As we approach the new year, it’s time to get motivated and reinvigorated. The end of the year can be a busy time for any studio fitness business — avoid burnout and stay inspired by signing up for a 2020 fitness conference.
Fitness conferences and summits are a great opportunity to work on your personal career development, learn about the latest fitness and business trends and establish partnerships with vendors and like-minded fitness professionals. Many fitness organizations even offer approved Continuing Education Units (CEUs) or Continuing Education Credits (CECs) for certified fitness professionals who attend the educational sessions at these conferences.
Here are some of the top fitness conferences to watch out for in 2020.
Boutique Fitness Summit
When: April 24th, 2020
Where: The Westin Times Square in New York City
Registration: $149 for 1st 100 Registrants, opens the first week of December
Save your spot here.
Join over 500 fitness studio owners at the Boutique Fitness Summit in New York City. BFS is where studio owners, industry partners, thought leaders and investors connect to share best practices and learn from one another. The goal is to help you reach the next level of boutique fitness through immersive experiences and hands-on coaching that transforms your business. You can learn how to build your dream team while also discovering the key to customer retention and acquisition and fitness employee productivity hacks.
American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) International Health and Fitness Summit
When: March 12-15th, 2020
Where: Atlanta, Georgia
Registration Fees are $455 to $545 for non-members, $315 to $400 for ACSM members, $395 to $480 for ACSM certified professionals and $145 to $200 for students. You can register here.
Join the world’s top exercise science experts in Atlanta to exercise both your body and mind through inspiring keynote sessions, hands-on workshops, lectures and Master Class workouts. This conference is built for health and wellness professionals, trainers, instructors and fitness studio owners. The 2020 ACSM conference theme is “Technology Moving the World” where you will learn how to implement fitness technology using the latest scientific developments. You have the opportunity to earn Continuing Education Credits by attending the educational sessions, which integrates the science and practice of sports medicine and exercise science.
Athletic Business Show 2020
When: November 4-5, 2020
Where: Baltimore Convention Center in Baltimore Maryland
Registration An expo pass is available for free, an expo-plus pass for $25, student registration for $150, a one-day pass for $250, or the full conference from $399 to $449. The AB Show offers discounts for registrants from the same organization who register and pay together.
The AB Show is a robust trade show experience for fitness professionals. This fitness event includes over 125 educational sessions with more than 250 exhibitors and various networking opportunities. There are a lot of high energy events such as a morning workout class, competitive games of Pickleball and free throwing competitions where you can win prizes. There is also a demo stage where attendees can try out the latest fitness trends on the show floor. The classes and demos led on stage can help you jump-start fresh ideas for your facility and programs.
The Fitness Business Podcast hosts, Chantal Brodrick and Justin Tamsett, will be leading the business hub featuring 20-minute interviews on best practices on group training, equipment maintenance and personal training sales technology adoption.
Idea World
When: July 8-12, 2020
Where: Anaheim, California
Registration: Early bird pricing offered up to May 29th 2020 – $399 for members, $489 non-members – $219 members or $259 non-members for single-day passes.
Idea World is a four-day turbocharged conference with over 14,000 global attendees including personal trainers, fitness experts, nutrition pros, fitness owners and managers. You can connect with the right companies at an expo of over 600 booths and choose from 350 educational sessions where you can earn up to 21 CEC hours. Idea World is one of the biggest fitness events in the world with the goal of transforming your life and fitness business.
IHRSA – The International Health, Racquet & Sportsclub Association Conference
When: March 18th- 21st
Where: San Diego, California
Registration: There are a variety of registration options available, including one, two, or three day passes, keynote only passes, expo only passes or full four-day packages. The 2020 registration fees have not been published online, but the 2019 fees ranged from $50-$75 for expo only pass (free for IHRSA members) up to $950 to $1,150 for the full four-day package ($750 to $950 for IHRSA members).
At IHRSA you can test drive the latest cardio equipment while watching live demos of club management software and retention technologies. You can also get a sneak peek of the most modern locker room amenities available from over 400 exhibitors and discover innovative health and wellness products. There will be four influential keynote speakers and more than 100 educational sessions that will help you uplevel your business.
Succeed! Association of Fitness Studios
When: May 1 – 3, 2020
Where: Irvine, California
Registration: Sign up here $249 AFS Members and $299 Non-Members
This three-day conference is for everyone in the fitness studio industry, or for those who aspire to become a studio business owner. You can choose from 50 educational sessions where you learn where to find new sources of revenue, talk through operational best practices with experts and peers, and also learn how to differentiate yourself from the competition. You will also be able to demo new product launches and meet with innovative equipment and software vendors.
FIBO USA
When: November 4-7, 2020
Where: Miami Beach, Florida
Registration: The 2020 event is not yet open for registration, but you can sign up for pre-registration here The fees are $295 advance sale or $325 onsite for an all-access pass, or $40 per day advance and $50 onsite for single day passes. You can also pay $15 advance or $20 onsite for an exhibit pass only.
FIBO is an industry summit, education program and fitness festival all-in-one experience.
FIBO leads cutting-edge group fitness classes and future-focused education for every member of the fitness community. Some of their lively interactive conference events include Beachbody Live, freestyle calisthenics, Zumba instructor training, happy hour yoga flow classes and even kids’ fitness programs.
Attending a 2020 fitness conference will connect you with like-minded people in your industry who can provide you with newfound inspiration and fresh fitness business ideas. You can also discover the latest technology innovations and best practices that you can implement to help transform your business and uplevel your development. At the same time, these conferences help you build your fitness community network alongside your brand.