EuropeActive hosted the first meeting of its President’s Council for Operator CEOs

EuropeActive (EA), the leading voice and non-profit association representing the European fitness and physical activity sector, hosted on Friday 30th October 2020 the first ordinary meeting of its President’s Council (PC) for Fitness Club Operator CEOs, as part of the recently presented new strategy for the sector’s development. The main purpose of the PC is to help define and strategize the repositioning of our sector towards public health, and gain more recognition in our communities through the respective national and international authorities as well  through contributing to the funding of these activities.

The President’s Council is comprised of the CEOs from six of the largest employers and operator chains in the European fitness sector;  Basic-Fit International, David Lloyd Leisure, GO fit, LifeFit Group, SATS and PureGym Group. The members of the PC pledged their support to EuropeActive’s Sectoral Manifesto for Horizon 2025 to ensure the future direction of our sector and its acknowledgement as supporting social and mental wellbeing as providers of physical activity

René Moos, CEO of Basic-Fit International and PC founding member, commented: “I applaud this initiative and have of course said yes when I was invited for the EuropeActive President’s Council.  Only if all leaders in the sector support both personally and financially the research and public policy effort of EuropeActive, we can be seen as an essential sector and a force for good and can we come out of this crisis stronger.”

EuropeActive’s new research center THINK Active, together with our EU & Public Affairs department, will be conducting the work of the PC to ensure that quality standards and our overall goals are achieved. Other priorities of the PC will be to help defining essential objectives for our scientific physical activity benefits and effectiveness research and the priorities of EuropeActive’s Member Services department, strengthening our communication and marketing strategies including market research, advising on EA’s future executive educational programme and events, committing to the constant upskilling of our sector through EREPS and professional standards and ensuring a drive towards a more sustainable sector.

President David Stalker expressed that, “I am delighted to see the extraordinary support operators are giving to EuropeActive’s President’s Council at this critical time for our sector. It is of paramount importance to work together to reposition our sector as effective providers of physical, social and mental wellbeing in accordance with our Manifesto’s long-term priorities of Health, Digital, Community and Standards.”

"I would also like to take this opportunity to thank President’s Council members for their generous and continued contributions to make this project happen. It is of high priority for EuropeActive to help train the sector’s leaders for post-Covid-19 realities as well as long-term opportunities and challenges. We firmly believe the President’s Council for Operator CEOs will succeed in such challenging but essential tasks”, he concluded.

In line with EuropeActive’s overall ambition of establishing several Advisory Boards for primary stakeholder groups of EuropeActive to closely listen to their inputs and needs, the President’s Council for Fitness Equipment Suppliers and President’s Council for Digital and Tech are envisaged to be launched at the European Health and Fitness Forum (EHFF) in April 2021, with more details to follow soon.

For more information, please visit www.europeactive.eu/stakeholder-advisory-boards