The 2nd edition of the International, Health, Sports & Fitness Festival 2017 took place at the Bombay Exhibition Centre, Mumbai from Oct 13 to Oct 15. IHFF 2018 got off to a roaring start with long queues for the registration before opening hours on day 1. Over the three days of the show, hundreds of unique visitors registered themselves resulting in an extensive increase in the footfall from the previous edition. The expo welcomed 400 + fitness brands on its floor.
While IHFF was inaugurated on Oct 13, Olympia was inaugurated on Oct 14. The IHFF 2017 nurtured Indian health, sports & fitness Industries in various co-related segments and seamlessly connected the audience to India’s burgeoning fitness industry, bringing together the key players of the industry under one crown and providing exhibitors a unique one-on-one platform to network with existing and potential business partners through their elite connect program. The event primarily for B2B connect, promoted brand awareness and recall; escalating health, wellness, sports, and fitness businesses in India. The arena showcased individuals and businesses from various spectrum of the industry demonstrating their products and services to potential clients and prospective business associates.
Another noteworthy aspect of the event was the Fit Connect Lounge. This new, one-of-a-kind speed networking feature was introduced at the first edition of the show. It facilitated a consequential interaction between the exhibitors and buyers. Equipment & FMCG Manufacturers, Merchants, Traders & Vendors, Sales & Marketing Channels/Affiliates, Sports Academies, Clubs & Gym Chains, Nutrition, Diet & Training Consultants, Real Estate Developers &Architects, Distribution Houses, E-Commerce Giants, Govt. officials & Professionals, Coaches & Athletes, HNIs & Investors were amongst a few buyers who were positioned behind tables across the room for exhibitors to be able to approach them. Over 100 companies were a part of Fit Connect and enabled exchange of some valuable insights on the industry.
The organizer claimed that the prestigious Amateur Olympia event took place on the Indian soil in association with Joe Weider’s IFBB (International Federation of Bodybuilding and Fitness) for the first time. It was an amateur version of Weider’s famous Mr. Olympia Pro competition and attracted participation from over 40 Asian countries. A global event like this held in India proved to be a huge platform for Indians, especially for people from smaller regions of the country to showcase their talent. The event consisted of more than 400 contenders from all Asian countries in order to win the titles of the Olympia Amateur. The Amateur Olympia competition consists of the following categories: Men’s Bodybuilding, Men’s Physique, Men’s Classic Bodybuilding, Women Bikini Fitness and Women Physique. The Amateur Olympia awarded 1 Pro card for each overall division. A total of 5 Pro cards were awarded.
Besides the Olympia Amateur, the event had significant highlights that included Sheru Classic Male & Female Model Search, a Seminar Zone to learn about the art of fitness that also encompassed the art of developing emotional stability and clarity of mind for general lifestyle. Fitness enthusiasts got a fantastic opportunity to learn about the tricks of the trades and how they could benefit from their daily regime in the Guru Wars & Bros Vs Pros. Every woman is beautiful which is why IHFF upped the ante with Team Bombshell at their special workshop. Arm Wrestlers got an opportunity to roll up those sleeves and try a hand at ‘India’s Strongest Arm: Arm-wrestling Competition’. Contestants transformed from Beast Mode to God mode with Shivfit – Battle of the Fittest (Cross fit). Other highlights of the show included Health and Nutrition, General Fitness, Business Connect, MMA, Mind of Champions, Top Spin By Baqar Naseer, Guest Posing and the Super Gym. All this excitement of an event invoked forces to be reckoned with – household names in the athletic arena, those who have been on the forefronts of the industry since decades wrestling the odds, such as:
Sergi Constance (Fitness Model &
Physique Athlete – Team 1Up Nutrition)
RoellyWinklaar (IFBB Pro)
Danny Hester (IFBB Pro, Fitness equipment designer/inventor. CEO – G-Flex)
Kevin Levrone (IFBB Pro & Hall of Famer – Kevin Levrone Signature Series: Aleo International)
Satnam Singh (Professional NBA Player first Indian to be signed up by the NBA)Sushil kumar (Double Olympic Medalist & World Champion Wrestler – Team Big Muscles)
Arjan Bhullar (freestyle wrestler Commonwealth & Olympic Games, 1st Indian MMA fighter signed by UFC) Yogeshwar Dutt (2012 Summer Olympics Bronze Medalist)
Vijender Singh(Indian professional boxer, WBO Asia Pacific Super Middleweight Champion and WBO Oriental Super Middleweight Champion)
Sohail Khan (Indian film actor, director and producer)
Chris Cormier (IFBB Pro)
Camala Rodriguez (IFBB Pro – Team Venky’s Nutrition)
Morgan Aste (World’s Largest Bodybuilder – Team Eric Favre)
Shaun Stafford (Fitness Model & Writer, Rugby Player – Team Optimum Nutrition)
Julia Woodford (Lifestyle Trainer – Team BSN)
John Lucas (Celebrity trainer, Pro athlete, Film & TV star – Team Jerai & Omtex)
Ranvijay Singh (TV Personality & Brand Ambassador – Pro Burst)
Zee Shredded Diesel (TV Personality & Fitness Celebrity)
The Great Khali (Professional Wrestler – Brand Ambassador Big Flex)
Mounir Lazzer (UFC Athlete – Team Eric Favre)
Virendra Ghuman (IFBB Pro, Actor, Professional Bodybuilder, Wrestler)
Nathalie Mur (IFBB Bikini Pro – Team Eric Favre)
Zaher Moukahal (IFBB Pro – Team Eric Favre)
Heidi Somers (Fitness Model – Team 1Up Nutrition)
Sucheta Pal (Zumba® Global Brand Ambassador – Team ZES)
Thakur Anoop Singh (Fitness Model, Actor, Singer & Athlete)
Suhas Khamkar (Body Builder& Fitness Athlete – Team Big Flex)
Shweta Rathore (Fitness Model & Athlete – Team Big Muscles)
Sonali Swami (Fitness Model & Athlete – Team Optimum Nutrition)
Asia Mendonca (Bikini Model – Team Bombshell)
Gennifer Strobo (IFBB Pro & Bikini Model – Team Bombshell)
Hope Trask (IFBB Pro – Team Bombshell)
Shannon Dey (Fitness Model & Entrepreneur – Team Bombshell)
Guruman (Nutritionist /Kinesiologis/
Fitness Model Highest volume Indian Youtuber)
The show wasn’t just about amplifying exposure and connecting to the Indian audience in order to promote the benefits of fitness or promotion of a healthy lifestyle through sports or sculpting the perfect physique, but the bigger vision was to provide a over-all approach to wellness which consolidated fitness of the mind, body and soul.
Exhibition Highlights:
20,000 Sqmtrs of Expotainment
5,500 Sqmtrs of exhibitor space
123,000 + Total Footfall
10,000 + Merchant Visitors
60,000 + Consumer Visitors
50,000 + Industry Relevant Audiences
3,000 + Prefixed Appointments
500 + Fitness Trade Hosted Buyers
94 + Exhibitors
400 + Brands
Key Events :
Olympia Amateur for the 1st time in India
Sheru Classic Male & Female Model Search
Guru Wars
Bro’s Vs Pro’s
Mind of champions
Bombshell Workshop
Top Spin – Spinnathon By BaqqarNasir
Team Bombshell
India’s Strongest Arm – Arm wrestling Competition (IAF)
ShivFit – Battle of the fittest
FitConnect – Business Networking
Mixed Martial Arts Competition – AIMMAF
International Guest Posing
Seminar Zone
Super Gym
