There is a growing interest from fitness professionals in the world of strength and conditioning and training for sport.  Elite Sports Expo is an annual event held at ExCel in London and is run by the amazing team behind Elevate.   Elite Sports Expo is the UK’s leading event for human performance, and it aims to bring together elite sports clubs, coaches and athletes.

I have been attending Elite Sports Expo for a number of years and have found it a great place to share information, do some networking and learn.  The show offers a great range of exhibitors and seminars all as a free to attend event… Yes you have got it, it is totally free! 

Location –  The location is great in that it is a short trip outside central London to the ExCel centre in the docklands.  Transport links are great and it is a few minutes from London City Airport and on the DLR line.  On site there is parking for all those who prefer to drive in, but this can be a bit of a pricey option.  ExCel being all about conferences and expos the venue is surrounded by hotels and places to eat.  If you are staying though it is a good idea to book early on as places tend to fill up fast. 

Seminars – There is an impressive range of seminars for a free to attend event, with key tracks based around Thought Leaders, Future Performance and Wellbeing & Performance.  One of the great things about the seminars across the board is the mix of academic and more applied sessions.  This allows for a great deal of learning opportunities and the ability to take away those all important ideas to help you improve your practice.  I have always been impressed with the calibre of the presenters at the event with many having very strong backgrounds in high level academics or elite sport (hence the name).  There is always a talk for everyone and I have never fail to take away some new knowledge or ideas after attending Elite Sports Expo. Have a look who is presentng here. 

Exhibitors – if you want to have a play with the latest kit or hear more about services and products aimed at those involved in strength and conditioning then this is the place for you.  Most of the big names in terms of equipment providers are present as are some of the new and up and coming ones.  This is one of the aspects of attending an expo like this that is so valuable to allow you as a coach to see some of the new ways of doing things and looking at how this can help you improve what you do for your clients.   Many of the exhibitors offer some amazing deal on their gear so it is well worth having a chat if you are looking for a new bit of kit to add to your arsenal… You might bag yourself an amazing deal. 

Networking – as with any event where there is a mass gathering of people involved in your industry this is a prime opportunity for some networking.  One of the nice things about Elite Sports Expo is that there are plenty of networking opportunities and this as I have discussed in other blog posts is such an important part of building your career and events like this are key, i have put together a guide to networking at events so have a read and see what you can make happen in your career at Elite Sports Expo. 

A key thing to remember is the Elite Sports Expo is co-hosted with two other events run by the same company.  These are Elevate Arena, aimed at the promotion of physical activity and health, and COPA which targets physiotherapists, sports therapists, acupuncturists and other therapies.  With your pass for Elite Sports Expo you get entry to all three of these fantastic events so it is great day where you can also catch up on a range of areas that are closely related to the world of strength and conditioning.

If you are interested in becoming involved in the world of strength and conditioning or if you are already then this is the must attend event for you.  Book your free ticket here.