HFA’s Global Mission Expands in Asia and Beyond

Over the last month, HFA deepened its presence across Asia. HFA APAC Director Sean Tan attended SPORTEC Thailand in Bangkok at the end of June on our behalf, and I traveled with him to represent HFA at SPORTEC Japan in Tokyo and the ChinaFit/HFA Management Forum in Beijing in early July. At all three events, we saw the passion and innovation of the health and fitness industry in each country, and HFA was able to lay the groundwork for closer ties to fitness leaders in these rapidly growing markets.

We strengthened our relationships with both SPORTEC Thailand and SPORTEC Japan and extended our 15-year relationship with ChinaFit to continue our partnership until 2030. I want to thank Sean for helping us build these relationships and participating at all three events as a presenter and moderator.

There is no substitute for being in a room together, sharing what’s working and what’s not, and building the trust that makes real collaboration possible. What’s clear from my conversations in Asia is that the global industry is united in positioning physical activity as an essential part of health infrastructure.

This message will be a central theme at the upcoming Fitness Brasil Expo in São Paulo on August 27-29. This is Latin America’s biggest fitness event, drawing more than 35,000 attendees last year, with more expected for this year’s 27th edition of the event.

After that, we’ll host our HFA European Congress in London on September 24-26. We’re excited about the speakers and sessions we have planned, including keynote speakers Alistair Brownlee, the only athlete to win two Olympic gold medals in the individual triathlon, and Ian Mullane, founder and CEO of Keepme, who is one of the top authorities on AI in the fitness industry. Both men built their careers in the UK and bring distinct and valuable insights to innovation in a fast-changing marketplace.

As I’ve mentioned before, our theme for the Congress, “One Vision. One Voice,” perfectly sums up the spirit behind our global mission. HFA works with operators in more than 50 countries and more than 15 national federations to advocate with governments. By galvanizing under one banner, we can better achieve our goals both in commercial success and creating healthier communities worldwide.

None of this happens without an industry that shows up for itself. Every agreement we sign, every alliance we make, every research report we publish, and every conversation we have with a health minister or a hospital system carries more weight because of the members standing behind it.

Joining HFA, or renewing your commitment to it, isn’t just a line item; it’s how this industry protects its seat at the table. Governments and healthcare institutions listen to a united voice representing tens of thousands of operators far more than they listen to any single business, however successful.

When you support HFA, you’re investing in the research that proves our industry’s value, the advocacy that keeps regulation workable, and the global relationships that open new markets for operators everywhere. Growing our membership base grows our collective leverage and ensures the next policy conversation, public health partnership, and major industry opportunity are shaped with us in the room—not decided about us from the outside.

A large part of HFA’s contribution to these efforts is producing research that helps position the industry as an essential part of the healthcare continuum. In September, we’ll publish the 2026 HFA Global Report, one of our most highly anticipated releases every year. We’re in the final stages of production, and I can confidently tell you that this will be a must-have for everybody in the global industry.

Accelerating the Integration of Healthcare and the Fitness Industry

This issue of HFB provides some of the meat on the bones of this ongoing collaboration between the fitness industry and healthcare organizations. One highlight: We officially entered into a strategic partnership with the American Cancer Society to expand access to exercise oncology programs across the United States.

Research continues to support the finding that physical activity helps improve the quality of life and health outcomes for individuals living with and beyond cancer. HFA will help raise awareness of the benefits of exercise during and after cancer treatment and will oversee an Exercise Oncology Grants Program, funded by the American Cancer Society and administered by the HFA Foundation.

This is far from our only relationship with a major health organization. HFA will also work with the Alzheimer’s Association’s Brain Health Roundtable, as HFA Chief of Staff Mike Goscinski explains in this issue. In addition, HFA is partnering with Livelong Media, which hosts events that center women’s health and longevity, to support and complement their work by raising awareness of the benefits of exercise for women’s health span.

We’ll continue to build these alliances. This is just the beginning. The work our members do every day is an essential part of creating healthier communities around the world. HFA is committed to being your collective voice in the bold global initiative to ensure the industry has a seat at the table during important public-health policy discussions.

If you would like to connect with me to share feedback, please reach out via my LinkedIn page.