leisureopportunities.com @leisureopps leisure opportunities 1 May - 14 May 2018 Issue 735 Your careers & recruitment partner European fitness sector worth €26.6bn A 4 per cent increase in the number of people with health club memberships helped European fitness club operators record total revenues of €26.6bn (£23.3bn) during 2017. The figures come from the European Health & Fitness Market Report 2018, published by EuropeActive and Deloitte at the recent FIBO event. The report also shows that the number of fitness facilities in Europe increased by 3.2 per cent during 2017, to 59,055. The 30 largest European fitness club operators accounted for 14.1 million members, representing 23.5 ■■ The UK has 9.7 million gym members per cent of all memberships. Merger and acquisition activity reached fitness club membership. The UK, with a new high during the year, with 20 major 14.8 per cent, made it into the top 10. M&A transactions in the operator market. Herman Rutgers, EuropeActive Board Germany strengthened its position member and co-author of the report, said: as the country with the highest number "2017 was another year of strong of fitness memberships (10.6 million), growth in terms of both membership 2017 was a year of growth and market value. This shows that the ahead of the UK (9.7 million). in terms of membership In terms of market penetration, Sweden products and services of our sector ranks highest, with 21.4 per cent of remain highly attractive to consumers." and market value the total population holding a health or More: http://lei.sr?a=y3v9q_O Herman Rutgers PEOPLE FITNESS SPORT Thorpe Park's new rides Personal training studio Manchester United star to focus on strong IPs opens third London site launches grassroots project Dominic Jones reveals p2 Ultimate Performance p8 Michael Carrick pledges p14 plans for "game changer" enters Kensington funding for three years CLICK JOIN THE MOVEMENT A POWERFUL HERE MARKETING, SALES AND RETENTION ATTRACT THE MOST PLATFORM TOLOYAL GROW CUSTOMERS YOUR BUSINESS JOIN FOR FREE JOIN FOR FREE MOVEGB.COM/PARTNERSJOIN FOR FREE MOVEGB.COM/PARTNERS MOVEGB.COM/PARTNERS leisure opps people Thorpe Park's Dominic Jones ups the ante with new immersive ride experiences ominic Jones, the man After securing the exclusive Din charge of Britain's rights to the Walking Dead Thorpe Park, wants to brand last year, Thorpe Park up the ante when it comes has created Halloween- to theme parks, with plans themed horror mazes based to take its IPs to a whole on the property and now new level as part of immer- opening the former X: No sive ride experiences. Way Out as the rebranded Thorpe Park has heavily Walking Dead: The Ride. invested in ride theming, Combining the elements particularly in recent years, of a traditional horror maze with Derren Brown's Ghost with a rollercoaster, the Train and the rebranded addition has completely Walking Dead rollercoaster refreshed the offering, turning both prime examples of this. Q Jones said the park wants to "extend its ride experiences" the formerly empty queue Speaking exclusively to lines into one of the park's Leisure Opportunities, Jones, "It's important that everything new most popular attractions. who was named divisional that we put in, we get to that level "What's nice about this director of the park in January of theming and immersion" ride is the level of theming," last year, said that immersion said Jones. "It's important was key to creating memora- with all of our experiences "We want you to be to me that everything we ble experiences for visitors. and rides is making them immersed in what- put in, we get to that level of "What we're trying to do more than just that," he said. ever world it is." theming and immersion." Online gym entrepreneur Marko Filej launches crowdfunding platform for sports industry crowdfunding platform, "Many sports clubs and other sports Abased on transactions in organisations deal with severe cryptocurrency, is aiming financial and liquidity issues" to offer sports organisations, clubs and individual cryptocurrency-based "At SportyCo, we believe athletes an alternative donations platform and a that every promising athlete way to raise investments cryptocurrency financial deserves the opportunity and sponsorship. reward-based platform. to pursue their professional SportyCo will look to match The reward-based career and every small organisations with those platform will offer athletes investor should be able happy to make long-term and sports organisations to back an athlete they investments and the new funding in return for a believe in," Filej said. QFilej previously launched platform is among the firsts share of future profits. "Also, many sports OnlineGym4me.com to combine crowdfunding SportyCo was co-founded clubs and other sports with a cryptocurrency. by entrepreneur Marko Filej, organisations deal with The platform will have founder of online fitness severe financial and two main modules: a service OnlineGym4me.com. liquidity issues." 