This past fall I had the pleasure of speaking on legalities of business at the Iron + Mortar Affiliate Summit in Washington State. The summit is focused on local Affiliate gym owners who are seeking to grow in business, marketing and related aspects.
As a speaker in multiple industries, I've been to quite a few conferences. I have to say, I think fitness conferences (esp I+M) was one of my favorites. Not only is the education on point, experience/atmosphere is laid back but the food is banging! We stayed at the top of Snohomish Falls - which made for incredible atmosphere and scenery for physical activity outside of the Summit itself.
One thing I've come to learn at the onslaught of conferences in various industries, many times conferences/summits miss the mark. They get speakers up on stage who spend 90-95% of the time talking about themselves and 5-10% pitching their products. Not Iron+Mortar. Even though I am incredibly far along in my business journey, I also learned a ton. The speakers were well-spoken, enjoyable, and thoroughly entertaining. If you haven't invested in different educational conferences or summits, you may not truly understand the disappointment of walking in and walking out with learning very little. And this comes from someone who believes there is ALWAYS something to learn from a speaker - whether what to do or what NOT to do.
Iron+Mortar did not fall in this "I didn't learn anything category". I watched attendees walk out with their notebooks and brains filled, and speakers with loads of network connections and new knowledge as well.
If you are running an Affiliate gym, or have an interest, I highly recommend Iron+Mortar.