The global health and fitness industry is returning to a busy programme of live trade shows and industry events, following an 18-month period in which the pandemic disrupted gatherings.

This week has seen the 40th Annual IHRSA International Convention & Trade Show (IHRSA 2021) take place in Dallas, Texas, US, offering both an in-person and virtual programme and visitor experience.

This will be followed by the ​​Inaugural IHRSA SMART Summit, which will be held in Munich on 17-19 November.

The SMART Summit will be organised in tandem with FitnessConnected 2021, a new international trade show for the sector, which will take place at the same venue from 18-20 November.

A pure B2B trade show, FitnessConnected will have a focus on Europe and is part of the ISPO-Network and is headed by industry veteran Ralph Scholz, who previously was event director of FIBO from 2013 to 2017.

According to Scholz, the connection between the two events will make it possible to "improve the transfer of know-how" between the markets in Europe, the U.S. and globally to give the fitness industry new impetus for growth.

"I am particularly proud about this great partnership with IHRSA,” said Scholz, CEO of FitnessConnected and. “It brings us one important step closer to our goal of being the central European platform for the fitness industry."

The focus of the sector will then switch to Asia, after the Singapore government approved FIT Summit to host a live, in-person event at Raffles City Convention Centre in December.

The 2021 ​​Asia-Pacific Health, Fitness & Wellness Summit will take place on 2 December and will be an "immersive thought leadership and business development conference".

It will target the owners, managers and investors of health, wellness, fitness and hospitality brands to meet each other, as well as, corporate wellness and government executives.

Organised as a hybrid event, Fit Summit expects to attract around ​​3,000 business owners, managers and investors and more than 500 companies to take part.