As a new year begins, ukactive’s CEO Steve Ward explains the not-for-profit’s plans for making 2018 the year that physical activity makes its biggest impact in society to date
By Steven Ward | Published in Health Club Management 2018 issue 1
Lawrence Dallaglio was a speaker at the 2017 ukactive Summit
If you’re a brand and you want to do something exciting, partner with ukactive because we will make a difference and we will change people’s lives.”
This was the call-to-action made by rugby legend and children’s activity campaigner Lawrence Dallaglio during his keynote speech at the ukactive National Summit late last year.
It’s a massive vote of confidence in the collective power of ukactive and its 4,000 members, which is why our focus for the year ahead will be to convert these words of promise into action.
WINNING OVER WESTMINSTER Westminster remains a key battleground for our sector and we enter 2018 confident that we will land some significant wins around some of our key policy strands – particularly in the workplace, community leisure and the children’s activity agenda.
As ever, the arguments for these policies will be underpinned by insightful research from our world-class ukactive Research Institute. Expect a raft of high-impact reports from our research team over the coming months, while the business intelligence provided by the DataHub will continue to sharpen as more operators buy into the value of shared data.
For 2018 we’re committed to breaking with tradition to open up new possibilities and this will see our Flame Conference and Awards move to Manchester, with an exciting new format. We’re taking the physical activity sector’s best-loved show to a city that’s pulsing with potential through its newly-devolved status and I can’t wait to share more details of these plans in the coming months.
Learning and development (L&D) will be a central strand of this year’s Flame meeting, incorporating the ethos of the Ignite learning strand we launched last year and expanding it to address some of the biggest challenges faced by our sector at club level. We’re opening up development pathways at every level and this L&D focus in Manchester dovetails with the latest instalment of our Future Leaders programme, as well as Global Active Leaders – a new programme at IESE in Barcelona for global CEOs of the sector eager to continue their learning.
CHAMPIONING INNOVATION Innovation remains front and centre of our thinking and the return of our startup accelerator ActiveLab will unearth new, dynamic solutions for how we can stimulate physical activity among new audiences and at the same time better serve our existing clients.
Furthermore, 2018 will see ukactive unveil an array of campaigns, events and member services dedicated to supporting our sector’s mission of getting more people, more active, more often. The outcomes of the next 12 months will be determined by how bold and collaborative we are in our approach.
And by heeding Lawrence’s call-to-action, our sector can transform lives at a greater scale and pace than ever before, laying the foundations for a truly active society.
An opportunity to reimagine one of the UK’s most recognisable towers has been formally
opened by Rivington Hark, as St Johns Beacon invites operators and partners to shape its
next phase. [more...]
As a new year begins, ukactive’s CEO Steve Ward explains the not-for-profit’s plans for making 2018 the year that physical activity makes its biggest impact in society to date
By Steven Ward | Published in Health Club Management 2018 issue 1
Lawrence Dallaglio was a speaker at the 2017 ukactive Summit
If you’re a brand and you want to do something exciting, partner with ukactive because we will make a difference and we will change people’s lives.”
This was the call-to-action made by rugby legend and children’s activity campaigner Lawrence Dallaglio during his keynote speech at the ukactive National Summit late last year.
It’s a massive vote of confidence in the collective power of ukactive and its 4,000 members, which is why our focus for the year ahead will be to convert these words of promise into action.
WINNING OVER WESTMINSTER Westminster remains a key battleground for our sector and we enter 2018 confident that we will land some significant wins around some of our key policy strands – particularly in the workplace, community leisure and the children’s activity agenda.
As ever, the arguments for these policies will be underpinned by insightful research from our world-class ukactive Research Institute. Expect a raft of high-impact reports from our research team over the coming months, while the business intelligence provided by the DataHub will continue to sharpen as more operators buy into the value of shared data.
For 2018 we’re committed to breaking with tradition to open up new possibilities and this will see our Flame Conference and Awards move to Manchester, with an exciting new format. We’re taking the physical activity sector’s best-loved show to a city that’s pulsing with potential through its newly-devolved status and I can’t wait to share more details of these plans in the coming months.
Learning and development (L&D) will be a central strand of this year’s Flame meeting, incorporating the ethos of the Ignite learning strand we launched last year and expanding it to address some of the biggest challenges faced by our sector at club level. We’re opening up development pathways at every level and this L&D focus in Manchester dovetails with the latest instalment of our Future Leaders programme, as well as Global Active Leaders – a new programme at IESE in Barcelona for global CEOs of the sector eager to continue their learning.
CHAMPIONING INNOVATION Innovation remains front and centre of our thinking and the return of our startup accelerator ActiveLab will unearth new, dynamic solutions for how we can stimulate physical activity among new audiences and at the same time better serve our existing clients.
Furthermore, 2018 will see ukactive unveil an array of campaigns, events and member services dedicated to supporting our sector’s mission of getting more people, more active, more often. The outcomes of the next 12 months will be determined by how bold and collaborative we are in our approach.
And by heeding Lawrence’s call-to-action, our sector can transform lives at a greater scale and pace than ever before, laying the foundations for a truly active society.
The Toverland theme park in the Netherlands has announced a €98m expansion programme
that will add a resort, new attractions and staff facilities as it pursues plans to become a multi-
day destination.
Hotel de France, located on the British Isle of Jersey, has created a wellness retreat package
that includes a hot yoga session that will take place in Jersey Zoo’s butterfly sanctuary.
A new immersive attraction designed to transport visitors into the final hours of ancient Pompeii
is preparing to open near the world-famous archaeological site in southern Italy.
Experience design company, BRC Imagination Arts, has completed a transition that sees founder
Bob Rogers pass ownership of the business to four long-serving senior executives, while
remaining actively involved with the company.
Movie Park Germany has opened a new Paramount Pictures-themed attraction as part of its 30th
anniversary celebrations, using immersive storytelling and adaptive reuse to reinforce the park’s
longstanding “Hollywood in Germany” positioning.
Therme Manchester’s 28-acre development, which will include interconnected glass pavilions
that measure 65,000sq m, will be the largest bathing and wellbeing attraction in the world once
complete, according to prof David Russell, CEO of Therme UK.
Efteling has opened Hooghmoed, a new family drop tower designed to broaden the appeal of its
recently launched Sirene Island themed area and introduce younger visitors to thrill attractions.
A proposed Puy du Fou development near Bicester and Universal Destinations and Experiences’
planned resort in Bedford are emerging as part of a wider transformation of the Oxford–
Cambridge Growth Corridor into a major centre for UK leisure and tourism inv
Shedd Aquarium has opened the Immersion Theater developed in partnership with SimEx-
Iwerks, as part of a wider strategy to enhance the guest experience and create additional
revenue opportunities.
The UK government has announced a temporary reduction in VAT on visitor attractions and
children’s meals as part of a summer cost-of-living support package designed to stimulate the
visitor economy and encourage family days out.
As designer Yinka Ilori prepares for his first solo gallery show in London, he speaks exclusively
to CLADmag about his mission to spread joy, the power of play, and his bold approach to using
colour (including the colours you won’t see in his work).
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