emerging industry trends from the new HCM Fitness Foresight 2019 report. www.HCMmag.com