US lobbying organisation for the health and fitness sector, IHRSA, has announced a name change today, becoming the Health & Fitness Association.

IHRSA president and CEO, Liz Clark, made the announcement during her president’s address, prior to the keynote, at the annual convention and trade show in Los Angeles.

“Every industry evolves, and the next step of evolution for our association is to have a name that exactly reflects the breadth, diversity, and consumer-oriented focus of the businesses in our sector,” she says. “The Health & Fitness Association is clear, compelling, and can also be easily translated into any language, which is vital given the international reach of the association and the global operations of our members.”

The announcement follows a year-long project involving board members, industry advisors and veterans, association staff, as well as brand strategy and brand marketing consultants.

The association has also unveiled a new logo, brand usage guidelines, colours, fonts and the hashtag #HealthFit. In the coming months, the association will roll out a full transition of the brand, iconography, images, website, social media platforms, email addresses, and collateral materials.

Formed in 1981, to advocate, educate and undertake research, the association was originally known as the International Racquet & Sports Association (IRSA). In 1994, it was renamed the International Health Racquet & Sportsclub Association (IHRSA).

An advocacy heavyweight, who came from the candy industry, Clark has been open from the outset that she wanted to reimagine the organisation in order to get the sector’s voice heard at the highest levels.

Speaking in HCM last year, Clark there is a lot of competition in the lobbying world and the fitness industry is lagging behind: “In the US there are 67,000 registered trade associations, many have been established for 120 years and we’re not even a 50-year-old industry. We’re really just arriving on the scene, so it’s all about building awareness.”