the latest workouts, innovations and trends. The pro-
gramme includes both demonstrations and lectures. One
focus will be on new virtual fitness training options at the
gym. Increasingly popular within the industry, such op-
tions can be worthwhile supplements to trainer-led cours-
es. FIBO will feature discussions of these new choices
along with a comparison of their advantages and disad-
vantages. Aimed at new target groups, the special “Kids
Fitness” area on Friday will also present new business
opportunities for studio operators.
Self-defence for every target audience
In the sports arena, FIBO is enlarging in the martial
arts segment, above all. Self-defence will be a new em-
phasis in this context, which means a trending
fitness-market topic will now be covered at the trade fair:
studio operators interested in adding new or enhancing
existing martial arts and self-defence offerings can reach
different target audiences. FIBO POWER will bring
together providers and studios and present workshops
on self-defence programmes for women and children.
And on the weekend, self-defence will become an attrac-
tive item in the show’s private-visitor programme. The
theme will be located in a highly visible area near the en-
trance to Hall 10.1.
Premiere: Online matchmaking at FIBO
2017
Immediately finding the right business partner will
now be easier than ever before at FIBO. A targeted
matchmaking online platform will be launched and will
serve to perfectly match exhibitors and trade visitors –
before the show even starts! The new matchmaking tool
offers options to filter participants by country, topic or
trade show nomenclature. “What’s more, it can be used
to set up fixed appointments to meet at the show”, says
Ralph Scholz.
FIBO Matchmaking: How does it work ex-
actly?
The tool will go online in January 2017 already –
three months before the start of the show. At that time,
exhibitors and registered trade visitors will be able to
register free of charge and, with just a few clicks, create
their own profiles. Once that’s done, they can browse the
profiles of other participants and send enquiries directly
to contacts of interest. If both sides agree, an appoint-
ment can be set up – either at the exhibitor’s stand or in
the VIP/International Lounge in Hall 5.2. As a special ser-
vice, each participant will get an e-mail with his or her
personal schedule on the Friday before the show. With
that, FIBO’s new networking tool ensures effective time
management for show exhibitors and visitors alike.
About FIBO
As the world’s largest international trade show for
fitness, wellness and health, FIBO in Cologne brings
together the key players of the industry. This is where
innovations are launched. This is where international
trends are set. This is where the industry comes to invest.
Some 960 companies from 40 nations participated in
2016, meeting 153,000 trade and private visitors from
around the globe. Scheduled to take place at the Exhibi-
tion Centre in Cologne from 6 to 9 April in 2017, FIBO will
once again unite a powerful trio of shows under one roof:
FIBO EXPERT, FIBO PASSION and FIBO POWER. Kick-
ing off the trade show on 5 April will be the 4th European
Health & Fitness Forum, a meeting of about 400 leading
representatives of the European fitness sector.
TRADE SHOW PREVIEW
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