European Fitness Summit 2014: Report

The 2014 European Fitness Summit was held in Barcelona, Spain from October 8 to 10.

The 2014 European Fitness Summit (EFS) was held at the Hotel Pullman Skipper in Barcelona from October 8 to 10. Organised by Reed Exhibitions and Health and Beauty Business Media, the European Fitness Summit provides professionals, companies, and brands in the fitness, health and wellness industries with an exclusive opportunity to meet industry leaders and decision makers in one place.

The event, which took place in the Catalan capital for the seventh time, once again brought together a number of buyers and suppliers who presented their latest solutions and technologies. The innovative products on display introduced EFS attendees to the newest trends in training equipment, nutrition, interior design, wellness, and functional training from the key European markets.

The European Fitness Summit provides buyers with an opportunity to select the suppliers they would like to meet and have the organisers arrange the meetings. The networking, face-to-face meetings, and making new connections are at the core of the event. EFS 2014 hosted 400 individual meetings, a keynote address to kick off the event, and two evening events.

The summit welcomed around 60 buyers from 14 countries, who met with 16 suppliers to discuss equipment, training concepts, group fitness, and a wide range of related topics. The buyers included fitness studio owners, operators of chain hotels and spas, and consultants. About a half of them were from Germany, Switzerland, and Austria.

The international nature of the summit allows attendees to exchange ideas, share experiences, and get a better insight into other markets. This year, the keynote speech was delivered by Bryan O'Rourke, President of the Fitness Industry Technology Council, who discussed the future of fitness, industry growth, rapidly developing technologies, and collaboration within the industry.

During their stay at the summit, participants also enjoyed a barbecue at the welcome reception on the hotel roof, overlooking the Olympic Port, went on a tour of some of the city's most exclusive gyms and fitness studios, and visited the Camp Nou, the largest football stadium in Europe and home of FC Barcelona.