2 leisureopportunities.co.uk ©Cybertrek Ltd 2018 ISSUE 735 leisureopps Contents issue 735 NEWS My Career 06 Fitness 08 Sports 13 CIMSPA 15 Spa 17 QWard said fitness tech could play a vital role in helping the NHS Hotel 20 ukactive CEO Steven Ward: Tourism 21 New generation of fitness tech "could ease pressure on the NHS" Attractions 23 merging fitness technol- stretching our NHS." Insight 26 E ogies could be the "cradle Ward was speaking at the to grave game-changer" launch of ukactive's start-up for public health in the UK. accelerator programme That's the message ActiveLab, which aims to CLASSIFIED & JOBS from ukactive CEO Steven uncover innovations designed Ward, who said that fitness to tackle the UK's obesity Tenders 32 tech could play a vital role and inactivity crises. in easing the pressure on "The start-ups joining an overstretched NHS. ActiveLab have the poten- Job opportunities 33 "Imagine tech that could tial to help deliver this break down the barriers vision," Ward added. to activity for vulnerable "These companies prove Sign up to Leisure Opportunities: populations – young chil- that technology and inno- Online: www.leisuresubs.com dren, pregnant women, vation can be a force for Email: [email protected] the elderly," Ward said. societal good – helping guide Tel: +44 (0)1462 471930 "Tech that would keep people towards exercise Annual subscriptions: UK £34, us happy, healthy and and breaking down barriers UK students £18, Europe £45, RoW £68 out of hospital – easing to physical activity for Leisure Opportunities is published 26 times a year by The Leisure Media the long-term pressures vulnerable populations." Company Ltd, Portmill House, Portmill Lane, Hitchin, Herts SG5 1DJ, UK. The views expressed in this publication are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of the publisher. All rights reserved. No " Imagine tech that could break down part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by means, electronic, mechanical, recorded or the barriers to activity for vulnerable otherwise, without the prior permission of the copyright holder, Cybertrek populations – young children, Ltd. Printed by Warners Midlands PLC. Distributed by Royal Mail Group Ltd and Whistl Ltd in the UK and Total Mail Ltd globally. ©Cybertrek Ltd 2018 pregnant women, the elderly" ISSN 0952/8210 (Print). ISSN 2397-2394 (Online). ISSUE 735 ©Cybertrek Ltd 2018 leisureopportunities.co.uk 3 leisure opps people Joanne Mathews introduces exercise referrals to Ten Health and Fitness outique fitness operator "We already bridge the gap between B Ten Health and Fitness the fitness and medical communities, – which was founded so this is the logical next step" by entrepreneur Joanne Mathews – has launched underpinned by a clinical Joanne Mathews, founder an exercise prescription approach and are led by clin- of Ten health, said: “These programme for its clients. ical exercise specialists, with days we all know some- The operator, which has fully-integrated physiother- one – a friend, a relative, a eight studios across London, apy and massage support. partner, a colleague – living will begin offering the Each session will feature with a life-changing or QJoanne Mathews specialist service to clients a clinical, functional and threatening condition. founded Ten Health and who look to tackle health musculoskeletal assessment "We already bridge the Fitness in 2006 issues – such as cancer, – including a Biostat test to gap between the fitness heart disease and diabetes measure the body’s percent- sector and the medical – through physical activity. age of fat, lean muscle and community, and the launch Called TenClinical, the water – which will underpin of TenClinical is the logical one-to-one sessions will be each individual programme. and timely next step” Lord Clement-Jones: Ethics must take 'centre stage' with AI he House of Lords benefits of using it. It will also T Select Committee on prepare them to challenge Artificial Intelligence its misuse," said committee has published a report calling chair Lord Clement-Jones. for the Law Commission In the report, the com- to establish new laws mittee stated: "The UK surrounding advancements must seek to actively shape in the field, with current AI's development and laws deemed insufficiently utilisation, or risk passively able to protect AI users from acquiescing to its many systems malfunction or the likely consequences". potential risk of harm.. "We propose five princi- The committee – which QClement-Jones has called for an international AI Code ples that could become the was established in June basis for a shared ethical AI last year to investigate the "AI is not without its risks. An ethical framework. Such a frame- social, economic and ethical approach ensures the public trusts this work provides clarity in implications surrounding technology and sees the benefits of using it" the short term, and could artificial intelligence – called underpin regulation, should for an international 'AI Code', have a significant impact on for AI manufacturers and it prove to be necessary.