SFIA Assembles Speaker Roster for 2015 Industry Leaders Summit

Source: The Sports & Fitness Industry Association

SILVER SPRING, MD – April 27, 2015 – The Sports & Fitness Industry Association (SFIA) is pleased to announce the preliminary list of leading speakers for the 2015 SFIA Industry Leaders Summit: Matt Laukaitis, senior vice president and general manager, retail U.S., SAP North America; Sara Robb O’Hagan, president, Equinox Fitness; Ronald Stoupa, chief marketing officer and executive vice president, Sports Authority; and Jim Carroll, futurist, trends, and innovation expert.  Additional speakers will be announced in the coming weeks. The 2015 Industry Leaders Summit will be held September 9-10 at The Roosevelt Hotel New Orleans. 

With a focus on preparing attendees and their businesses for the future, the SFIA Industry Leaders Summit appeals to sports and fitness industry executives who are looking for a compact, dynamic learning and networking event that won’t take them away from their operations for an extended period of time. This 36-hour event is designed to provide a unique opportunity for some of the industry’s most highly regarded executives to find solutions to their most pressing issues and concerns while also networking with customers, partners, and peers.  This year’s summit builds on the success of the highly attended 2014 and 2013 summits held in Chicago and Baltimore, respectively.  

“After years of navigating through significant financial and political disruptions, as well as accelerated  technological advancements, senior executives across all industries, including sports and fitness, must be prepared to confront business challenges that reflect unprecedented complexity and opportunities that require agility and speed”, said Bob Puccini, SFIA Chairman of the Board and President, USA.  “Through a focused speaker program with the central theme of 'Relentlessly Relevant,' the 2015 Industry Leaders Summit will explore product, service, and process innovation and technology, as well as deepen ones understanding of the evolving digital ecosystem and changing face and behaviors of consumers to drive ongoing influence in the marketplace.”

“We’re excited to be taking the 2015 SFIA Industry Leaders Summit to New Orleans,” said SFIA President and CEO Tom Cove. “The leadership and citizens of New Orleans have adopted active lifestyles as a catalyst for community growth and well-being that fittingly align with the sports industry’s Increase Participation Plan to reverse the country’s inactivity pandemic.”  

The summit is open to current SFIA members and non-members and will be limited to the first 200 registrants.  Senior executives within the sports, fitness, and active lifestyles industry interested in registering to attend the event may do so online at www.sfia.org/ilsrelease.  An early-bird registration rate is available until June 15.  

ABOUT SFIA:  
The Sports & Fitness Industry Association (SFIA) is the leading global trade association of manufacturers, retailers, and marketers in the sports and fitness product industry. SFIA’s membership represents 500+ premier brands who account for more than $150 billion in annual sales. As the number one source for sport and fitness research, the SFIA serves as the voice of the sports and fitness industry in the media and on Capitol Hill. For more information, please visit www.sfia.org.