Celebrating this year's group of inductees: Joe Cirulli, Annbeth Eschbach, Jack and Elaine LaLanne, Gale Landers, Phillip Mills, Dave Mortensen, and Chuck Runyon

*Additional fee required to attend. The event is a fundraiser for the HFA Foundation, a nonprofit charity with a goal to elevate the importance of physical activity and its impact on individual and community health. 

Designed specifically for first-timers! This is your chance to learn how to take advantage of everything the conference has to offer and to get comfortable networking with other attendees. Plus, we’ll provide tips & tools to help keep you organized allowing you to easily share content & ideas when you get back home.

What does it take to build a thriving club culture, retain top talent, and achieve sustainable growth in today’s competitive fitness landscape? In this session, leaders from some of the industry’s most successful organizations share the frameworks, habits, and mindset shifts that elevate good leaders into great ones. Drawing on their experience with the REX Leadership Academy, they’ll discuss what modern leadership looks like—how it’s taught, how it’s practiced, and how it transforms clubs from the inside out.

Learn how to take your Creator strategies beyond traditional “influencing” and testimonials, and partner more collaboratively with Creators. Master the art of making diverse and resonant content that connects your brands to people on Meta's platforms.

In sports, MVPs are the difference makers;in gyms, MVPs are the Most Valuable Participants. The backbone of club business, they attend their club more often, stay longer, refer more friends, and deliver significantly higher Lifetime Value than any other member category. Earlier this year Les Mills, the global leader in group fitness solutions, studied over 2.6M member journeys across 1,300 clubs worldwide, compiling the industry’s newest and most comprehensive research report exploring the value of group training, insights about clubs’ top members, and secrets to driving club growth.

The convergence of biohacking, personalized medicine, and fitness is redefining what it means to optimize human health. This session explores how data-driven tools—ranging from biomarker testing and genetics to wearable insights—are enabling a more precise, prescriptive approach to fitness and longevity. Discover how health and fitness professionals can move beyond generic programming to design interventions that align with individual biology, enhance recovery, and improve long-term outcomes. Attendees will gain a forward-looking perspective on how the industry can evolve from coaching workouts to prescribing wellness.

The 2025 US Health & Fitness Consumer Report and HFA’s 2025 Fitness Industry Benchmarking Report together provide the most comprehensive view of today’s fitness landscape. This session reveals how Americans engage with gyms, studios, and multipurpose facilities, including activity preferences, equipment usage, and demographic trends, while connecting these insights to financial and operational benchmarks across the industry. Attendees will gain actionable intelligence on attendance patterns, membership retention, revenue growth, and program design, equipping operators with the data needed to optimize engagement, profitability, and strategic planning in a rapidly evolving market.

When Dianna Risley was named Snap Fitness’s Franchisee of the Year, it wasn’t just about performance. It was about the experience her team created. In this dynamic session, three voices come together around one powerful topic: customer service that drives loyalty. Diana shares lessons from the field, while Chris and Marisa from The Empower Group offer perspective on how to build and sustain standout service. You'll leave inspired and equipped to take action.

What if your marketing campaigns could evolve while they’re still running—before missed goals become missed revenue? In this session, discover how Healthworks and Republic Fitness close the feedback gap between campaign execution and sales performance. Learn how real-time lead tracking, daily conversion insights, and collaborative decision-making across sales and marketing allow clubs to quickly adapt to mid-campaign lead-generation or sales challenges before it’s too late.

Emerging interior design aesthetics in health clubs, boosting motivation and retention, focus on a blend of innovation, sensory engagement, and holistic well-being. Incorporating these aesthetics and zones transforms clubs into energetic, innovative, and community-oriented spaces, making them far more appealing and habit-forming for today’s fitness consumer.

Nutrition is a key driver of longevity, shaping both physical and mental health. Poor diets and diet-related disease are leading causes of death and disability in the U.S., with societal costs exceeding $1 trillion annually. This session explores cutting-edge research in precision nutrition and Food is Medicine, shares evidence-based dietary strategies to enhance lifespan and healthspan, and provides practical approaches for health and fitness professionals to promote nutrition, wellness, and community engagement.

