IHRSA, ChinaFit Reveal Strategic Membership Licensing Agreement

    With this new partnership, ChinaFit will promote and service IHRSA membership to Chinese operators.

    BOSTON, MA, & BEIJING, CHINA—June 7, 2021—Following an effective and mutually beneficial 11-year partnership, IHRSA, The Global Health & Fitness Association, and ChinaFit have announced a Strategic Membership Licensing Agreement to expand IHRSA knowledge and membership services through China.

    “2021, the beginning of a new decade, marks the upgraded cooperation of ChinaFit and IHRSA. IHRSA will open its Chinese-language membership services to the fitness industry in [the] Chinese mainland for the first time,” said Arthur Yan, ChinaFit president.

    As part of the agreement, and to support China’s growing fitness market, key IHRSA documents, presentations, web and social media pages, and research and data reports from around the globe will be translated and offered in Chinese. A team will be in place to provide real-time support to IHRSA members in China to service their additional needs.

    IHRSA China Fit Reveal Strategic Membership Licensing Agreement Column Width

    “IHRSA is very excited to officially launch our full-immersion membership service program in Chinese,” said John Holsinger, director of IHRSA Asia-Pacific. “IHRSA currently works with several international club brands operating in China. With local translation and servicing personnel providing even greater depth of support to the industry, we look forward to helping raise the operational professionalism, standards, and success of all health and fitness operators throughout China.”

    As the second-largest health and fitness club market in Asia, the Chinese market serves upwards of 9 million members across 27,600 clubs and generates roughly $5.2 billion in revenue ($34 billion RMB).

    “IHRSA is fully committed to and focused on international fitness industry growth and success,” said Brent Darden, IHRSA interim president and CEO. “We are honored to expand our cooperation with ChinaFit to position the Chinese industry for future success and hope to gain more global outreach from this partnership. Now is the time to widen awareness, trends, and knowledge globally to harness the public’s increased perception of health.”

    “We hope—and also believe—that the IHRSA membership service system of over 30 years will surely help the domestic fitness industry of China better understand and upgrade their membership services,” said Yan.

    IHRSA and ChinaFit have successfully hosted the annual ChinaFit / IHRSA China Management Forum in cities across China for the past 11 years. The forum is the largest, high-end senior-management conference in the Asia-Pacific region. Attendees participate in interactive workshops focused on personal training management, sales and marketing, customer service, member retention, and more. This year’s event will take place in Hangzhou, China, in December.

    About IHRSA

    IHRSA, The Global Health & Fitness 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 for peak health and to fight the battle against obesity and chronic lifestyle disease.

    As the world's leading authority 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. Founded in 1981, IHRSA will be hosting its 40th Anniversary International Convention & Trade Show in Dallas, TX, on October 13-15, 2021, to celebrate the industry's revival!

    About ChinaFit

    ChinaFit is a platform providing global industry information for investors, general managers, coaches and other practitioners in the Chinese fitness industry. ChinaFit is committed to helping the Chinese fitness industry develop and grow.

    Since 2009, ChinaFit has organized many events for the industry to exchange expertise with foreign peers in China which has created strong international relationships for the Chinese fitness industry. The ChinaFit Yoga Conference has also been held continuously since 2011. The CHINAFIT Fitness Convention & Trade Show has been held continuously since 2012 and has become the largest annual event for the Chinese commercial fitness industry.

    Since 2011, in cooperation with IHRSA, ChinaFit has presented the CHINAFIT / IHRSA China Management Forum in China, which has become an international high-end fitness management forum promoting information exchanges for industry leaders.

    The cooperation between ChinaFit and IHRSA upgraded in 2021 when ChinaFit became IHRSA’s strategic partner and will begin to advance its entire membership service in the Chinese mainland.

    Author avatar

    HFA Staff @HealthFitAssoc

    This article was a team effort by several HFA experts.