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May 2 – May 4, 2019 at the 145th Running of the Kentucky Derby!

WHAT

The Club Solutions Leadership Summit is an exclusive, invite-only, peer collaboration event. Its mission is to bring together high-level health club industry executives from all over the country for two and a half days of networking, peer-to-peer learning experiences and roundtable discussions while enjoying one of world’s more prestigious events, the Kentucky Derby.

WHY

The Club Solutions Leadership Summit is committed to connecting industry leaders with one another and delivering an incredible experience. Being part of the Club Solutions Leadership Summit is like having some of the best performers of our industry working for you. The expertise, insights and experiences shared can be a valuable part of your operation now and in the future.

WHO

This exclusive, invite-only event is reserved for 25 top-level health club executives — leaders and innovators of the health and fitness industry. Our goal is to bring together an experienced group of health club executives whose common interests and concerns are brought together for open roundtable discussions in a fun and relaxing world-class environment.

WHERE

The 2019 Club Solutions Leadership Summit will be held at the Hilton Garden Inn Louisville Airport in Louisville, Kentucky. The hotel is located in the airport corridor approximately 1.5 miles away from Churchill Downs, home of the Kentucky Derby. The hotel provides a complimentary 24-hour airport shuttle service for guests.

Let the Countdown Begin

CLICK TO SEE THE ITINERARY

Thursday, May 2, 2019
WELCOME PARTY

 

5:30 – 7 pm (EST)

You’ll meet your fellow industry leaders over relaxing cocktails. This is  networking at its best! You will meet EVERY attendee before the Summit even begins! The Club Solutions Leadership Summit Welcome Reception will take place at the Hilton Garden Inn.

 

7 pm

Dinner Party

 

8 pm

Bourbon Tasting

 

 

9 pm

Networking & Open Bar

Friday, May 3, 2019
Kentucky Oaks Day

 

7 – 8 am (EST)

Networking Breakfast

 

8 – 9 am

Roundtable 1:
Technology Innovation

 

9:15 – 10:15 am

Roundtable 2:
Growth Through Programming

 

11 am – 5:30 pm

Networking at the 145th Running of the
Kentucky Oaks

 

7 pm

Dinner in the private Penthouse/Rooftop space at Patrick O’Shea’s Restaurant in Downtown Louisville

Saturday, May 4, 2019
Kentucky Derby Day

 

7 – 8 am (EST) 

Networking Breakfast

 

8 – 9 am

Roundtable 3:
Leading the Future Direction of the Industry

 

9:15 – 10:15 am

Roundtable 4:
Winning Customer Experience Strategies

 

10:30 am

Red Carpet Photo Shoot

 

11 am  – 7 pm

Networking at the 145th Running of the Kentucky Derby

 

 

8 – 9:30 pm

Dinner and Open Bar

Our Partners

Premier Sponsor

Platinum Sponsors

FROM THE 2018 ATTENDEES

  • The Kentucky Derby itself is an experience of a lifetime and on many people’s bucket lists, including myself.  To be able to experience this with fitness industry professionals and veterans in the industry really took the experience to new heights. The most valuable aspect of the event were the roundtable discussions at the Club Solutions Leadership Summit itself, which gave me the opportunity to slow down and look at the business from different perspectives to increase profit.

    Ryan Utsman, Vice President of Sales UFC GYM

  • Matrix is one of the inaugural sponsors of this celebrated event, for five years now. The Club Solutions Leadership Summit is truly a one-of-a-kind experience. It is a perfect blend of learning from our health club industry leaders through insightful roundtable discussions in the mornings and the excitement and magic of Churchill Downs in the afternoons. I have met new friends /customers at the Summit and have gotten even closer with existing friends/customers over the years. So that is really what brings me back each year. As for my favorite part, there are too many to choose from. But the camaraderie felt while singing My Old Kentucky Home with 25 of our industry’s best club owners and operators right before the Kentucky Derby race starts ranks right towards the top!

    Kent Stevens, Executive Vice President, Commercial Sales Matrix Fitness

  • Being part of the  Derby is always the favorite part, but meeting and interacting with leaders in the fitness industry and learning first hand of their vision for the future is invaluable.

    Andrea Brown, Marketing Manager NuStep

  • The Club Solutions Leadership Summit is an amazing event with over-the-top hospitality. The most valuable aspect of this event was being around some of the best professionals in the fitness business to absorb and share great innovative ideas and solutions to make us all better operators.

