Scott DeRue was named the new chief executive officer of The Ironman Group in January, joining the organization from Equinox, where he served as president. At Equinox, DeRue oversaw a business that included 107 fitness clubs, a connected fitness platform, a large personal training and coaching practice and digital commerce and media properties. Ironman’s portfolio includes hundreds of events across more than 50 countries in triathlon, running, trail running, road cycling and mountain biking and a suite of digital training platforms and programs for athletes. We discussed with Scott his motivation for taking the job at Ironman, his early work since being hired within the organization, assessing the business, thoughts on the mass participation industry and Ironman’s plans going forward.

Among the topics in this episode
Early plans for coming in and assessing the business (1:48)
What was the interest and motivation in taking the CEO job (2:51)
Ironman’s plans both nationally and worldwide (3:50)
Organizational room for improvements (5:29)
Ironman's place in the sports sustainability landscape (9:32)
The process of fact-finding during the interview process (11:40)
What he brings to the job as a new executive (13:24)
What from Equinox and his academic background will translate to Ironman (14:39)
Thoughts on the mass participation event industry (16:47)
His training for a future Ironman event (18:25)

Scott DeRue was <a href="https://www.sportstravelmagazine.com/scott-derue-named-chief-executive-officer-of-ironman-group/">named the new chief executive officer of The Ironman Group in January</a>, joining the organization from Equinox, where he served as president. At Equinox, DeRue oversaw a business that included 107 fitness clubs, a connected fitness platform, a large personal training and coaching practice and digital commerce and media properties. Ironman’s portfolio includes hundreds of events across more than 50 countries in triathlon, running, trail running, road cycling and mountain biking and a suite of digital training platforms and programs for athletes. We discussed with Scott his motivation for taking the job at Ironman, his early work since being hired within the organization, assessing the business, thoughts on the mass participation industry and Ironman’s plans going forward.
Among the topics in this episode
<ul>
<li>Early plans for coming in and assessing the business (1:48)</li>
<li>What was the interest and motivation in taking the CEO job (2:51)</li>
<li>Ironman’s plans both nationally and worldwide (3:50)</li>
<li>Organizational room for improvements (5:29)</li>
<li>Ironman's place in the sports sustainability landscape (9:32)</li>
<li>The process of fact-finding during the interview process (11:40)</li>
<li>What he brings to the job as a new executive (13:24)</li>
<li>What from Equinox and his academic background will translate to Ironman (14:39)</li>
<li>Thoughts on the mass participation event industry (16:47)</li>
<li>His training for a future Ironman event (18:25)</li>
</ul>

In-depth discussions with leaders in the sports-event industry.

SportsTravel Podcast

Scott DeRue: Expanding Ironman's Global Reach and Enhancing the Athlete Experience

Ron Price has been the chief executive officer of Visit Phoenix since July 2021. Prior to the move to Phoenix, Price had stops in Arlington and San Antonio, Texas, as well as more than a decade with Marriott in several places, including Denver and Southern California. Phoenix has become a basketball hotbed, having hosted the NCAA Men’s Final Four in March with the Women’s Final Four on tap for 2026. Phoenix will also host the WNBA All-Star Game this summer and the NBA All-Star Game in 2027. And then there's always the lingering question of when the region will again host the Super Bowl, which it last did in 2023. There’s a lot going on in the Phoenix metropolitan area, and Ron Price is the man at the center of it.

Ron Price has been the chief executive officer of <a href="https://www.sportstravelmagazine.com/tag/visit-phoenix/">Visit Phoenix</a> since July 2021. Prior to the move to Phoenix, Price had stops in Arlington and San Antonio, Texas, as well as more than a decade with Marriott in several places, including Denver and Southern California. Phoenix has become a basketball hotbed, having hosted the NCAA Men’s Final Four in March with the Women’s Final Four on tap for 2026. Phoenix will also host the WNBA All-Star Game this summer and the NBA All-Star Game in 2027. And then there's always the lingering question of when the region will again host the Super Bowl, which it last did in 2023. There’s a lot going on in the Phoenix metropolitan area, and Ron Price is the man at the center of it.

Ron Price: Visit Phoenix's Big Basketball Push

Every year, the Sports & Fitness Industry Association, or SFIA, takes on a number of research projects designed to offer insight into the world of sports through the lens of participation, equipment sales and other metrics. But the Topline Participation Report is one of the longest-standing and most ambitious surveys the organization conducts. Each year, thousands of people are surveyed about which one of 124 different activities they participate in and how often. The end result is a wealth of data and trends that tracks which sports are gaining popularity and which are struggling.

