Initially, when I thought about putting 95-year-old Jack LaLanne on the cover of the launch of our new magazine design, I wondered how appropriate it would seem. After all, shouldn't the cover feature someone new in the industry to signify our design rebirth?
However, the more I thought about it, the more appropriate it was for LaLanne to serve as our cover boy. The look of our magazine (and our Web site and e-newsletter) is new starting this month, but our content represents the same tried and true, valuable material that we've been providing to the fitness industry for 25 years. And the return to our former name, Club Industry, brings us back to our roots, which is exactly what Jack LaLanne does, too. With that in mind, we decided we could have no one else but the “Godfather of Fitness” on the cover.
LaLanne has epitomized health and fitness since he was 15 years old. He introduced exercise and good nutrition to many people in the 1950s, 1960s, 1970s and 1980s on his TV show. During that time, his jumpsuits might have changed a bit, his face might have “welcomed” more wrinkles and his hair might have grayed somewhat, but his message is still the same: exercise and good nutrition are important to living a healthy life.
LaLanne has been on so many talk shows and news programs in the past month promoting his new book, “Live Young Forever,” that he seems to be experiencing a sort of rebirth of his own these days. The younger generation who may have only known him from his juicer infomercials are now seeing LaLanne for all that he contributed to the fitness industry (see story on page 28).
The younger generation also may only know us as Club Industry's Fitness Business Pro, since we've been using that name for the past five years, but veterans of the industry have known us as Club Industry for 25 years. Regardless of what we've called ourselves, our goal has always been to bring you the valuable information that you need to better run your business. That goal has led to the addition of new products to our fold — trade shows, a Web site, an e-newsletter, a blog, a digital edition and now social networking connections, such as Twitter and Facebook. You use these mediums to get your information and education in various areas of your life, so we want to ensure that we provide those channels for you in your work life.
In light of that, the editorial group is working closely with our trade show group to tie together the Club Industry and Club Industry East shows with our Web site, e-newsletter, blog, and digital and print editions of the magazine. We serve the same audience. We want to be your touch point in every medium you turn to for information — in print, online, in person. We want to ensure that the high-quality content you receive in one area extends to all areas of the franchise.
We promise you that our look may have changed, but our online, print and trade show content will maintain the highest quality possible. And isn't that what happens when your facilities undergo a little renovation? The design of the club and even some of the programming may change, but if you had a quality facility to begin with, these changes only enhance your offerings and the valuable service you provide to your members.
And like Jack LaLanne, we may be growing a bit older and wiser, but everyone can use a little freshening up from time to time.