Fitness fair in Cologne this weekend "Slow Jogging" is the new trend
COLOGNE · With more than a thousand exhibitors from 44 countries, the fitness trade fair Fibo shows the latest trends in the fitness branch. Organizers are expecting around 150,000 visitors to the trade fair in Cologne.
If everything goes according to plan, Suzanna Randall will be the first German woman to fly into space. And she must be physically fit for the journey. “I’m doing everything across the board, but above all a lot of yoga,” says the astrophysicist at a press conference in the run-up to the Fibo fitness trade fair. Randall is one of two candidates for the "Female Astronaut" initiative, which wants to get girls and women interested in space, science and technology. By 2020, either Randall or Insa Thiele-Eich will be chosen to fly to the International Space Station ISS.
"Gravity is already training us here on earth," says Randall. "When we go to the subway, pick things up, or just stand, we use our muscles." In space, things look different. One of the consequences of living with weightlessness is that the muscles start to dwindle. To prevent this, there is fitness equipment on the ISS. "They have a bike where the feet are strapped in place or a treadmill, with shoulders strapped in place," says Randall. She was at the press conference to promote Fibo.
"Slow jogging" is in
For those who are rather interested in fitness equipment that trains people here on planet earth, then the trade fair is the right place. Visitors can find out about new trends in the world of fitness. "These include functional training or slow jogging," says the new Fibo boss Silke Frank, who took over the post in the past year. During functional training, certain movement sequences use several muscle groups at the same time. With “slow jogging”, joggers deliberately go slowly, taking many small steps and not touching the ground with their heels.
In Germany, the fitness industry has grown steadily in recent years - also in the last year. In 2017, according to an employer association, 10.61 million people were members of a gym. In 2016, it was 10.08 million. The number of gyms or health clubs also rose from 8,684 to 8,988 during this period. So-called micro-studio facilities with an area of less than 200 square meters, registered a particularly strong increase. Their offers are especially geared towards individual training, often with a personal trainer. The total revenue of the German fitness industry last year was 5.2 billion euros (2016: 5.05 billion).
60 percent of exhibitors are from abroad
These trends are also reflected at Fibo with the number of exhibitors having grown again this year. 1,133 exhibitors from 44 countries are at the trade fair this time around. Last year, it was 1,019. "60 percent of our exhibitors come from abroad," says Erbel. "Most of them are from China and the US." In China, Reed Exibitions already organizes a Fibo. In winter, a Fibo trade fair will be held in the US for the first time. It will take place at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando from December 6 - 8. As in the previous year, Erbel expects about 150,000 visitors to the exhibition in Cologne.
Fibo is open for visitors from the trade industry only from Thursday, April 12th to Sunday April 15th. But the trade fair is open to everyone this weekend on April 14 and 15. For more information, you can check out their website English version: https://www.fibo.com/en/
(Orig. text: Dennis Scherer, Translation: ck)
