Italy - UK Partnership

FROM THE CHAMBERS | 23 www.italchamind.eu ICC: It all began in 1980, in Nerio and Pierluigi Alessandri’s garage located in Cesena city. Can you explain to us how Technogym started? NA: I founded Technogym in 1983 at the age of 22. Back then, I was a member of a local gym in my hometown, Cesena (Italy), and I noticed that gyms lacked of both technology and design, offering only very basic training tools. Thanks to my industrial designer background and my passion for sport, I saw a huge opportunity for innovation by creating something that could be safer and easier to use for everyone: I designed and built my first ever piece of equipment – a Hack Squat machine - in my parent’s garage during my free time in evenings and weekends. I had a vision: I wanted to do something that would help people live better. During the next years, thanks to the hard work, commitment and passion of my team, we created a strong and global brand that has been the official supplier of the last 7 editions of the Olympic Games and reference for sport professionals and celebrities world-wide. ICC: Technogym’s mission is to “Promote Wellness” as a social responsibility. What does this mean? Which are the actions that can be implemented to stimulate movement and adopt a healthy lifestyle? NA: In the early nineties, when an all-muscle vision of fitness à la Jane Fonda and Sylvester Stallone was taking America by storm, in Italy, we launched a totally new vision. We called it “Wellness”, a profoundly Italian way of living, dating back to the “mens sana in corpore sano” (a healthy mind in a healthy body) principles of Ancient Rome and based on regular physical exercise, a healthy diet and a positive mental approach. Human bodies are built to cover vast distances every day, as did our ancestors. Today people walk less than 1 km per day and sedentary lifestyle is the cause of serious health risks. For over 30 years, Technogym’s mission has been to spread the wellness lifestyle and to get the world moving again. By transforming a business based on hedonism into a social one, we created a revolution that moved the focus of fitness from looking good to feeling good and from a small élite of body fanatics to the entire human population. Today, wellness has become a dominant trend all over the world and represents a unique social opportunity for governments to promote policies for health and preventions and for companies to invest in corporate wellness programs, with the aim of having healthier and more productive employees. Technogym currently operates in over 100 countries, promoting every day the wellness concept all over the world at different levels. Technogym’s “Let’s Move For a Better World” social campaign, for example, leverages on equipment and digital platforms to motivate people to be active more regularly, and share their results with the global Technogym community by transforming their exercise into donations for a good cause. ICC: Technogym is present all over the world. What can you tell us more about the UK market and the importance of this country? NA: Today, 50 million people train with Technogym every day in over 80,000 wellness centers and in 300,000 private homes in 100 countries. The United Kingdom is the most important market for Technogym thanks to the leading position of the company in the different market segments. Technogym is the reference brand for the best fitness clubs operating in the UK, such as Virgin Active, Nuffield and many others, as well as for the London most established fitness boutiques, such as One Rebel, Gym Box or the Engine Room. In the hospitality business, all the most prestigious hotels are equipped with Technogym. British most exclusive member’s clubs, as well, are equipped with our machinery, just as several leading corporations that have chosen us to manage their corporate wellness centres. Focusing on consumers, instead, Technogym has been present for a year in Harrod’s with a very popular shop-in-shop. · Photography courtesy of Technogym