Health & Fitness Industry Gathers to Unite & Chart A New Course

SOURCE: International Health, Racquet & Sportsclub Association (IHRSA)

This week, all sectors of the health and fitness industry will meet to focus on opportunities to uplift the industry through advocacy at the first industry action event: United We Rise - Stronger Than Ever.

BOSTON, MA—March 1, 2021—On Thursday, March 4, at 4 p.m. EST, the first United We Rise - Stronger Than Ever event will take place to unite all fitness industry sectors and gain industry-wide advocacy support.

The first event will include remarks from Reps. Mike Quigley (D- IL) and Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA), the original sponsors of the Gym Mitigation and Survival (GYMS) Act (H.R. 890), and focus on opportunities to elevate the industry through advocacy. 

Industry leaders and leading industry organizations representing almost every sector of the industry—including but not limited to U.S. club operators, franchisor companies, National Health & Fitness Alliance (NHFA) members, State Fitness Alliances, Industry Partners, and allied organizations—across the nation are welcome and encouraged to attend the United We Rise - Stronger Than Ever event. Recurring industry action events will follow. 

“The United We Rise - Stronger Than Ever events are not about IHRSA, but rather an industry-wide collaborative effort that is launching March 4,” said Brent Darden, IHRSA interim president and CEO. “We are asking the entire industry to help get financial relief, but more than that we hope this marks a new era of industry cooperation around advocacy and shared interests.”

The health and fitness industry is in a pivotal position to address and assist in overcoming the current public health crises—COVID-19, inactivity, and chronic disease. Following a devastating 2020, the industry needs a robust and unified voice to make a difference, and through collective action, we can bring the industry to new heights. Advocacy, public relations, and facts will be imperative to:

• fight for the health and fitness industry’s survival,
• drive business outcomes, and  
• assist in the solutions to inactivity and chronic disease.  

To learn more about the United We Rise - Stronger Than Ever industry action event, please email [email protected]. Space for the event is limited. To reserve your spot for the event, you can register here.

About the National Health & Fitness Alliance

The NHFA aims to unify and support the American health and fitness industry’s common goals and create a more robust and politically powerful industry. The NHFA’s main objective is to establish the U.S. health and fitness industry as essential to the public’s health and has three primary goals. The first is to drive successful lobbying efforts in Washington, D.C. The second is to protect the health and fitness industry from harmful policies in all 50 states—and promote supportive policies. The third goal is to leverage influential relationships with government agencies, national partners, and coalitions.

About IHRSA

IHRSA, the International Health, Racquet & Sportsclub Association, is a not-for-profit trade association representing the global fitness industry of over 200,000 health and fitness facilities and their suppliers.

IHRSA maintains a leadership role in advancing physical activity, which is critical to peak health and fight the battle against obesity and chronic lifestyle disease. As one of the world's leading authorities on the commercial health club industry, IHRSA’s mission is to grow, promote, and protect the health and fitness industry, while providing its members with benefits and resources. IHRSA and its members are devoted to making the world happier, healthier, and more prosperous through regular exercise and activity promotion. IHRSA is the publisher of Club Business International, the leading monthly magazine for the global fitness industry.