Global tariff changes, economic pressures, and evolving trade policies are transforming the business of fitness—from equipment sourcing to club operations. In this panel, industry leaders and supply chain experts break down how these shifts are impacting pricing, procurement, and long-term planning across the health and wellness ecosystem. Hear how the Health & Fitness Association (HFA) is advocating for fair trade policies, supporting members through supply chain disruptions, and helping businesses build resilience in an increasingly complex global market. Attendees will gain actionable insights to navigate volatility, strengthen partnerships, and protect profitability in 2026 and beyond.

Club leaders and organizations continue to navigate significant shifts in the workplace, including inflation’s impact on both employer and employee budgets, the rise of AI, evolving member expectations, increased private equity investment, and more. In this session, you'll explore the key trends driving success at some of the most thriving clubs in the industry and learn why they are performing better today than they were five years ago.

Over ten years of hands-on marketing leadership have revealed what truly works—and what doesn’t—when growing a fitness business. This session breaks down how to interpret data that matters, eliminate vanity metrics, and make smarter, faster decisions that boost engagement, retention, and ROI.

The fastest growing modality in the fitness industry is resistance training. Participation is rising across demographics, with women and older adults showing strong growth alongside younger adults who remain the largest gym segment. This session defines four capacities of muscle health (hypertrophy, strength, power, and endurance) and the practical ways to measure these with tools you already have. We’ll explore the distinctions in how to program for these capacities as well as how to communicate progress in clear member terms that build engagement and member loyalty.

From blood panels to biometrics, the race to decode—and own—the body’s data is accelerating. As companies like Oura, Whoop, Apple, and Garmin expand from wearables into diagnostics, a new health data economy is emerging. This session explores how the “war for your blood” and the explosion of continuous data are reshaping the fitness and wellness landscape. Attendees will learn how ecosystem lock-in, AI coaching, and regulatory strategy are defining competitive advantage—and what it means for operators navigating the convergence of fitness, health tech, and personalized performance.

Select Panelists to be Announced

Investor attention toward women’s health is driving innovation across fertility, hormonal health, menopause, and active aging. As fitness and wellness companies respond, new opportunities are emerging to better serve women through evidence-based programming, technology, and community connection. This discussion explores how investment, science, and fitness are converging to shape a more inclusive and impactful future for women’s health and longevity.

As wellness, healthcare, and fitness industries converge, the role of frontline and franchise leaders must evolve. They’re no longer just managing operations—they’re shaping behaviors, modeling wellness, and driving inclusive cultures in real time. Pamela Brown, EVP and Head of People & Culture at Crunch Fitness, introduces The Wellness Multiplier, a framework for developing leaders who multiply—not just manage—human potential. Drawing from national franchise experience and generational empathy work, she’ll spotlight how wellness-centered leadership creates cultural traction and performance at scale.

Influencer marketing is everywhere—but is it actually worth the investment? This session breaks down the real ROI behind influencer partnerships, exploring how fitness brands can strategically budget, recruit, and engage the right voices to amplify their message. Learn what works (and what doesn’t) when collaborating with creators, how to measure impact beyond vanity metrics, and whether influencer marketing should be a core part of your growth strategy—or just a costly trend.

Select Panelists to be Announced

In a rapidly evolving fitness industry, the next generation of clients—Gen Z and Gen Alpha—aren’t just looking for workouts, they’re looking for connection, values, and innovation. This workshop dives into the unique motivations, behaviors, and communication preferences of these digitally native generations. You'll learn how to tailor your classes, services, and brand to meet their expectations, from leveraging short-form video and gamification to building inclusive communities and social accountability.

