Norris Panton

Experienced fitness operator. Commercial experience in leisure and hospitality. Start-up mentor and coach.

Founder

Supporting great people. Challenging social injustice. Doing good stuff.

Most of us are just passengers.

But every now and then, you randomly bump into a driver - the kind of human who makes sh1t happen fast. Meet Loreana Acosta  

🤷🏽‍♂️ 100 miles an hour, but somehow still smooth.

🥋 Front-kicking their way through any closed door.

🙏🏾 “Audience with the Pope?” - no problem.

🔋 Energy that recharges your battery in minutes.

👍🏾 Smile that makes you feel everything is gonna be alright.

If you’ve got drivers in your circle, stick with them cos they are going places.

If you are one…keep your foot on the gas!. 🚀🔥

#driver #fitness #wellness

GAIN Gulf Active Industry Network  
We are a network of gym operators, trade suppliers, consumer brands and key players collaborating to bring about change.

Our objective is “industry elevation” as we raise standards and improve the member experience the active industry in the Gulf will thrive.

Help us make a good thing better.

Join our network

Lada Belonosova  Mitar Pesic Functional Fitness Supply LLC Gina Kersyte Ahmet Özkaya Evelyn Mair Inaze Fatima Sarang Stuart Liversedge MCIMSPA (Ch), MIoL Andy King Nicola Graham Nella-Noora Goodarzi Steve Orton

Co-Founder | Advisor

💥 WHAT SUPERHERO WILL YOU BE AT DUBAI 7s?! 💥

When I was a younger, there were no Black superheroes on prime time or in the comics.
So I made one up.

AFROMAN! 🦸🏾‍♂️

👊🏾 When he powered up, his hair got BIG.

👊🏾 He saved Black people too.

👊🏾 Middle-aged Anglo-Saxon women loved him.

👊🏾 Caucasian men wanted to be wicked and bad like him.

Mankini. Cloak. Big Fro and ting.
Man looked PIMP.

This year’s Dubai 7s fancy dress theme is SUPERHEROES & VILLAINS!
Unleash your inner hero (or villain) and show off your best costume on Saturday 30th at Dubai 7s.

So what’s your alter ego?
Who you rolling in as… hero or villain? 😎

Or is it just me in costume…again 🤷🏾‍♂️

PS. I will of course be available for pics at the new “Ankle Tap Lounge” care of ES Sport (Formerly Expat Sport)  

#Dubai7s #Superheroes #Afroman #GAIN #ComicEnergy #equity  #equality #diversity #inclusion


Ant Martland William Rasmussen-Dean Frank Afeaki Loren Holland Kelly McNeillie Grant Sharples  Mark Buchanan Marc Diaper Ben Silcox Raffy Etyemezian Stuart Kirkham Paul McSorley Rangel Sehalic Dr. Dimitri Koutsoubakis Susan Turner Anne Marie Errock ☘️ Gavin Baxter, MBA, CMgr FCMI Dubai Active Industry Fitness First Middle East GymNation  Emirates Dubai 7s

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Guess who won the Dubai Run 5K⁉️

No idea.
Definitely not me.
But we showed up and apparently that’s what counts in 2025.

Dubai was flowing like water this morning.
300K+ humans from every corner of the planet… all running, jogging, walking, dancing and singing. Why?
	
💪🏾 Belonging. That feeling of being part of something bigger (and sweatier).

👍🏾 Kris Fade being the ultimate hype man at 6am.

👊🏾 UNTOLD DJs dropping bangers like it’s a sunrise festival.

💦 Plenty, plenty free water.
	
🚊 The Tram doing Tram things but good. Proper clean, on time, and blessedly free from football chants.

If you work in events, you already know:
Dubai Fitness Challenge pulled off big tings today. This is logistics wizardry. Human movement sorcery.

A masterclass in how to make a city actually move.

Only feedback from me?
Not nearly enough fancy dress costumes for a man of my theatrical talents. 🤷🏽‍♂️

See you next year, ideally dressed as something wicked and bad 🤩

#dubai #fitness #wellness #30x30


Anne Marie Errock ☘️ Evelyn Mair Inaze Fatima Sarang Chris Quinn  Rachel Young BSc Richard Lepori Andy King Nicola Graham Nella-Noora Goodarzi Steve Orton GAIN Gulf Active Industry Network Marc Diaper Rory McEntee

Marketings dirty little secret.

Sometimes the fastest way to grow an audience is to irritate people… just enough.

Some examples of big TV campaigns that proved it works:

1. Irritation grabs attention when everything else blends in.
Think of the Go Compare “Gio Compario” opera ads.
Everyone groaned. Everyone complained.
Everyone knew the brand.
That’s the formula: break the silence by being slightly annoying.

2. People remember irritation more than they remember pleasure.
The “I feel like Chicken Tonight” campaign made the whole world flap their arms like confused chickens.
Catchy, repetitive, borderline ridiculous.
Annoying enough to stick in your head for years.
Perfect memory hack.

3. Irritation forces engagement.
The Old Spice half-naked brother “I’m on a horse” era used absurdity and whiplash pacing that irritated and entertained at the same time.
People replayed it to figure out what they’d just watched.
Annoyed or amused, they still shared it.

