Australian Fitness & Health Expo
There is nothing I can say other than how amazing, inspiring and insanely busy the Australian Fitness & Health Expo was this weekend. I was continuously humbled by the number of regular buyers who came up to thank us for the service we provide and the quality of products we supply, in addition to the repeated visits by some of our new customers over the weekend.
Derek, Jesse and I left from Brisbane on Thursday somewhat anxious about what the weekend would bring. We had tried to be as organised as possible. We’d promo’d til we couldn’t promo any more. We got flyers, showbags, stationery, stock, demo stock and RumbleRoller pricelists, but once we arrived that afternoon after a two hour flight delay to set up our stand; we wondered if we had enough of everything.
We left the Sydney Convention Centre on Thursday evening tired, yet also inspired; because 6 years ago we were simply showing the products available to customers and merely introducing ourselves. This year, with more developed and competitive products, our aim was to re-invent ourselves within the industry with stock of quality products which we have sought out ourselves and proudly recommend – mainly the RumbleRoller, but also our new FTR Roller in addition to gym balls, wobble cushions and our Ab Roller too.
The interest in the RumbleRoller was without a doubt – phenomenal. Some questioned the difference between regular rollers; others had seen it before but not yet had a go. Reactions upon actually trying it though were priceless. We watched people get down to roll who had serious doubts about the RumbleRoller’s ability to nail trigger points. Their faces turned from sceptical smiles to a wince in pain and then they would breath a huge sigh of relief. The RumbleRoller even solved back problems for some people after a couple of goes.
The response to the FTR was indeed very similar to the RumbleRoller. Our most commonly asked question was how it differed from other similar competitor brands which were more expensive. The answer is simple. The thickness of the foam on our FTR Roller is a little thinner than that of other brands, however this enables the “fingers” to put more pressure on the muscles resulting in greater release. It’s designed to feel like that moment when your physio or massage therapist simply runs their fingers down your ITB and to you, it feels like they’re digging their knuckles in with no remorse. It was also $40 cheaper than other competitors at the show, and once again, we saw some of the sceptics wincing as they rolled along their ITBs. Needless to say, nearly everyone who gave it a go was pleasantly surprised.
By midday on the Sunday we had completely sold out of everything we’d brought stock of, and were only left with our samples and empty boxes. At 2:30 we had people coming back to our stand to buy the last of our samples, and we had to let quite a few people down.
The response and the feedback that every customer provided was noted, including different design requests for rollers, and requests for specific products seen only on the internet. We were very excited to gain some more wholesale enquiries too.
Needless to say, as exhausting and as busy as we were, we discovered just how much of a footprint we have in the health and fitness community, and we now know what our customers are literally screaming for.
We’ve booked in for next years Australian Fitness & Health Expo in April 2014 – although it’s moving to Melbourne due to the Sydney Convention Centre undergoing a renovation, and we hope to be able to show you some more new products, and touch base with you all then.
If you happen to be in Brisbane in on the weekend of 12th and 13th October, come and see us at the Brisbane Fitness Expo.