Simply Abu Dhabi XI

6 5 S I M P LY A B U DH A B I What was it that interested you in the Wellness industry? After graduating in Industrial Design, I was working as a designer in a local company, in Cesena, my home town in Italy, but I always had a dream: to build something. I was a member at a local fitness club – in the early 80s fitness clubs were very different compared with today, no technology, no design, no easy-to-use equipment. Just dumbbells and iron. In this scenario I saw an opportunity of innovation by creating something safer and easier to use so I designed and built my first machine during my free time. I designed and built the first equipment with my own hands in my garage, because I had a vision to do something that would help people live better. The first machine was a great success and the gym I sold it to ordered a complete line, so from a hobby Technogym became a full time business. I was lucky because I turned my hobby into my job. Is it true that you started the Technogym Empire at the age of 22? Yes, it is! Technogym was a dream: I didn’t do market research or sophisticated analysis to decide in which sector to invest, I just leveraged my two passions – design (TECHNO) and sport (GYM). At that age did you think Technogym would flourish into such a major brand within the fitness industry? When I started Technogym it would have been really hard to think we could have become a world leader company. I was alone in my garage with no money to invest, and no assets to rely on, but I could count on lots of energy, ideas and creativity – and above all a dream. I tried to be creative and innovative in all the fields, first of all with the product but then also marketing, promotion and services. I strongly believe that luck does not happen, but people can become lucky by never giving up, trying and working hard. How would you best describe the Technogym philosophy toward fitness? In the 80s the world was dominated by a fitness culture of muscles and appearance and 20 years ago we launched the concept of ‘Wellness’, an Italian lifestyle with roots that lie in the 2,000 year old ancient Roman philosophy of ‘Mens sana in corpore sano’ – ‘A healthy mind in a healthy body’. Fitness is an important part of the wellness lifestyle, but wellness is a broader concept. It is the balance between the body, mind and spirit, and is achieved through regular physical exercise, a healthy diet and a positive mental attitude. Wellness allows us to improve our quality of life, feel good about ourselves and others, have more energy and creativity at work and above all, live better and longer. Through wellness, we have contributed to transforming a business based on hedonism into a sector with a high social impact. From simply appearing well to responsibly feeling well, from the involvement of a tight circle of sportsmen in perfect physical shape to the possibility to involve the whole community: men and women, young people, adults and children, the elderly, the healthy, the sick and the disabled. Can you please describe the array of services and products Technogym offers? Technogym is today the world’s leading company in the development of wellness solutions for fitness clubs, private homes, luxury hotels and spas, sport facilities, medical centres and companies. Our products include a wide range of different product lines and services that makes it possible to offer a tailor made solution for each client. Around 35 million people train with Technogym every day. Tell us about the incredible new Technogym Headquarters, Technogym Village? The wellness philosophy is so strategic for our positioning that in designing our new HQ we wanted to create a place to inspire the world. Wellness is not a concrete product but an experience, and in order to understand it you need to live it. We wanted to create a place where our customers, our partners and all the industry stakeholders can come and understand our vision by experiencing it themselves. And then of course, we wanted to create an inspirational location for our staff. We want to be a world leader in designing wellness solutions, so first of all we need ourselves to work in a wellness environment and to put in practice what we promote. How do you ensure Technogym stands out in a competitive market? At Technogym, research and innovation have always represented the key values behind the development of products and services. We work always keeping in mind the needs of the end-user. Every single detail is important in offering the best experience, this is why we have a team of more than 200 people comprised of industrial designers, engineers, physiotherapists and doctors that work every day in creating the wellness product of the future. Now we are the only company able to provide a total wellness solution made not only of equipment but also, apps, devices and contents, interior design services, training and education programmes, marketing support for our clients and a strong after-sales service. What developments can we expect from Technogym in the future? We have recently launched a new concept that will represent a new era in the world of fitness and wellness. It’s called ‘Wellness on the Go’, a revolutionary personalised wellness experience allowing users to access their training programmess, training data, web bookmarks, apps and content anywhere in the world, at any time. People’s lifestyles are changing and we wanted to create a new solution through which people can be connected to their world and their favourite contents while training. Each Technogym product is designed to offer a customised ’Wellness on the Go‘ experience, allowing users to log in and connect to their training programme on smartphone, tablet, Mywellness key, smart TV or PC. Do you have any further growth plans into the UAE? The UAE represents a strategic market for Technogym. We are already very well positioned in all our business segments, from consumer to sport and fitness clubs to hospitality, but also in the medical and rehabilitation centres. We also have a store at Marina Mall in Abu Dhabi and a show room in Dubai. We will continue to invest in order to support our customers, both in terms of products and service. Technogym has been extremely active in partnering with and sponsoring key fitness events such as the Olympics. How do you think this has helped the brand grow? The association with the world of sport is very important for two reasons. Firstly, working closely with the best athletes in the world gives us extremely valuable feedback on our products. For example, the Olympic Games are an incredible opportunity for our team to share thoughts with people coming from all over the world, with different cultures and perceptions, and from a wide range of sporting disciplines. Secondly, sport is important for branding andmarketing, as athletes inspire people to improve their lifestyle and practice regular physical activity. I believe the expertise of the company and the reliability of the brand in the world of sports has made the difference and it makes us all very proud. Please tell us about the Wellness foundation? The Wellness Foundation is a non-profit organisation I created that cooperates with institutions, schools, universities, research centres, and private and public bodies to promote better health through prevention and positive lifestyle behaviours. The main project of the foundation is an idea that we launched in 2002: The Wellness Valley. The plan was to develop the Romagna area (the eastern part on the coast of the Emilia- Romagna region), creating the first district in the world for quality of life. We proposed that all stakeholders in Romagna (companies, public administrations, tourism operators, schools, university and the public health system) worked together to increase public health, boost productivity through the increased production of innovative products and services, and raise the quality of the environment in order to attract more andmore qualified people who were in search of a wellness experience. After 10 years, 35 best practices have been developed, from Technogym becoming the world’s leader in wellness technology, to the launch of food companies specialising in bio and organic food, to tourist operators selling sports holiday packages to the area, to the public administration which promotes physical activity and encourages the population of the region to be healthy. Lastly, our signature question, what do you think of the Simply Abu Dhabi publication? It was a pleasure having the opportunity to talk to you about the magazine. I really like Abu Dhabi, its innovative approach, its capability to invest and its vibrant atmosphere. In such a dynamic city I believe Simply Abu Dhabi represents a key publication in a strategic region of the world; a real compass for luxury and contemporary lifestyle.