One of the highlights of The HFA Show every year is the Women’s Leadership Summit. This popular panel discussion has evolved over the years as more women occupy C-suite positions in the industry and have increased their presence as entrepreneurs, especially in the studio category.

As the industry continues to expand its service portfolio in wellness and holistic health, more fitness facilities and suppliers are keying in on women’s health objectives. Greater access to biometric data from wearables and other devices are making consumers more aware of their health status beyond fitness. Operators are now confronting a trend where more female clients are increasingly seeking to improve mental wellness and achieve other goals, such as healthy aging, hormonal health, and stress relief.

According to HFA research, fitness facilities serve a gender split that is nearly 50/50, with more women than men using studio facilities. The question is: Are operators and their partner suppliers doing enough to attend to the specific needs and holistic health objectives of half of their membership base?

At the Women’s Leadership Summit (Monday, March 16, 5 to 6:15 p.m.), this subject will be explored under the title: "Women’s Health Rising: The Inflection Point" (sponsored by Daxko). Moderator Pamela Kufahl, HFA’s senior director of communications, will lead the discussion, which will cover how investment, science, and fitness are converging to shape a more inclusive and impactful future for women’s health and longevity.

Panelists are:

· Annbeth Eschbach, co-founder, ResetOne

· Ann Gilbert, owner, Fit-Her Health & Fitness For Women

· Dr. Roohi Jeelani, CEO, Onto Health

· Omair Khan, partner, ARTIS Ventures

This group represents a healthy cross-section of viewpoints from experienced leaders who have seen these trends take hold to newer industry voices who are helping to shape the new reality for women in the fitness sector.

The discussion will be followed by a networking hour.

HFB will have a detailed report on the panel discussion in the April issue.