    Eric McCauley, Regional Vice President of Sales and Operations, EOS Fitness

  • There were so many valuable aspects of the Summit — from the excellent roundtable topics, to meeting and connecting with a diverse group of industry leaders, to the excitement of the Derby itself. It’s hard to pin it down to just one. A worthwhile and fantastic event all around.

    Chad C. Waetzig, Executive Vice President of Marketing and Branding, Crunch

EXPERIENCE UNBRIDLED KENTUCKY

The energy and excitement in Louisville during Derby season is palpable. The city comes to life as spectators from around the globe make their way to the twin spires of Churchill Downs. From the horses and hats to the juleps and jockeys,
The Run for the Roses is an experience like no other.

THE KENTUCKY DERBY

The Kentucky Derby is a Grade 1 stakes race for three-year old Thoroughbreds held annually at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky on the first Saturday in May. The race is one and a quarter miles and is known around the world as “The Greatest Two Minutes In Sports.” It is also called “The Run for the Roses” for the blanket of roses draped over the winner. It is the oldest continuously held sporting event in North America boasting over 160,000 in attendees from around the world.

Learn More

The Kentucky Derby is the first leg of the Triple Crown and is followed by the Preakness Stakes, then the Belmont Stakes. A horse must win all three races to win the Triple Crown. Unlike the Preakness and Belmont Stakes, the Kentucky Derby has been run every consecutive year since 1875 and attendance ranks first in North America surpassing attendance of all other stakes races.

 

The Leadership Summit attendees will be attending the 143rd Running of the Kentucky Derby on Saturday, May 6, 2017. http://www.kentuckyderby.com/

THE KENTUCKY OAKS

The first Longines Kentucky Oaks took place on May 19, 1875, and was founded by Meriwether Lewis Clark, Jr. (also the founder of the Kentucky Derby). Since Clark, Jr.’s monumental founding, the Oaks and the Derby have become the oldest continuously contested sporting events in U.S. history. In fact, the Kentucky Oaks alone attracts about 120,000 people each year.

Learn More

The official flower of the Oaks is the stargazer lily, hence the Oaks’ nickname, “The Race for the Lilies!” To honor the stargazer lily and partnerships with the Susan G. Komen for the Cure and Horses for Hope, attendees are encouraged to incorporate pink into their ensemble. The Longines Kentucky Oaks is a Grade I stakes race for three-year-old Thoroughbred fillies, and covers 1 and 1/8 miles. The Leadership Summit attendees will be attending The Kentucky Oaks on Friday, May 5, 2017.

Derby Traditions
TRADITIONS

In addition to the Kentucky Derby, a number of traditions play a large role in the atmosphere. The Mint Julep is an iced drink consisting of bourbon, mint and sugar syrup. It is the traditional beverage of the race. The historic drink can be served in an ice-frosted silver julep cup, however, most Churchill Downs patrons sip from souvenir glasses (first offered in 1939 and are available in revised form each year), printed with all previous Derby winners. Also, burgoo, a thick stew of beef, chicken, pork and vegetables, is a popular Kentucky dish served at the Derby.

Learn More

The red rose became the official flower of the Kentucky Derby in 1904. The tradition grew and in 1925, New York sports columnist Bill Corum, later the president of Churchill Downs, dubbed the Kentucky Derby the “Run For the Roses.” Each year, a garland of more than 400 red roses is presented to the winner of the Kentucky Derby.

 

The Twin Spires are a recognized landmark throughout the world and have become visual symbols of Churchill Downs
and its most famous race, the Kentucky Derby. The Twin Spires were constructed in 1895 and were the creation of a 24-year-old draftsman, Joseph Dominic Baldez.

 

Stephen Foster’s ballad “My Old Kentucky Home” is a Derby day tradition believed to have originated in 1921. When the horses step onto the track for the Kentucky Derby post parade before they enter the starting gate, the band strikes up “My Old Kentucky Home” and everyone in attendance sings.

 

In 2006 the Kentucky Oaks fans launched a new tradition by raising a glass filled with 1 oz. Grey Goose® Vodka and 4 oz. Cosmopolitan Mix, known as the “Grey Goose® Oaks Lily®,” the official cocktail of the Kentucky Oaks. The cocktail is the signature drink of the Kentucky Oaks, America’s premier race for 3-year-old fillies.

2018 GALLERY

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2018 Club Solutions Leadership Summit Video

Club Solutions Magazine

Club Solutions is the No. 1 business resource for health and fitness professionals. Our mission is to educate and empower fitness professionals spanning health clubs of all shapes and sizes.

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Interested in attending or sponsoring the 2019 Club Solutions Leadership Summit? Email carrie@peakemedia.com for additional details and registration information.