Just the Facts, Ma'am

"Whoever is careless with the truth in small matters cannot be trusted in important matters."   — Albert Einstein

People keep talking about a "post-fact world," but you and I know that what is true is still true, and what is untrue remains untrue, no matter how hard you might wish it were otherwise.

This month, we're focused exclusively on the facts. Specifically, the facts delivered by you, our readers, via your answers to our Industry Report survey, which we sent out earlier this year.

Every year, we ask for your help answering myriad questions about the industry, your operations, your careers and more, and thousands respond, allowing us to aggregate the data and provide an overview of how things are going, where things stand now, and the general trends moving forward. If you participated this year, hats off to you. We couldn't present this report without you. If you didn't participate, we encourage you to keep an eye out as 2019 gets started, when we'll be sending out our next invitation to answer questions and provide an in-depth look at the industry.

Now in its 12th year, the State of the Industry Report has reflected the facts of the economic downturn, both immediately and in the years that followed as facilities felt the pinch to varying degrees. And now it provides a fact-based and numbers-based view of the new normal in which many recreation, sports and fitness facilities operate. A new normal in which budgets may be a bit tighter, but facility managers are still optimistic.

Yes, data can be manipulated to provide a picture that's either rosier or direr, depending on the desires and motivations of who's looking. But we don't do that here. Here on these pages, we're all about the facts.

So, if you're looking for a clear picture of the industry in which you work, if you're interested in seeing how others are doing and how your facility stacks up against the rest, just turn the page and keep reading. This extensive and in-depth look at the industry provides a unique and deep view, beginning with a broad overview before focusing in on specific areas, from aquatics to parks and recreation, from health clubs to colleges and universities.

Cheers!

Emily Tipping
Editorial Director,
Recreation Management
emily@recmanagement.com