The 14th IHRSA European Congress gets underway in Amsterdam today (16 October) with delegates arriving for an action-packed four days of networking and discussions.

More than 500 health and fitness industry professionals from across the globe are expected to attend. Taking place from 16-19 October at the Beurs van Berlage, the event gives professionals the chance to engage with key contacts, exchange ideas and learn from innovative keynote speakers.

This year sees headline speeches from Jonas Kjellberg, one of the creators of Skype, as well as from financial columnist and Russian media company co-founder Annemarie van Gaal.

The event began this morning with a three-hour walking tour of Amsterdam health clubs, taking in HealthCity Premium, Basic-Fit and Train More. Throughout the congress, there will also be seminars on topics such as retention, leadership, virtual classes, membership sales and the prominent question of wearable technology and its future role in the sector.

Health Club Management will be in attendance for the duration of the event and (WiFi permitting) will be live reporting on key developments via the HCM website.

A preview of the event can be found in the September edition of HCM magazine on pp.26-27.