Health and Fitness Association Trade Show 2026- Insights and Takeaways
After attending the show last year and feeling like the educational seminars/workshops weren’t that valuable, we decided to go with the tradeshow only, along with a supplier seminar about running economy (sponsored by Technogym). Overall, the tradeshow met our expectations from an equipment innovation standpoint, but the “vibe” was one of an industry shift. Of course, AI was everywhere and most companies were trying to implement it in some form. Whether it was equipment manufacturers (Technogym, EGym, Matrix, and Life Fitness) counting repetitions on a leg press machine and utilizing AI to give exercise prescriptions for future workouts, or software companies (ABC, Hapana, Daxko) trying to leverage AI to create more engagement for their clients’ businesses and improve retention.
The majority of the value came from conversations with different vendors as we discussed whether or not their product fit within our business model and our facility overall. With each talk, our own definition of the Fitness Clinic’s business model and our core operational nuances became increasingly crystallized and concise, which was valuable in and of itself. Perhaps the most interesting trend came from our talks with software companies regarding a way to integrate our team calendar with billing and some client relationship management (CRM) capabilities. It turns out that our model is quite unique, which we looked at as a feature, not a bug. The fact that we bill in arrears, have no contractual agreements or recurring payments, and our client base demonstrates exceptional financial reliability, with virtually no payment defaults, led to both quizzical and surprised reactions from our many interactions with software salespersons and engineers alike.
Unexpected Insight: Our billing and contract philosophy (In Arrears / No Contracts) was a significant point of interest. It consistently surprised industry insiders, serving as a powerful testament to our client loyalty and financial stability compared to the industry-standard 'lock-in' models. While others are focused on 'capturing' revenue, we demonstrated that high-trust partnerships lead to better fiscal reliability than any software-enforced billing cycle.
We also noticed a large proportion of the floorspace dedicated to recovery modalities, which felt like a high-margin additional revenue stream for big-box facilities. Technology is receiving a disproportionate amount of money and attention from the industry for a relatively small impact on the overall consumer experience. Rather than companies focusing on increasing the build quality, biomechanical compatibility with the user, and warranty coverage, screens, technology, and AI integration are becoming the excessive cost.
While it was helpful to observe the different trends in the industry, and establish relationships with our regional equipment manufacturer representatives, this year’s HFA show felt similar to previous years. A lot of attempts to reinvent the wheel, some technological novelty and innovation, combined with a seemingly endless lineup of AI and AI integrated products/services. Our intuition is that as technology and AI are infused into all aspects of our lives (exercise and fitness included), we will place more and more value and importance into the human connections and in-person experiences that make us feel alive and connected to something other than Wi-Fi. This is the space the Fitness Clinic has traditionally defined for itself, and it’s where we intend to stay—operating with the same quiet reliability that our clients have come to count on.
Happy to be back at home, we missed you all!
In health,
Sam and Luke
