Rimini Wellness has launched again this year in the Rimini Expo Centre, Italy, bringing wellness, fitness, healthy nutrition and sport professionals together until 1 June.

The 19th edition of the international exhibition event, curated by the Italian Exhibition Group, occupies the 190,000sq m facility and will have spaces for exercise as well as zones for exhibitors in different market segments to show the latest innovations in their fields.

The wellness zone features suppliers offering yoga, Pilates, mindfulness sessions, body care services and the latest wellbeing products.

On the first day of the expo, Rimini was revealed as the most wellness-oriented province in Italy, according to an analysis conducted by the research arm of Italian publishing firm Il Sole 24 Ore. This analysis was based on official data, detailing the number of sports companies, gyms, swimming pools and the region’s academic focus on motor sciences.

Other areas that performed in the top ten regions in Italy include Isernia, Trieste and the Adriatic coastal provinces. The region of Emilia-Romagna – home of Technogym and the Wellness Valley – stood out as a top performer, with the highest concentration of economic initiatives related to sports.

Discussions during the conference focused on procuring foreign investment for expansion of wellness and leisure sites, outlining strategies for growth, how to evolve fitness offerings to include recovery and tailored programmes for guests.

Samuele Frosio, director of RSG Group Italia, highlighted the need for a structural transformation of the market in Italy, which currently has a 9 per cent health club market penetration rate – he wants to reach the 16 per cent rate of Germany.

A new forum for the event, focused on sustainability in sport, saw policy experts, operators and other stakeholders discuss how to tackle the challenges the industry faces, such as retiring end-of-life equipment, creating regenerative value and how manufacturing requirements can be balanced with innovation.

The rest of the programme

Over the next few days, the event will host exercise classes, Hyrox and many other physical pursuits – some led by the Italian Army – in addition to health club strategy sessions and wellness-focused talks.

Workshops will demonstrate meditation and touch for healing purposes, the role of nano biopeptides in athletic performance, breathwork and Vietnamese facial reflexology.

The expo’s conference on women’s hormonal health will return for its second time, taking place on Saturday afternoon. This will cover educational sessions on hormone systems, current evidence on hormonal replacement therapy, nutritional function, using yoga to create awareness in the body as well as pelvic floor health and rehabilitation strategies.

Visit the Rimini Wellness website to find out more.