New President, changes to the Board of Directors and exciting trade fair highlights – the 9th Annual General Meeting of swiss active offered numerous highlights and groundbreaking decisions.
The 9th Annual General Meeting of swiss active, which took place on May 25, 2024 as part of this year’s HealthExpo in Basel, brought important personnel and functional changes:
- New Chairman: Reto Conrad did not stand for re-election as other Board mandates will require his full attention in the future. He was President of swiss active for one and a half years, during which time he drove forward important projects such as the study on the key data of the Swiss fitness industry. Marcus Schwedhelm, a long-standing member of the swiss active Board of Directors, was unanimously elected as the new Chairman and thanked outgoing Chairman Reto Conrad for his dedicated work.
- Changes to the Board of Directors: Ellen Berg and Thomas Küttner stepped down from the Board. The meeting thanked them for their valuable work. Fabian Wetzel was elected as a new member of the Board to replace Ellen Berg. Wetzel has held various positions at NonStop Gym since 2016 and also contributes his expertise to the Qualitop standards committee.
- Re-elections: Board members Jochen Müller, Thomas Akermann, Patrik Meier and Roger Zürcher were unanimously re-elected or confirmed.
Presence at the HealthExpo Basel
At the same time as the members’ meeting, swiss active presented itself together with Qualitop at the HealthExpo in Basel. The swiss active stand attracted numerous interested visitors and provided a platform to present the services and offers of the association and its members. A special highlight was the wheel of fortune, where trade fair participants could win various vouchers and giveaways. A big thank you to all members for the generous prizes they donated for the wheel of fortune.
At the stand of Qualitop, Switzerland’s best-known seal of approval for quality in exercise and health promotion and recognized by health insurers, interested fitness studio operators and method providers were able to find out about certification options in accordance with Qualitop standards (see also: qualitop.ch).
Packed supporting program
The event began at 10.30 a.m. with the annual meeting of swiss active. This was followed by an aperitif for members and partners. This was followed at 11.30 a.m. by a panel discussion on the “Future of the Swiss fitness industry”, which was met with great interest. Prof. Dr. em. Lukas Zahner (University of Basel), Edy Paul (P+P und Partner), Ayhan Türküm (Phönix Fitness) and Marcus Schwedhelm (swiss active) answered critical questions from moderator Susanne Hueber (Telebasel, among others). The specialist audience in attendance gained valuable insights and was also able to put questions to the experts in the second part of the discussion.
The afternoon was dominated by specialist presentations and networking. The keynote speech on the “Megatrend Health” started at 1.30 pm in Hall 1, followed by a B2B business networking aperitif in the VIP zone at 2.30 pm. From 3.30 p.m., there were further presentations on a wide range of health topics, such as “Growing old healthily” or “Exercise as a miracle pill?”, which attracted many visitors (see also: healthexpo.ch).
Outlook
The 9th Annual General Meeting of swiss active was a complete success. With a breath of fresh air, new impetus and lively ideas, swiss active is optimistic about the future. Among other things, the association has set itself the goal of expanding its partner network and working together to further develop the industry. To this end, swiss active counts on the active cooperation and support of its members.
