The first ever Register of Exercise Professionals (REPs) convention will take place on Thursday 8 December in London.

More than 500 exercise professionals are expected to attend the day-long event which will be held alongside Sector Skills Council SkillsActive’s first annual conference, meaning that employers and employees from the health and fitness industry will also meet in a formal setting for the first time.

REPs’ Registrar Cliff Collins said he was delighted with the response the conference had received from both sides of the industry.

“We knew from members’ feedback that they would be very interested in attending a conference but had no idea it would prove to be quite so popular,” he said.

“Not only do we have an impressive choice of technical workshops and seminars, the REPs’ Exceptional Achievement Awards and the annual SkillsActive drinks reception, we are also delighted that public health minister Caroline Flint and five-times world butterfly champion James Hickman will be guest speakers.”

Flint will talk about the public health white paper, Choosing Health, and what it means to the health and fitness industry. She will also look at where government spending priorities are in relation to fitness and what impact the government targets laid down in the white paper will have on the register.

Hickman will then lead a motivational talk about personal achievement and goal setting.

“Having been an athlete I know only too well the importance of goal setting in achieving elite standards of performance,” he said.

“I will aim to show the delegates how to set the right level of goal, for themselves and their clients, in order to achieve satisfaction, using examples based on my experience.”

The morning will close with the results of the Working in Fitness 2005 survey where, for the first time, delegates will be given the opportunity to vote interactively on issues which affect them; including pay, conditions and their employers.

During lunch, exercise professionals will have the opportunity to network with each other and the 300 SkillsActive delegates, which will include managers, CEOs and industry leaders from fitness, sport, play, work and outdoor education.

A series of 18 technical workshops will make up the afternoon session, covering a wide range of health and fitness training solutions, such as nutrition, flexibility, psychology, children and pregnancy. REPs members attending the sessions will earn three CPD credit points.

REPs members will then join the SkillsActive delegates at a drinks reception to close the conference, where the REPs Exceptional Achievement Awards and SkillsActive’s Apprentice of the Year Awards and Play Worker of the Year Award will be presented. Details: www.exerciseregister.org

Photograph: Five-times world butterfly champion James Hickman