From London to Las Vegas

As we wrapped up the 2026 HFA European Congress in London on September 26, I reflected on how clearly our theme, “One Vision. One Voice,” came to life over the course of our time together.

At London Stadium in Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, leaders from across Europe and around the world came together not simply to exchange ideas, but to strengthen relationships, challenge conventional thinking, and consider how we can collectively move our industry forward.

I want to thank David Minton, founder of EVOLVE, for hosting us, and ukactive for partnering with HFA on the Congress. Both organizations brought valuable perspectives on the forces shaping the UK fitness sector, while helping us explore ideas and opportunities that extend well beyond any one market.

Research was central to many of our conversations, with new insights around GLP-1 medications, retention, artificial intelligence, and other trends reshaping our businesses and consumers’ expectations. Bringing this data to leaders in London gave us an opportunity to go beyond simply reporting where the industry stands today. The more important conversation is what the data means, what we do with it, and how we prepare for what comes next.

Thank you to everyone who joined us in London and to the sponsors whose support helped make the Congress possible. We'll have an exciting new partnership when we make the trip across the pond in 2027; stay tuned for the official announcement on October 13.

Registration Is Open for The HFA Show 2027 in Las Vegas

We barely had time to catch our breath after London before announcing another exciting step forward: HFA is partnering with many new and exciting brands, including HYROX, for The HFA Show 2027, March 10 to 12 in Las Vegas.

Fitness racing has brought new energy to our industry and to facilities around the world, creating another way for people to train, compete, connect, and experience fitness. When we realized that HYROX Las Vegas, taking place March 12 to 14, would overlap with The HFA Show, we saw a natural opportunity to bring our communities together.

Our partnership will include a number of complementary experiences and promotions, with plans for an HFA HYROX team and a special VIP HFA/HYROX experience. We’ll be sharing much more in the months ahead.

Our agreement with HYROX is just one example of how HFA is expanding the relationships that strengthen our industry and extend its impact.

HFA and the American Cancer Society have selected 10 recipients for our Exercise Oncology Grants, which will help facilities expand exercise programs for people living with and beyond cancer. This initiative reflects something we believe deeply: Our industry has an increasingly important role to play across the broader health and wellness continuum. By helping more facilities build the expertise and programming needed to serve people affected by cancer, we can demonstrate in very tangible ways the value of exercise and physical activity in improving health and quality of life.

We have also finalized the 2027 HFA Hall of Fame class. Six extraordinary individuals will be inducted during The HFA Show in Las Vegas, and I could not be more excited about the class we have assembled. These are leaders whose vision, courage, entrepreneurship, and commitment have helped shape the industry we know today.

We started announcing our inductees this week and will begin telling all their stories soon, with profiles in HFB and on the HFA website leading up to what I believe will be an unforgettable celebration on March 10, 2027. Their stories are incredible, and their impact deserves recognition from the industry they helped build and continue to build.

At the same time, we continue to invest in HFA itself. We are adding exceptional people to our staff and building a team designed to grow the association, strengthen the value we deliver to members, and expand the influence of our industry.

That influence increasingly extends beyond the traditional boundaries of fitness.

Through alliances with organizations such as the Physical Activity Alliance, and through our work with the American Cancer Society, the Alzheimer’s Association, and other health-focused organizations, HFA is building stronger connections between fitness, physical activity, healthcare, and public health.

This is an important evolution for our association and for our industry.

Our member facilities and professionals do far more than provide a place to exercise. Every day, they help people become stronger, healthier, more connected, and more resilient. As the evidence supporting physical activity continues to grow, so does our opportunity, and our responsibility, to ensure that fitness is recognized as an essential part of healthier lives and healthier communities.

From London to Las Vegas and everywhere in between, HFA will continue bringing our industry together, building new alliances, elevating our collective voice and industry standards, and creating opportunities for our members to lead.

There is much work ahead of us, and I’m excited about what we'll achieve and where we’re going together.