As a new year begins, ukactive’s CEO Steve Ward explains the not-for-profit’s plans for making 2018 the year that physical activity makes its biggest impact in society to date
By Steven Ward | Published in Health Club Management 2018 issue 1
Lawrence Dallaglio was a speaker at the 2017 ukactive Summit
If you’re a brand and you want to do something exciting, partner with ukactive because we will make a difference and we will change people’s lives.”
This was the call-to-action made by rugby legend and children’s activity campaigner Lawrence Dallaglio during his keynote speech at the ukactive National Summit late last year.
It’s a massive vote of confidence in the collective power of ukactive and its 4,000 members, which is why our focus for the year ahead will be to convert these words of promise into action.
WINNING OVER WESTMINSTER Westminster remains a key battleground for our sector and we enter 2018 confident that we will land some significant wins around some of our key policy strands – particularly in the workplace, community leisure and the children’s activity agenda.
As ever, the arguments for these policies will be underpinned by insightful research from our world-class ukactive Research Institute. Expect a raft of high-impact reports from our research team over the coming months, while the business intelligence provided by the DataHub will continue to sharpen as more operators buy into the value of shared data.
For 2018 we’re committed to breaking with tradition to open up new possibilities and this will see our Flame Conference and Awards move to Manchester, with an exciting new format. We’re taking the physical activity sector’s best-loved show to a city that’s pulsing with potential through its newly-devolved status and I can’t wait to share more details of these plans in the coming months.
Learning and development (L&D) will be a central strand of this year’s Flame meeting, incorporating the ethos of the Ignite learning strand we launched last year and expanding it to address some of the biggest challenges faced by our sector at club level. We’re opening up development pathways at every level and this L&D focus in Manchester dovetails with the latest instalment of our Future Leaders programme, as well as Global Active Leaders – a new programme at IESE in Barcelona for global CEOs of the sector eager to continue their learning.
CHAMPIONING INNOVATION Innovation remains front and centre of our thinking and the return of our startup accelerator ActiveLab will unearth new, dynamic solutions for how we can stimulate physical activity among new audiences and at the same time better serve our existing clients.
Furthermore, 2018 will see ukactive unveil an array of campaigns, events and member services dedicated to supporting our sector’s mission of getting more people, more active, more often. The outcomes of the next 12 months will be determined by how bold and collaborative we are in our approach.
And by heeding Lawrence’s call-to-action, our sector can transform lives at a greater scale and pace than ever before, laying the foundations for a truly active society.
In the fast-paced world of fitness and wellness, where high-intensity workouts push us to
our limits and the sweat pours, the importance of efficient recovery cannot be overstated. [more...]
As a new year begins, ukactive’s CEO Steve Ward explains the not-for-profit’s plans for making 2018 the year that physical activity makes its biggest impact in society to date
By Steven Ward | Published in Health Club Management 2018 issue 1
Lawrence Dallaglio was a speaker at the 2017 ukactive Summit
If you’re a brand and you want to do something exciting, partner with ukactive because we will make a difference and we will change people’s lives.”
This was the call-to-action made by rugby legend and children’s activity campaigner Lawrence Dallaglio during his keynote speech at the ukactive National Summit late last year.
It’s a massive vote of confidence in the collective power of ukactive and its 4,000 members, which is why our focus for the year ahead will be to convert these words of promise into action.
WINNING OVER WESTMINSTER Westminster remains a key battleground for our sector and we enter 2018 confident that we will land some significant wins around some of our key policy strands – particularly in the workplace, community leisure and the children’s activity agenda.
As ever, the arguments for these policies will be underpinned by insightful research from our world-class ukactive Research Institute. Expect a raft of high-impact reports from our research team over the coming months, while the business intelligence provided by the DataHub will continue to sharpen as more operators buy into the value of shared data.
For 2018 we’re committed to breaking with tradition to open up new possibilities and this will see our Flame Conference and Awards move to Manchester, with an exciting new format. We’re taking the physical activity sector’s best-loved show to a city that’s pulsing with potential through its newly-devolved status and I can’t wait to share more details of these plans in the coming months.
Learning and development (L&D) will be a central strand of this year’s Flame meeting, incorporating the ethos of the Ignite learning strand we launched last year and expanding it to address some of the biggest challenges faced by our sector at club level. We’re opening up development pathways at every level and this L&D focus in Manchester dovetails with the latest instalment of our Future Leaders programme, as well as Global Active Leaders – a new programme at IESE in Barcelona for global CEOs of the sector eager to continue their learning.
CHAMPIONING INNOVATION Innovation remains front and centre of our thinking and the return of our startup accelerator ActiveLab will unearth new, dynamic solutions for how we can stimulate physical activity among new audiences and at the same time better serve our existing clients.
Furthermore, 2018 will see ukactive unveil an array of campaigns, events and member services dedicated to supporting our sector’s mission of getting more people, more active, more often. The outcomes of the next 12 months will be determined by how bold and collaborative we are in our approach.
And by heeding Lawrence’s call-to-action, our sector can transform lives at a greater scale and pace than ever before, laying the foundations for a truly active society.
The UK spa review and discovery platform for consumers, the Good Spa Guide, has announced
it will host the Good Spa Guide Awards 2026 during an event on 16 November at Sopwell House
Hotel in St Albans, UK.
Eighty-four per cent of consumers now say wellness is a top priority in their lives, with this
percentage increasing year on year, according to a preview presentation of McKinsey’s Future of
Wellness 2026 research report.
Mass protests have been taking place since Monday 1 June in Albania over the development of
a luxury resort by Donald Trump’s daughter Ivanka Trump and her husband Jared Kushner.
Global Wellness Day (GWD) marked its 15th anniversary on Saturday 13 June 2026, with the
theme: #JoyMagenta – a celebration of the healing qualities of simple gestures and activities
that spark joy.
Global luxury hospitality brand, Six Senses, has partnered with longevity healthcare provider,
HUM2N, to launch a clinic at Six Senses London, at The Whiteley.
As part of its first hotel partnership, Mayrlife – the medical health resort company known for its
site in Altaussee, Austria – has launched a day clinic at the Rosewood Vienna.
Premium London health club, KX Chelsea, will imminently unveil its most significant
redevelopment since its launch in 2002 to create an integrated wellness model combining
training, recovery and relaxation.
Rosewood Le Guanahani St Barth, on the northeast coast of Saint Barthélemy in the French
West Indies, is offering a programme of ocean-inspired yoga classes between 8-14 June to
celebrate Global Wellness Day (GWD).
Hotel de France, located on the British Isle of Jersey, has created a wellness retreat package
that includes a hot yoga session that will take place in Jersey Zoo’s butterfly sanctuary.
The Ritz-Carlton, Langkawi, in Malaysia, has revealed a schedule for Global Wellness Day
(GWD) that includes guided rainforest walks, mindful movement and guided coastal meditation
experiences.
In the fast-paced world of fitness and wellness, where high-intensity workouts push us to
our limits and the sweat pours, the importance of efficient recovery cannot be overstated. [more...]