As GLP-1 medications reshape the landscape of weight management, the fitness industry and physicians are finding powerful new opportunities for collaboration. This panel brings together industry experts to explore how training and programming are being adapted to support users of these metabolic drugs. Discover how this convergence can drive sustainable health outcomes—and why it presents a unique, timely opportunity for the fitness industry to engage, retain, and transform a growing population of new clients.

As technology platforms generate richer streams of operational and financial data, the industry finally has the opportunity to align around a common language of performance. This session explores the KPIs that matter most—lifetime value, utilization, yield, engagement curves, churn signatures, and more—and how modern systems surface them with consistency across clubs, studios, and emerging fitness models. Hear how investors interpret these metrics, where operators often misread them, and what a unified dashboard can reveal about the true health of a business. A grounded conversation about making smarter decisions by measuring what actually moves the needle.

Select Panelists to be Announced

High-volume, low-price gyms are leading a fitness renaissance—posting visitation rates 22% above pre-pandemic levels and reshaping consumer expectations across the industry. This panel unpacks what the explosive growth of the HVLP segment means for operators, investors, and suppliers alike. Drawing on insights from HFA’s FIT Tracker and other benchmarking data, industry leaders will explore the forces driving this shift—accessibility, affordability, and convenience—and how mid-market and premium operators can adapt to stay competitive. Attendees will walk away with a data-informed understanding of where the momentum is heading and how value-driven models are influencing pricing, product design, and the future of member engagement.

The fitness certification landscape is evolving rapidly. As influencers, social media, and marketing-driven courses gain prominence, the industry faces a critical challenge: how to stay relevant and influential while maintaining credibility, safety, and knowledge standards. This panel explores the current state of fitness certifications, the strategies organizations are using to adapt to new forms of influence, and the best practices for ensuring trainers remain competent, trustworthy, and respected. Attendees will gain insight into global trends, practical solutions, and the future of credentialing in fitness.

It's no secret businesses need leads to get more clients, and we need more clients to grow. With the advent of tech disruption, many of the methods are changing. But what about the principles of human psychology? In this talk, Mark Fisher will explore what's new, what's the same, and how studios and clubs can thrive in 2026 and beyond.

As fitness organizations evolve in an increasingly digital landscape, the key to sustainable growth lies in the intentional integration of people, process, and platforms. In Integration of Old and New: Balancing People, Process, and Platforms During Growth, Burn Boot Camp COO Amber Burke explores how fitness brands can harness innovations in technology—like CRM systems, POS platforms, and artificial intelligence—without compromising the human connections that drive member loyalty and team engagement.

The supplement aisle is a billion-dollar industry full of hype, half-truths, and harmful recommendations. This straight-shooting session reveals which sports supplements actually deliver results—and which are just fancy placebos. Learn how to educate clients, save them money, and increase trust by cutting through the BS. Backed by science and real-world outcomes, this session gives coaches, gym owners, and fitness pros a smart framework for guiding supplement choices ethically and effectively. If you're serious about performance and credibility, this is your truth serum.

The gap between marketing and technology is narrowing, and operators are feeling the impact. This panel unpacks how data-driven communications, personalized journey mapping, and automated engagement can strengthen acquisition and retention. Learn practical approaches to aligning content, CRM tools, and human storytelling so clubs can speak to members with clarity, relevance, and consistency—at scale.

Select Panelists to be Announced

This program features two expert panels and an open forum exploring how physical activity drives both public health and economic growth. Global leaders, federations, and NGOs will discuss cross-sector collaboration, policy alignment, and the role of fitness associations in shaping preventive health and workforce well-being worldwide.

Culture isn’t just a feel-good concept—it’s a strategic asset that drives performance, retention, and profitability in health and fitness businesses. In this session, you’ll explore the S.O.U.L. Framework for building and sustaining a high-performing, values-driven culture across multiple locations. Learn practical systems and leadership rhythms that turn culture into measurable outcomes, from hiring to daily execution, while aligning teams, improving accountability, and maintaining authenticity. Leave inspired to lead with purpose, create loyal members, and scale your business with lasting impact.

