Breakfast with The Nanny
I began this morning with an outdoor breakfast at the Raleigh Hotel in South Beach. The Raleigh is a great spot for celebrity watching, at any hour of the day. As I was sitting at the tropical outdoor patio waiting for my egg white omlette, a quick look about revealed Fran Dresher (from TV’s The Nanny) at one of the tables alongside of us, enjoying a plate of fresh fruit.
Today, I was joined by one of our strategic planners, to discuss some of the international ventures that elements is launching. The international reach of our brand never ceases to impress me… from Brasil to South Africa, we receive a steady stream of inquiries from highly qualified international developers. American fitness brands have the potential to enjoy tremendous success in international markets such as South America and Asia, as geography builds credibility in the mind of those consumers (Much the same was American consumers perceive an article of clothing to be more valuable if it was designed in Milan or Paris) elements?, as the only upscale fitness and lifestyle brand for women, receives special attention from development groups who are looking to create a market niche in their country or region.
Our corporate team has a time-tested formula to evaluate international groups, and opportunities, which really help us to streamline the normally time-intensive process. We also must understand how to culturally translate the brand in respective international markets to position the developer for success.
We had a progress call on Friday with a mid-east group, based in Lebanon. It struck me that amid all of the turmoil in the region, this group had a remarkable entrepreneurial spirit. They were discussing possible development rights for Saudi Arabia and Dubai (now the development mecca of the region) as well. Dubai is of particular interest to us strategically in the international marketplace, and the group has an impressive array of real estate and branded holdings. Many of our international prospective owners will converge with our corporate team and US Club owners at the Club Industry fitness conference in Chicago next month, which is always an exciting industry event… from our perspective, it is impressive that we have more than tripled our attendance figures at the show each year. In 2005, we began with only 5 elements attendees, and are expecting well over 60 (representing our club owners, club directors, and corporate team) at this year’s show and educational events.
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