4. Irritation filters out the wrong audience.
The Apple “I’m a Mac, I’m a PC” campaign poked fun at PC users in every ad.
PC loyalists were irritated.
Mac fans felt seen.
If your message annoys the people who were never going to buy from you, that’s efficiency, not risk.

5. Irritation sparks curiosity.
The Snickers “You’re Not You When You’re Hungry” spots made viewers think, “What on earth is happening now?”
Celebrities acting deranged, scenes flipping, chaos everywhere.
You watched because you wanted answers.

That’s the game:

Smooth gets ignored, slightly irritating gets remembered, debated and shared but imagine irritating the whole of big London!

GymNation just did the irritation thing on Social Media. 


Genius.

#gotcha #fitness #wellness 


Ant Martland Rory McEntee Callum Surtees Marc Diaper Ben Silcox Mark Jenkins Joe Fryde Will Poskett  GymNation

“Every time you think a negative thought, it’s one step in the wrong direction, for me.”
Sean (D’) Paul

Well-fabulous UAE National Day  weekend.

If you ever need signs you’re exactly where you should be, here are mine:

🏉 The whole tribe turned out and be singing 

🏉 Britney Spears falsetto (don’t ask, don’t judge)

🏉 Dancing on tables like rent was due

🏉 Last to leave because, of course, we

🏉 Drank our bodyweight in liquor

🏉 Nobody got left behind, rule number one

Oh, and casually fielded a proper team for the Emirates Dubai 7s 

Maybe they win next year. 
Maybe they win every year.
Either way, the weekend already felt like a big win to me 🤷🏾‍♂️

Big love to my fiends at GymNation massive, energy unmatched.

PS Monday boat party is the best way to finish a big weekend. 👊🏾

GymNation

Happy Monday! 🤩

We have a new recruit to celebrate : Sean Longhurst 

I first met Sean on a sports tech incubator and was instantly hypnotised by his hand-drawn, beautifully crafted mind maps! 🤷🏾‍♂️

🙌 Sean has been building online and irl communities for thousands across multiple locations and platforms.

🤾‍♀️ He spent the last five years co-running ParkPlay - supporting communities become more active across the UK

🚀 He is now working in elite football with the Premier League creating a world-class coach development system.

Welcome to the GAIN board Seany Sean 🙏🏾

#goals #fitness #wellness 

GAIN Gulf Active Industry Network  
We are a network of gym operators, trade suppliers, consumer brands and key players collaborating to bring about change.

Our objective is “industry elevation” as we raise standards and improve the member experience the active industry in the Gulf will thrive.

Help us make a good thing better.

Join our network

Andy King Nicola Graham Nella-Noora Goodarzi  Steve Orton Evelyn Mair Inaze Fatima Sarang Stuart Liversedge MCIMSPA (Ch), MIoL Julia Stewart Chris Quinn Graham Bishop Claire Smillie Rory McEntee Marc Diaper Ben Silcox  Ashley White  Claire Smillie Omar Jassim Jamie Proctor DipPFS BA

Qatar isn’t a place you leave. 

It’s a place that stays with you.

The skyline moves fast, but the spirit of the country moves different. It’s calm, confident, grounded. It reminds you that progress doesn’t have to shout to be heard.

What I’ll carry with me:

The hospitality
Where a simple cup of karak comes with sincerity, curiosity, and a genuine “you’re welcome here.”

The ambition
A country that builds boldly, plans long term, and treats impossibility as a minor inconvenience.

The culture
Tradition woven into everyday life. Old markets beside world class museums. A quiet pride that doesn’t need grandstanding to be recognised.

The people
Warm, welcoming, proud of their home, and always willing to open a door or point you to the best hidden spot for food.

So this isn’t goodbye.
Qatar has a way of making every departure feel temporary. You leave knowing you’ll come back. You leave knowing the place will stay with you in ways you only understand on the drive to the airport.

More about see you later than goodbye.
And I’ll see you later, Qatar.

Special thanks to Chris Quinn for being generous with his time and his insight into the region

#qatar #fitness #wellness GAIN Gulf Active Industry Network

Newsletter 3 : Big milestone alert, we launched GAIN Community, a digital platform for the active industry in the Gulf, at Dubai Active Industry Show, so we are officially live! 🤩

A country beginning with Q?

1. World Cup Host 2022 
While most nations plan for the next tournament, here they plan for the next generation.

2. Alphabet flex:
This nation is literally undefeated in global SEO. Only country starting with Q. End of list. Mic drop. 🎤

3. Outdoor AC is normal:
While the rest of us argue about “who touched the thermostat,” here just cools the outside. Elite behaviour. 

4. Coffee is a lifestyle choice:
Gahwa is not a beverage - it’s a meeting structure. If your team thinks it runs on caffeine, here they look at you like “cute.” Proper rocket fuel 🚀

5. Internet so fast it exposes your excuses:
“Sorry, didn’t get the file yet” doesn’t work here. The Wi-Fi finishes tasks before you do.

Qatar : I like it a lot 

#qatar #fitness #wellness

GAIN Gulf Active Industry Network  
We are a network of gym operators, trade suppliers, consumer brands and key players collaborating to bring about change.

Our objective is “industry elevation” as we raise standards and improve the member experience the active industry in the Gulf will thrive.

Help us make a good thing better.

Join our network

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