Today’s fitness consumer expects more from a website than a class schedule and a price list. They’re making decisions faster, vetting multiple options at once, and often leaning on AI-powered search to narrow the field. Your website has seconds to answer their unspoken questions, remove doubts, and inspire action — all while feeling authentic and on-brand. In this session, you’ll learn how to apply the Buyer’s Journey framework to map every visitor touchpoint, from “Am I in the right place?” to “OK, let’s do it!” and beyond. You’ll see real before-and-after website makeovers that demonstrate exactly how small design and content changes can dramatically improve conversion.

This session will provide instructions and best practices for pricing and programming that will maximize profits for Personal Training business owners and managers. Get real-life examples of best business practices from the #1 voted Personal Training studio in Vancouver, WA, for the past 25 years.

This fitness industry is quickly evolving to a holistic approach, with customers having new expectations of what personal training encompasses.  This session introduces a strategic blueprint for club leaders to thrive in 2026 by embracing the future of personalized, high-retention coaching. Built around the model of move, fuel, rest, connect, it explores how movement, from structured training to enjoyable activity fuels progress; how nutrition and supplementation support performance; how recovery strategies enhance both body and mind; and how meaningful connection with clients and communities drives motivation, adaptation, and long-term success.

Members expect technology to recognize them, adapt to them, and guide them—across every touchpoint. This session explores the next stage of integration between equipment, software platforms, and member-facing applications. Discover how interoperability, open data pipelines, and smarter UX design are creating environments where programming, tracking, and coaching merge into one cohesive, elevated experience.

Select Panelists to be Announced

In today’s fitness industry, staffing challenges are no longer just operational headaches, they’re barriers to growth. As member expectations evolve and competition for talent intensifies, forward-thinking owners and operators must shift their approach from filling roles to building talent ecosystems. This session explores innovative strategies to turn staffing gaps into a competitive advantage. Learn how to attract, develop, and retain high-performing teams by leveraging emerging recruitment pipelines, career development programs, and technology-driven solutions. Walk away with actionable insights to strengthen your talent pipeline, reduce turnover, and transform your workforce into a true growth engine for your business.

In a crowded market, it's not just about going viral. It’s about creating content that converts, builds community, and scales with your team. This session dives into real-world best practices for fitness and wellness social media marketing, from leveraging trends with intention to creating efficient content systems that don’t burn out your staff. We’ll explore how a growth mindset powers smarter strategy, why short-form video still reigns, and what it actually takes to grow a brand presence that gets results. Whether you're a boutique studio or a national chain, this session will help you do social better and get more from it.

Pickleball has evolved from a pastime into a powerful economic driver—reshaping member engagement, facility design, and non-dues revenue opportunities across the industry. This session explores how forward-thinking operators are capitalizing on the sport’s explosive popularity by integrating pickleball into broader wellness ecosystems. From space optimization and programming innovation to partnerships, coaching certifications, and recovery offerings, panelists will share how clubs are converting a recreational trend into a long-term retention and revenue strategy. Attendees will gain insight into how to meet the needs of the fastest-growing active adult segment while future-proofing their business through smart diversification and community engagement.

In today’s evolving fitness industry, qualifications alone don’t make a great coach—what matters is the ability to apply knowledge with clarity, purpose, and adaptability. In this session, Joan Liew—professional trainer and advocate in muscle health, IFBB Pro, and founder of Asia’s pioneer Personal Training-Only Boutique Gym operating for 20 years—shares a practical coaching framework that goes beyond theory. Learn how to assess and cue movement effectively, tailor strategies to each client’s unique needs, and recognize that no two bodies respond the same. With over 30 years of experience, Joan will guide you through real-world case studies and tools to bridge the gap between evidence and execution—helping you coach with intention, program with precision, and create lasting impact in every session.

Payments are evolving fast—and regulation is evolving even faster. From compliance shifts to surcharging rules, data privacy, and emerging oversight of subscription billing, operators must rethink how payments fit into the member journey and financial strategy. This panel breaks down what’s changing, what’s coming, and how to future-proof your systems to avoid disruptions, reduce friction, and protect revenue.

