The skillbase of the health and fitness industry's workforce is increasingly emerging as a vital item on the agenda for the Fitness Industry Association (FIA).

According to the FIA, gyms and leisure centres will be confronted by a new group of consumers over the next decade, while they operate in an economy still wearing the scars of the recession and one with realigned healthcare priorities.

The FIA argues that the skill sets that fitness industry professionals have honed over the last 20 years "will not be sufficient".

In an article for Health Club Management, the FIA said that "As the NHS hurtles headlong into the red, the government has to cut the cost of treating lifestyle diseases by getting people more active and eating more healthily. The opportunity for our sector is obvious, but the question is what, where and how do we change?

"Informed opinion advocates a greater focus on how we communicate with consumers, partners and each other."

These themes will be discussed at length during the FIA FLAME Conference, which takes place at Cheltenham on 14 July.

The conference will cover everything from a personalised service at reception to the perils of getting your communications wrong, and we've recruited some of the sharpest minds from the world of communications to share their insights.

This year's Industry Summit, which takes place on the same day as the conference, features keynote speakers including Bob Gray, who will address the implications of exercising the mind in tandem with the body.

Meanwhile Graham Davies will focus on the devastating consequences of getting your communications wrong. Davies is a 'recovering barrister' and the man BBC, Sky and CNN call on when their communications are amiss. And John Ratey MD will present on the body-brain connection and the link between physical activity and psychological function (see Health Club Management, July 09, p42).