You may have heard the stat that pickleball is the fastest-growing sport in the United States. That’s true, and that stat comes from and is verified by this report, which shows the wildly popular sport up another 50 percent in participation in the past year. We’ll go into why that remains the case, but the pickleball data only scratches the surface of this report. And in an Olympic year when many otherwise obscure sports get their highest visibility, you can expect some interesting things in the year ahead, which we’ll go into as well. Another trend that’s on the rise: team sports. More and more people are participating as a group and loving it. And we’ll go into which team sports they are liking the most. All of this information is invaluable for those who are in the business of organizing and hosting sports events. And the best news of all — both for the industry and for humankind — is that overall, participation in sports events is up and inactivity is down, a trend that we can all get behind. So sit back and enjoy this conversation with SFIA President and CEO Tom Cove as we dive into the data to pick out all the trends you need to know.

Every year, the <a href="https://sfia.org/">Sports &amp; Fitness Industry Association</a>, or SFIA, takes on a number of research projects designed to offer insight into the world of sports through the lens of participation, equipment sales and other metrics. But the <a href="https://sfia.users.membersuite.com/shop/store/f147b189-00ce-c487-b552-0b467dac6c69/detail">Topline Participation Report</a> is one of the longest-standing and most ambitious surveys the organization conducts. Each year, thousands of people are surveyed about which one of 124 different activities they participate in and how often. The end result is a wealth of data and trends that tracks which sports are gaining popularity and which are struggling.
You may have heard the stat that pickleball is the fastest-growing sport in the United States. That’s true, and that stat comes from and is verified by this report, which shows the wildly popular sport up another 50 percent in participation in the past year. We’ll go into why that remains the case, but the pickleball data only scratches the surface of this report. And in an Olympic year when many otherwise obscure sports get their highest visibility, you can expect some interesting things in the year ahead, which we’ll go into as well. Another trend that’s on the rise: team sports. More and more people are participating as a group and loving it. And we’ll go into which team sports they are liking the most. All of this information is invaluable for those who are in the business of organizing and hosting sports events. And the best news of all — both for the industry and for humankind — is that overall, participation in sports events is up and inactivity is down, a trend that we can all get behind. So sit back and enjoy this conversation with SFIA President and CEO Tom Cove as we dive into the data to pick out all the trends you need to know.

Pickleball and Beyond: The Latest SFIA Sports Participation Trends

This year, Kevin Klipstein will celebrate 20 years at the helm of US Squash, the national governing body for the racquet sport that has been steadily growing in participation and membership over that time. While the NGB has seen remarkable success through projects such as a national training center in Philadelphia, and exposure in new markets, the sport itself for years has been seeking a holy grail of sorts. That effort, of course, is a place on the Olympic program. That effort began with a campaign to get into the 2012 Games in London, and in each subsequent Games after that. But for one reason or another — and there were different reasons each time — the sport could never quite clear the hurdle. But when it came time to pitch for the 2028 Games in Los Angeles, everything finally lined up perfectly. Squash was one of several sports approved for the program, which of course presents a whole new world of opportunity for leaders like Klipstein, who spend their entire days thinking about ways to expose the sport they love to even more people.

And as you’ll hear, one of the beauties of squash at that highest level is that its glass showcase courts can be stationed just about anywhere. In fact, international events have been staged outside the pyramids in Egypt and on building rooftops, to name a few. Where exactly it will be staged in Los Angeles remains to be seen — as will its potential place in the 2032 Games in Australia and beyond. But as you’ll hear in this conversation, the sport has plans to grow regardless of its upcoming presence on sport’s largest stage.

This year, Kevin Klipstein will celebrate 20 years at the helm of <a href="https://ussquash.org/">US Squash</a>, the national governing body for the racquet sport that has been steadily growing in participation and membership over that time. While the NGB has seen remarkable success through projects such as a national training center in Philadelphia, and exposure in new markets, the sport itself for years has been seeking a holy grail of sorts. That effort, of course, is a place on the Olympic program. That effort began with a campaign to get into the 2012 Games in London, and in each subsequent Games after that. But for one reason or another — and there were different reasons each time — the sport could never quite clear the hurdle. But when it came time to pitch for the 2028 Games in Los Angeles, everything finally lined up perfectly. <a href="https://www.sportstravelmagazine.com/baseball-softball-lacrosse-flag-football-cricket-among-la28-program-additions/">Squash was one of several sports approved for the program</a>, which of course presents a whole new world of opportunity for leaders like Klipstein, who spend their entire days thinking about ways to expose the sport they love to even more people.
And as you’ll hear, one of the beauties of squash at that highest level is that its glass showcase courts can be stationed just about anywhere. In fact, international events have been staged outside the pyramids in Egypt and on building rooftops, to name a few. Where exactly it will be staged in Los Angeles remains to be seen — as will its potential place in the 2032 Games in Australia and beyond. But as you’ll hear in this conversation, the sport has plans to grow regardless of its upcoming presence on sport’s largest stage.

Scott DeRue: Expanding Ironman's Global Reach and Enhancing the Athlete Experience

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