Select Panelists to be Announced

More than 18 million Americans are living with or beyond cancer, and research confirms that exercise is not only safe but can significantly reduce treatment-related side effects such as fatigue, pain, and anxiety. Despite strong evidence and clear prescription guidelines, few professionals are trained in exercise oncology, and limited programs exist within fitness centers. This session examines the science behind exercise in cancer care, highlights innovative models expanding access, and explores how workforce education, patient engagement, and strategic partnerships can help integrate exercise into the continuum of cancer survivorship.

As workforce expectations evolve, so must the way we lead and support our teams. This session brings together industry leaders who are redefining people management—adopting fresh strategies, flexible tools, and new mindsets to meet the needs of today’s and tomorrow’s workforce.

Select Panelists to be Announced

When sales responsibilities are spread across teams, opportunities can slip through the cracks. This panel takes a back-to-basics approach to building a consistent, repeatable sales process that everyone in your organization can follow. Panelists will explore lead management, follow-up strategies, and practical frameworks to ensure prospects are nurtured, conversions improve, and operational ownership of sales drives sustainable growth.

In the fast-paced world of health and fitness, growing your brand across markets is exciting—but without the right systems, scaling can quickly erode culture and consistency. In this session, we’ll explore proven franchise frameworks for building infrastructure that fuels growth while protecting the core values that make your brand unique. You’ll learn how to maintain exceptional quality across multi-location, multi-cultural environments through intentional training, clear accountability systems, and leadership practices that resonate across diverse markets. Whether you’re expanding locally or globally, this session will help you scale through franchising with both strategy and heart—ensuring that your mission thrives in every location you serve.

As the lines between fitness, retail, and real estate continue to blur, a new model for wellness spaces is emerging—one that prioritizes experience, convenience, and community over square footage alone. This session explores how health and fitness operators, property developers, and retail innovators are rethinking physical space to meet changing consumer expectations. From mixed-use developments and mall redevelopments to boutique partnerships and experiential retail concepts, discover how the future of fitness will be shaped by creative real estate strategies and strategic retail integration. Attendees will gain insights into evolving leasing models, collaboration opportunities, and how to future-proof their footprint in an era where location is more than just geography—it’s brand identity.

Select Panelists to be Announced 

Labor efficiency is no longer about cutting hours—it’s about elevating the hours you already have. This session digs into the real-world tools that streamline check-in, automate routine interactions, and surface the insights managers need to deploy staff more effectively. Learn how AI-driven workflows, intelligent scheduling, and predictive service needs can free teams to deliver higher-touch experiences where they matter most.

Select Panelists to be Announced 

The U.S. POINTER clinical trial examined whether multidomain lifestyle interventions can help preserve cognitive function in adults ages 60–79 who are at increased risk for cognitive decline. More than 2,100 participants—including individuals from historically underrepresented communities—engaged in programs emphasizing physical activity, nutrition, cognitive stimulation, social engagement, and regular health monitoring. Findings showed that both self-guided and structured interventions improved cognition, with the structured program delivering the greatest benefits. Attendees will learn the evidence-based “brain health recipe” and practical strategies to support cognitive health through lifestyle practices.

Your team can be your biggest revenue driver…even before your systems are fully built. This session shows you how to turn new hires into high performers quickly, with strategies that spark momentum from day one. Learn how to build culture, coach leadership, and drive business growth during onboarding, slow seasons, or expansion phases. Whether you're opening a facility or just trying to get your trainers busy and profitable, you'll walk away with real-world tactics to lead smarter and build a team that thrives.

As the fitness industry evolves, health clubs have the opportunity to become true community anchors—serving not only the already-active but also those historically excluded from traditional fitness spaces. This session explores how integrated programming can engage underserved populations, including individuals with disabilities, neurodiverse conditions, chronic illnesses, and older adults. Attendees will learn how inclusive design fosters connection, enhances member experience, and strengthens brand loyalty—proving that accessibility isn’t just social responsibility, but a powerful business strategy for long-term growth.

