R eport
Back to business
Fitness software outfit Mindbody recently welcomed close to 1,000 attendees #IRL to its annual Bold Conference in sunny San Diego, California, as Lisa Starr reports
F
or many participants, it was their first trip on a plane or to a conference since before the COVID-19 pandemic began in March 2020, but everyone quickly remembered how wonderful it was to be in the company of like-minded colleagues. The conference theme – Unstoppable – was everpresent, as masks were worn, temperatures were taken, and the spacious ballroom and meeting spaces allowed everyone to spread out for the thought-provoking and inspiring presentations and educational sessions. Co-founder and executive chair Rick Stollmeyer kicked off the conference in a session entitled ‘The business of wellness in a post-COVID world’; Stollmeyer shared his individual thoughts and excerpts from his book Building a Wellness Business that Lasts and then was joined by experts in a panel discussion to discuss the opportunities that will define the fitness and wellness sector in the next decade. Stollmeyer said we all need to harness our entrepreneurial spirit and skills to trade out of the current challenges and to thrive. He identified five key behaviours and characteristics that can get us there – authentic enthusiasm, grit, adaptability,
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agile thinking and effective decision making. To be agile, we need to be constantly zooming in and zooming out when it comes to looking at our operations and businesses, so that we can keep track of the big picture and also the detail, he said. Too much of one or the other and we fail. Effective decision-making requires that we listen to our heart, our head and our gut and balance all three before moving forward. You can watch the panel discussion at www.HCMmag.com/panel. Additional mainstage presenters included Thomas Drew who addressed ‘Social Media: Mastering the game without sacrificing your mental health’ (www.HCMmag.com/drew); Mindbody CTO Sunil Rajasekar sharing his vision for the future and Q&A sessions with celebrities Dan Levy, creator of tv series, Schitt’s Creek and actor and activist, Jameela Jamil. Focused breakout sessions by industry experts were available for fitness and yoga studio owners and managers on topics such as ‘Perfecting and growing your virtual studio experience’, ‘Maximising revenue with AI messaging’, ‘Rethinking retreats’ and ‘The future of fitness studios’.
photo: Mindbody bold
Rick Stollmeyer spoke on building a wellness business post-COVID
