FIBO Innovation Tour London 29th Jan

An impassioned David Stalker drove home the inactivity issue again last week at the FIBO Innovation Tour in London. We have to do all we can to #turnthetide, and the ukactive's “Steps to solving inactivity” report is a very interesting read.

29% of people in England are classed as physically inactive. 

Inactivity is responsible for one in six deaths in the UK, making it as dangerous as smoking.

I questioned whether this is a bigger problem than smoking, but checking the figures on ASH shows that 45% of adults smoked in 1974. This reduced to 27% in 1994, and is now down to 19%. Nevertheless, there has been a constant decline in smoking, whereas inactivity is clearly on the rise, with more activity saving devices available to us everyday, from Segways to chuckits (seriously, can’t you just throw the ball for the dog).

The presentations continued with many video clips embedded into PowerPoint, allowing the presenters to stand motionless for a few minutes as if to drive the inactivity point home! Most claimed that their flooring, new class, or electrobelts would increase your member retention.
Paul Bedford turned the tables with a great retention keynote, by not using any video, but instead offering a link to a video of his talk.

Let’s Move for a Better World from Technogym was the best of the rest. A genuine way of getting more club members engaged and moving, and also bringing their friends to your facility to contribute to the overall moves. Look out for more on this initiative on this blog very soon.

The networking opportunities at the FIBO innovation tour were great; it was good to make some new contacts and catch-up with partners and customers. Keep beating the drum, Mr Stalker, and we’ll see you at FIBO in Cologne.