The IHRSA Institute is nearly as old as IHRSA itself. The first event was held in 1984, just three years after the association itself was established, and over the years some 1,500 individuals have travelled from nine different countries around the globe to attend.

Early on, IHRSA’s leadership recognised the need for a high-level, industry-specific educational opportunity for club owners and managers. IHRSA wanted to professionalise the sector to better serve members, to protect the industry from unnecessary government regulation, and to encourage industry colleagues to take justifiable pride in the important work they were doing to improve the health, fitness and wellbeing of their clients.

The result: the creation of the IHRSA Institute, where a faculty of industry experts and renowned academics provide a balanced curriculum covering virtually every aspect of club management.

So who should attend? The ideal candidate is a manager who’s on their way up, or a top-tier manager who’s keen to polish their leadership skills.

During three full days of graduate-level instruction, attendees learn the skills required to run a club successfully, including in-depth discussions of real-life business situations, as well as interactive events designed to foster long-term relationships. IHRSA keeps the sessions small in size to maximise personal interaction.

“The IHRSA Institute is without doubt the best fitness business educational programme in the world,” says Alan Leach, regional manager of West Wood Clubs in Ireland. “Without the knowledge and expertise our managers have gained from attending the institute, I doubt we would have survived the catastrophic recession in Ireland. The powerful sales, marketing, programming and retention strategies presented at the institute have allowed us to build a strong, sustainable competitive advantage in our market.”