It's been nearly a year since Self underwent a major management shake-up, with Joyce Chang joining the fitness title as editor in chief and Mary Murcko taking over as vp, publisher. Since then, the Condé Nast magazine has undergone a head-to-toe makeover meant to appeal to a younger (and more affluent) millennial audience. Now, Self is overhauling its experiential offerings with the debut of a new event platform based on the magazine's Up & Out editorial platform
Self Up & Out Studio, which will take place at Spring Studios in New York on June 27 and 28, will offer classes from celebrity trainers and trendy fitness programs across the country, including Barry's Bootcamp, City Row, Pure Barre and Plyojam. While the event will take place only in New York this year, Murcko hopes to expand to other cities beginning in 2016.
Until this year, Self's flagship event had been Workout in the Park, a massive annual fitness festival in Central Park. According to Murcko, the new Up & Out Studio is more closely aligned to the "new" Self reader's fitness needs, such as trying new workouts, personalizing her fitness routine and, of course, associating with trendy brand names.
"This really plays to what women—particularly what our affluent readership—want now," said Murcko. "Whereas Workout in the Park was all about a lot of people doing the same thing, this is more about people wanting to try new things in smaller groups. The idea of discoverability is huge."
In addition to classes, Up & Out will have activations focused on beauty, fashion, nutrition and tech, featuring sponsors like Chantelle, Tampax and Ortholite. Consumers will be able to buy tickets beginning May 1, or pre-register at promotions.self.com.