1. The Speakers
David Stalker, FIA – Chairing the Panel
David is Executive Director of the Fitness Industry Association, and his
considerable experience of the industry is drawn from working in the UK
and Europe for almost 20 years. In that time David has worked at every
tier of the corporate ladder from a Level One fitness instructor to CEO,
including having served as an elected member of the FIA Board of
Directors. He has held senior positions in companies such as Bladerunner,
LA Fitness, Leisure Connection and First Leisure. As one of the
leading authorities on commercial issues related to energy foods and
drink, David has considerable experience of successful new product
launches in the UK and Europe, developing business' distribution
strategies (including contracts with major retailers such as Superdrug,
Tesco and Waitrose) and the fitness sector.
Ray Algar, Oxygen Consulting – “Objective perspective on the low-cost
gym sector”
Managing Director of Oxygen Consulting, Ray has been connected to the
health and fitness industry for more than 20 years, and is presently the
Non-Executive Chairman of Wave Leisure Trust. Recently, he published
the 2010 Low-cost Gym Sector Report, supported by Precor. Ray writes
for several influential publications, including Intelligent Life (part of the
Economist Group), Admap Marketing Journal and numerous leisure
publications. He is an enthusiastic fan of the web and social media,
launching the UK’s first leisure-related blog (oxygen-blog.blogspot.com) in
2005. Ray is regularly invited to speak at conferences in the United States
and Europe on a range of a marketing, technology, research and web-
based themes. In October 2010, he launches LoveTheGym.com, a website
that enables consumers to review, rate and recommend health clubs.
Mike Hills, The Retention People – “What kind of club are you?”
Mike is Retention Director at The Retention People. Mike has over 10 years
of industry experience working in a number of roles from fitness coach to
senior management. He has maintained a focus on customer experience
in all these roles and has a proven track record of improving retention in
both the public and private sector. Mike now oversees the customer
experience and retention services provided to over 400 clubs worldwide.
Mike is passionate about helping organisations make real change in order
to truly focus on delivering exceptional customer experiences and reap the
retention benefits this brings.

2. Chevy Kelly, Creative Fitness Marketing – “Rising above the pack”
As the Business Development Manager of Creative Fitness Marketing,
Chevy has personally worked with hundreds of Independent Health Clubs
in the UK, USA and Canada helping them to generate new members from
hard to reach populations. Coming from the Advertising Industry in
Australia into the UK Fitness Industry 9 years ago, Chevy has used his
experience to help the “Davids” of the industry compete against the
“Goliaths”. As an independent club owner himself, he understands the
issues that independents face on a day to day basis. With the ever present
threat of increased competition, including the budget model, Chevy
continually looks to help clubs find a way to “rise above the pack”.
David Beattie, Energie – “Both sides of the coin”
David is a co-founder of Energie and has been responsible for creating the
Energie identity and brand language that is at the foundation of the
Energie group. He joined David Lloyd Leisure at an embryonic stage, later
opening his first club with long term business partner, Jan Spaticchia, in
1995.