Select Panelists to Be Announced 

Over the past seven years, Tonal members have lifted more than 250 billion pounds across 10+ billion reps, 1+ billion sets, and over 50 million workouts. With industry-leading retention and churn rates under 1%, Tonal stands out not just for what users do; but how long they keep doing it. In this dynamic session, Troy Taylor reveals how that consistency is engineered, using insights from billions of reps to show what truly drives long-term engagement in fitness.

As cities evolve, the intersection of urban planning, fitness, and public health is creating powerful opportunities for community transformation. This session explores how local fitness councils, developers, and civic leaders are reimagining downtown spaces to promote movement, access, and well-being. Using San Antonio’s forward-thinking initiatives as a case study, panelists will examine how expanding walkability, activating parks with fitness programming, and integrating fresh food access into urban environments can drive both health and economic vitality. Attendees will gain practical insights into how cross-sector collaboration—between city planners, fitness advocates, and real estate developers—can turn neighborhoods into thriving, health-centered ecosystems.

Select Panelists to be Announced

This session explores how investing in safety culture is not only a legal and ethical imperative but a strategic advantage for long-term success in the health and fitness industry. Drawing on real-world case studies, legal precedents, and international safety frameworks, the session will highlight how proactive leadership, embedded safety practices, and a people-first approach can transform health and fitness facilities into safe, supportive, and high-performing community hubs. Attendees will gain practical insights into building a safety culture that goes beyond compliance to foster trust, operational excellence, and sustainable growth.

In today’s competitive wellness industry, keeping clients engaged and creating sustainable revenue requires more than just great classes and services. This session explores how wellness professionals—from fitness instructors and gym owners to wellness clubs and boutique brands—can enhance client loyalty and increase revenue by expanding into exclusive wellness retreats. Discover how immersive retreat experiences foster deeper connections, boost long-term retention, and generate new income streams without adding operational strain. Erik will share real-world success stories, actionable strategies, and key insights to help wellness businesses seamlessly integrate retreats into their growth strategy.

As healthcare shifts toward prevention, fitness clubs are uniquely positioned to lead. With U.S. gym visits up 3.5% in the first half of 2025 and member engagement on the rise, the opportunity to embed fitness in the preventive health ecosystem has never been stronger. In this session, we’ll explore how clubs can evolve beyond traditional memberships to become vital partners in population health. You’ll learn how to tap into new revenue streams by aligning with employer well-being programs, partnering with health plans, and supporting chronic condition management. We’ll also cover advocacy efforts to position fitness as a reimbursable, essential service—and what that means for your business. Walk away with actionable strategies to increase revenue, grow your impact, expand your reach, and future-proof your club in a rapidly evolving health and wellness landscape.

For years, metabolic VO₂ testing was considered an elite performance tool—complex, costly, and confined to university labs or clinical settings. Valuable, yes, but impractical for most fitness businesses. Advances in technology have now rewritten that story. Modern metabolic testing goes far beyond a single VO₂max number, offering deeper insights into client health, energy use, and performance potential. Today’s testing is easy to administer, highly reliable, and accessible to fitness professionals without specialized lab training. This evolution empowers businesses to deliver personalized, science-backed programs that drive better client outcomes and open new revenue streams. Just as importantly, it positions fitness operators as a vital bridge between healthcare and wellness—speaking the language of both clinicians and coaches, and placing fitness professionals at the center of the continuum of care.

Sustainable growth today depends on ecosystems, partnerships, and cross-sector collaboration. This session shows how organizations can identify and leverage strategic alliances as a competitive advantage while developing approaches to thrive across industries. Participants will also explore how Gen Z and Millennials are reshaping consumer and workforce expectations, and learn strategies to align products, services, and messaging with purpose-driven values—driving both meaningful engagement and lasting business impact.