If you’re a self-employed trainer it’s understandable that you have to choose wisely which types of events and professional development you want to spend your money on each year. There are so many different seminars, trade shows, and mastermind’s being offered these days for big dollars. With entry tickets being pricey, it can get confusing which ones to spend your hard earned money on. With an influx of topic focused seminars and weekend long masterminds, is this the end of trade shows and national conferences? My vote is NO Way!!! Yes, it is great to attend seminars and mastermind specific to topics you want to learn more about. However, national conferences and trade shows also have a lot of benefits. As someone who has attended many conferences in my career, I am still a big fan and feel every fitness professional should be attending at least one per year.

3 Reasons Trade Shows Will Help You Grow Your Online Training Business:

1. Networking

If you attend a large conference or trade show (like Idea World) you are guaranteed to be surrounded by some of the most educated and influential people in the industry. You will also be surrounded by a lot of people just like you, looking to build and grow a training business. All of these people are great connections for you to have in your network, even if you just become “social media friends”. The statement “it’s not what you know, it’s who you know” still stands true to some degree. Attending these large conferences doesn’t guarantee you a meet and greet with some of the biggest names in the industry. However, it sure gives you a good chance to hear them speak and be inspired.

I have met some amazing people at trade shows that are in the same position as me and we have since supported each other in our growing business and had someone to bounce ideas off of. If you are passionate about fitness and helping people, there is no better feeling than being in a room filled with like-minded individuals. The energy is so motivating and inspiring!

2. Stay On Top Of The Latest Technology, Products, and Trends in Industry

The trade shows associated with some of the larger conferences are always the best place to check out things. You can find there all the latest technology, products, and growing trends in the fitness community. Our industry is always progressing and changing as new research comes out and new products are developed. Attending these trade shows allows you to connect with companies face to face, test out new equipment. You can also stay in the know of growing trends in our industry.

3. Discover New Opportunities For Professional Development

Connecting with more people, attending seminars within the conference, and learning about new trends in the industry could open more doors for professional development. Professional development is something you should always be working on as a fitness professional, this is the type of industry that there is always something new to learn. Anything new we learn can be immediately put into play to benefit one of our clients, so the more money and time we spend on professional development could directly transfer to more money. How? The more people you help and the better results your clients get, word of mouth marketing will increase drastically. As word of mouth increases and you receive better testimonials, your business will continue to grow organically.

My advice would be to spend the money at least once per year to attend a conference. Go in with the mindset of networking and learning as much as you can over the weekend. Attend all the events, talk to people, don’t be shy, and it will pay off!