The Register of Exercise Professionals (REPs) is planning the next phase of its awareness campaign which will be put into action towards the end of this year and into early 2008.

Much of 2007 has been spent with a promotion of “Our REPutation is your guarantee” through more than 1,000 clubs and leisure centres where instructors working for them (both staff and freelance) have current membership of REPs.

Users of the gyms were encouraged to verify the qualifications and registration status of instructors by asking to see their REPs membership cards or by checking through the REPs website.

Currently, around 1,000 hits are made each day to check registration status and now REPs has recently introduced an advance search facility. Visitors to www.exerciseregister.org can now search for members by name, qualifications and location and soon the Register will start to list clubs and locations where members work.

A continued media relations campaign has established the Register as one of the first ports of call for journalists with enquiries about those working in the fitness industry and the message that the REPs’ REPutation is the public’s guarantee of quality is being increasingly heard.

Registrar Cliff Collins said: “The support of the clubs involved our awareness campaign has been great – they realise as much as we do that we should be proud of the qualifications standards within the industry and use REPs membership as a benchmark of quality control.

“We are very aware of the need to raise the profile of the Register with the public and to give an increased opportunity for operators and supporters to promote the fact that they work to high standards and employ qualified exercise professionals who are registered with us.”