The 22nd annual HFA European Congress, held at the historic Beurs van Berlage, brought together more than 300 leaders from 30 countries for three days of insights, networking, and collaboration aimed at shaping the future of global fitness and wellness. The event reaffirmed its status as one of Europe’s premier gatherings for health and fitness professionals seeking cutting-edge keynotes and panels, and high-level networking.

A High-Energy Opening

The Congress opened with welcoming remarks from HFA President and CEO Liz Clark and Theo Hendriks, founder of Sports and Leisure Group, who served as the event’s local host. Clark praised the spirit of collaboration that defined the 2025 gathering, noting that the shared ambition among attendees reflected the sector’s growing global influence on public health.

“Leaders from more than 30 countries came together to share transformative ideas and expand their view of how our industry can shape the future of global health,” Clark said. “The energy and collaboration here are truly inspiring.”

Keynote Insights

The first day featured two of the most talked-about keynote presentations in Congress history.

Phillip Mills, founder of Les Mills International, delivered an inspiring session on the power of reinvention, tracing how his New Zealand-based company transformed group exercise into a global movement through innovation and passion. Mills explored how staying adaptable and authentic has allowed Les Mills to continue leading the fitness revolution for more than four decades. Mills’ legendary status in the industry was solidified recently when he was named a member of the second class of inductees to the HFA Hall of Fame.

Later, futurist and technology entrepreneur Christian Kromme delivered a provocative keynote, “How to Stay Human in a Digital Era,” urging fitness leaders to embrace technology without losing empathy, purpose, and creativity. His message, counterintuitive in an AI-obsessed world, challenged the audience to retain the human touch points that have elevated the fitness industry to an important role in the global healthcare continuum.

In a compelling fireside chat, Clive Chesser, CEO of PureGym, spoke with Clark about how the UK-based brand became one of the largest global fitness businesses. (An interview with Chesser appeared in the October 2025 issue of HFB.)

Global Advocacy Summit Sets a Powerful Agenda

The research and public policy sessions reflected a clear theme across the Congress: the convergence of wellness, sustainability, and technology as the next great frontiers of the fitness industry.

Front and center was the first Global Advocacy Summit at the event. This discussion added a powerful new policy dimension to this year’s program. Moderated by Mike Goscinski, HFA chief of staff, the summit featured influential policy experts, including Caroline Brooks, head of physical activity for the World Federation of the Sporting Goods Industry; David Panger, head of corporate affairs and social impact of the Dutch Football Association; Rokas Morkunas, director of policy and member engagement of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development; and Anton Severin, HFA vice president of research. Panelists explored how national federations and governments can collaborate to advance HFA’s Active by 2030 initiative, which seeks to boost physical activity participation.

The session underscored how advocacy is becoming an essential part of the fitness ecosystem. From leveraging sporting events as catalysts for participation to integrating physical activity into healthcare policy, the discussion set a clear road map for industry-government cooperation.

In addition, Severin presented an immersive session on data and insights from HFA research, including the 2025 HFA Global Report. The information was the perfect complement to public policy proposals discussed at the Global Advocacy Summit and gave attendees actionable takeaways to help integrate the fitness sector with public health initiatives.

Expert Sessions: From Finance to Future Work

Beyond the main stage, attendees engaged in deep-dive sessions on topics ranging from high-level finance to emerging workforce trends.

The financial panel on merger and acquisition analyzed investment flows into women’s health, longevity, and digital wellness, with insights from Dag Lee, chairman of Nile and co-founder of DBI Network. Other standout sessions included:

● “Harnessing the Power of Gen Z and Alpha’s Interest in Fitness” featured Bryce Hastings of Les Mills and Marjolijn Meijer of Urban Gym Group exploring youth-driven wellness trends and the rise of the “sober-curious” movement.

● “Exercise as Medicine,” led by Dr. James Fisher, Natalia Karbasova, and Patrik Meier, showcased how collaboration between medical and fitness professionals is redefining preventive healthcare.

● “The Power of Partnerships” gave Gabriel Domingo of Claror and Petra Hans of the World Wildlife Federation the opportunity to share how cross-sector collaborations can amplify social impact.

● “Workplace Well-Being” featured Jas Genesis with Wellhub, who discussed the explosive growth of corporate wellness and the evolving strategies of Wellhub and EGYM.