Fit News—Super Slow 'Super Show' Predicted

With less than a month to go before Super Show kicks off in Las Vegas, the odds-makers are betting on low attendance in the fitness hall. In fact, the NSGA has canceled its Specialty Fitness Dealers meeting, reportedly due to low anticipated attendance by specialty dealers. "We are not going to the Super Show for several reasons," said Brian Massie, president of Exercare. "It is the wrong time of the year for us, very few of our manufacturers will attend, and we cannot afford to take time off during our busy season. We need to focus on daily business matters."

The Super Show has lost its luster in recent years for the sporting goods industry as a whole, and fitness in particular. With names like Aerobics Inc., Bodyguard, Life Fitness, Nautilus, Precor, and Schwinn missing from the online exhibitor list as of Dec. 19, 2001 the star power is lacking this year as well.

Even those still planning on making the trek to Sin City are cutting back this year, such as Jeff Levitt, president of Dallas-based Fitness headquarters.

"I am intending to go, but without any other people from my company," said Levitt. "We feel that it will be a less important show for the fitness industry, mainly due to the timing, the success of the health & Fitness Business Conference & Expo, and the need to be in the store during the busy season for the fitness industry."

Stephanie Oakes is a fitness correspondent for Discovery Health Channel, a contributing editor for USA Weekend Magazine and the LA Times, and appears on NBC's 'Today in New York'. She can be reached at soakes@beststuff.com.