Flame Conference 2016 gets underway at the International Centre in Telford this morning (29 June), with around 1,000 physical activity sector leaders gathering for a packed schedule of speakers and panel discussions hosted by ukactive.

New Zealand rugby star and motivational leadership expert Sean Fitzpatrick is this year’s keynote speaker and the All Blacks legend will talk about his ongoing work around the science of a winning culture and the secrets of leadership.

Also speaking at Flame is futurist Stefan Hyttfors, who has worked with brands such as Unilever, IBM and PwC to teach businesses how to deal with change in an uncertain world.

Meanwhile, Andrew Macmillan, head of customer service at John Lewis for three decades and now consultant in customer experience to local authorities, will cover the importance of a strong customer journey.

There will also be a host of breakout sessions around the themes of emerging trends and sector insight, with topics up for discussion including social media engagement, technology and innovation.

As ever, the Conference will be followed this evening by the highly-anticipated Flame Awards. The black tie event – sponsored by Matrix Fitness – honours excellence across the sector, with a total of 16 awards up for grabs. To view tonight’s finalists, click here.

Health Club Management will be on hand throughout Flame 2016, live reporting on the latest developments from the conference/awards ceremony and posting them straight to the Health Club Management website. Head of news Jak Phillips will also be tweeting from the event, follow him on Twitter by clicking here.