THE STORIES BEHIND THE NEWS

What’s Behind The Buzz for The 2026 HFA European Congress

On the eve of the event, top operators and thought leaders in the UK and beyond are ready to share exclusive research and strategic plans to fulfill HFA’s ‘One Vision, One Voice’ theme.

The clock is ticking for the opening of the 2026 HFA European Congress taking place September 24-26, as fitness leaders on the continent and beyond are hoping to collaborate with peers to advance the growth of the global industry.

At the center of the discussion will be event host David Minton, founder of EVOLVE, a UK-based company with more than three decades of delivering gold-standard research and guidance for investors and operators who need a reliable resource of information to perform their best.

Also supporting the Congress is ukactive, the trade body for the fitness, leisure, and physical activity industry in the UK, representing more than 3,000 members and partners across the private, public, and third sectors.

Along with HFA’s exclusive presentations of new research, the event will put actionable data front and center in several panels and roundtables.

A recent HFA Pod episode, “One Vision, One Voice: A Preview of the European Congress,” revealed what to expect at the highly anticipated event. (HFA Pod is sponsored by Hapana.) The podcast featured HFA interim President and CEO Greta Wagner, ukactive Chair David Stalker, and Keepme Founder and CEO Ian Mullane, one of the keynote speakers of the event. (The other keynote speaker, two-time Olympic Gold Medalist Alistair Brownlee, previews his address: “An Olympic Champion Takes on a New Global Mission.” here.)

Here’s what they discussed on the podcast.

Minton

Wagner

Stalker

Mullane

An Education Agenda Designed for a Transformed Industry

Those themes will play out in full in London, with a schedule built around the issues operators are facing right now. The program features more than 40 speakers, many of them top operators and CEOs, who will share how they are navigating issues including healthcare integration, retention, AI, workforce development, and women’s health.

The Congress opens with a UK Market Spotlight, developed with ukactive and EVOLVE, examining UK market trends, consumer insights, policy developments, and the role of physical activity in physical and mental health.

HFA will also discuss revelations culled from the HFA 2026 Global Report, covering more than 30 countries with data on facilities, membership, revenue, penetration, consumer trends, and industry outlook.

Experts will also draw upon HFA research on GLP-1s and exercise and obesity care that examines the health and economic impact of combining medication with structured exercise.

Dr. Paul Bedford will preview findings from HFA’s forthcoming Global Retention Benchmark Report, which will be released in October. This project is described as one of the most comprehensive retention studies the industry has produced.

HFA is also introducing a new Women’s Networking Summit built around real-world negotiation scenarios, alongside a Sponsor Marketplace where operators can connect with companies offering new products and services. The Congress concludes Saturday, September 26, with club tours of some of London’s leading facilities and studios.

Registration is still open at healthandfitness.org/congress. HFA encourages operators to bring their full leadership teams rather than sending a single representative, given the breadth of programming on research, technology, advocacy, and business strategy. And, of course, the networking opportunities.

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Health & Fitness Business (HFB) is the leading health and fitness industry publication. Published monthly by the Health & Fitness Association (HFA) and distributed free to the industry, HFB offers analysis of the opportunities, challenges, issues, and news that impact the industry.

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