Ashbourne and Gym Owner Forum Hit Elevate for an incredible (and insightful!) two day conference
Another summer has arrived and another Elevate is over for us here at Ashbourne.
And the 2026 outing proved exactly why Elevate has become one of the must-attend events in the UK Fitness Industry’s calendar. Fittingly for Elevate’s tenth anniversary, the ExCeL floor in London this year didn’t feel like just a trade show, it was a demonstration that our industry is now pushing back against the challenges of this economic landscape. Whether it was the wonderful and creative stands, the fantastic atmosphere or, of course, the incredible attendees from all over our talented sector, it was a pleasure.
The creativity on display was fantastic, not (just) because it was decorative, but because it reflected the innovator operators and businesspeople who have thought carefully about what they stand for and what they have to offer. From beginning to end, Elevate 2026 was a great display of enthusiasm, innovation, and professionalism.
Over the course of two full days, we here at Ashbourne, alongside our partners over at the Gym Owner’s Forum, enjoyed everything Elevate 2026 had to offer.
For anyone who wasn’t lucky enough to attend, we will do our best to cover the themes, discussions, and opportunities that defined the event as we believe they are genuinely useful for anyone running a fitness business or active in the sector.
The Challenges Being Talked About
Retention was a prominent topic of conversation across the event.
Anyone who has operated in the fitness industry for any length of time will know it comes up often, and for good reason. This year the conversation focused not only on member retention, but staff retention as well.
There is a lot to celebrate in the fitness industry. We know members are joining gyms and fitness clubs, but we also know they are also leaving, often within the first 90 days.
The question being asked most frequently was not why members leave but what the intervention point actually is and whether gyms have the data to identify it before it happens.
Another topic that has become increasingly relevant since COVID-19 and the Ukraine war was, of course, rising costs. They were discussed with a frankness that would not have been common a few years ago. Energy bills, insurance, staffing and equipment maintenance are all higher than they were even in 2022.
Smaller independent clubs are, unfortunately, absorbing these increases with a smaller financial buffer than their larger competitors. Several operators noted that price increases, while necessary, carry real risk if the value proposition for members is not demonstrably there to justify them.
That leads on nicely to the subject of value, which, buoyed by recent reports stating that member engagement and visitations, alongside penetration rate, are all up. These are accomplishments the industry can be truly proud of, but there was no sense of complacency from this success at Elevate 2026.
Staff Retention
Moving away from member retention, staff retention continues to be more of a structural problem rather than a temporary one as some had hoped.
Qualified fitness professionals are in short supply across the sector, and the gap between what independent clubs can offer in salary and progression versus the chains or the wellness sector is not closing quickly. Retention of good staff was mentioned as frequently as retention of members and it is good that the denizens of the fitness industry are acknowledging this pain point.
From our specific focus on independent gyms, as a company that both runs and partners with independent fitness providers, competition from budget chains, boutique studios and digital fitness products came up repeatedly. Independent fitness business owners are operating in a market where they face pressure from multiple directions simultaneously. To circle back around to value, this means the case for their particular offer has to be clear, consistent and communicated well in order to maximise member acquisition as well as retention.
Redefining Who Gyms Are For
One of the more substantive conversations at Elevate concerned how the industry categorises its members. The consensus emerging is that labels such as “senior/elder” are increasingly unhelpful and counterproductive.
This is something we here at Ashbourne have written about on this very blog when covering the push for more inclusive marketing to attract new members. With not only the ageing population, but the markedly different approach to fitness these current generations are taking.
As such, ageing is being reconsidered not as a demographic to target but as a lifestyle, one that is not particularly interested in being handled differently. Gym owners who have acted on this, removing patronising programme names and designing environments and timetables that do not implicitly separate people by age, are reporting better uptake and higher satisfaction scores.
Another vital issue that was discussed, both on panels and on the floor directly, was in regards to women and the fitness industry. A panel about creating safe environments for women in physical activity helped to highlight important issues regarding barriers to entry, a sense of belonging, and of course, physical safety and comfort in these environments.
It is an uncomfortable topic but that makes it all the more vital that it is discussed and both the panel and the attendees were open-minded, respectful and engaged.
And the conversation wasn’t just limited to demographic discussion.
Another key focus was on mental health. With the role of exercise and physical activity for aiding and improving mental health being well-established, discussions on how to make this vital support more accessible, as well as what can be done to break down the barriers that are stopping the people from joining a structured fitness environment, were fantastic to see.
It was great to see the subject of inclusivity discussed not just as a statement of value, but in practical terms.
Creating a fitness environment that is able to genuine welcome a wide range of people will require specific decisions and specific action. Whether it is the tone of front desk interactions, the layout of induction programmes, the language used in class descriptions and marketing, or the physical accessibility of the space itself.
And these choices will be as much operational as they are philosophical. To that end, it was great to see these difficult topics being tackled head on by the talented, enthusiastic professionals attending Elevate 2026.
Human Connection as a Business Asset
The next topic came up a lot, and we were pleased to see often in the context of Independent gyms and fitness clubs. That topic was people. Specifically how people, the professionals working in the fitness industry, continue to be one of their strongest assets.
In an age of increased automation and a news cycle dominated by AI, it was great to see so much focus on the power and benefit of the human connection.
Whether it is the instructors or the managers or the reception staff who know members by name and notice when someone has not been in for two weeks. This wasn’t just a sentimental celebration of the fact, it represents value and, as such, a retention mechanism that no amount of automated push notification can replicate.
The conversation around mental health once again emerged repeatedly within this topic. Increasingly, fitness professionals and staff are assisting members who are dealing with anxiety, depression or even isolation. As we discussed above, often this is a primary reason for them joining a gym rather than a secondary concern.
The expectation is not, of course, that gym staff become counsellors, but that they are equipped to recognise when someone might need support beyond a programme review and to signpost appropriately. Both on and off the panels, operators at Elevate described training they have introduced to prepare staff for these conversations. It was not only heartening to see, but instructive for us and all others in attendance.
The Opportunities Attracting Attention
Recovery services were one of the clearest areas of commercial opportunity being discussed at this year’s event.
In the last few years we have seen recovery services such as ice baths and infrared saunas, as well as compression therapy and sleep-focused programming enter the mainstream. Whether they have been popularised by Tik-Tok or elite celebrity athletes, there is a growing demand and the industry is meeting it with supply. No longer are these the preserve of high-end wellness retreats.
With the right space and membership profile, independent gym owners specifically are finding that recovery add-ons can help generate additional revenue, deepen the value proposition and improve visitation frequency. Several operators described waiting lists for recovery bookings, a good indication that the service is either underpriced or represents under-supplied demand.
Community-driven growth also attracted genuine interest. Gyms, often the independents, that have invested the time and effort to create a community to support their physical product, whether through events, challenges, local partnerships or simply a culture that members talk about outside the club, are demonstrating stronger retention numbers and lower acquisition costs.
Our discussions at Elevate also reaffirmed that word of mouth continues to be one of the most cost-effective marketing channel available to an independent gym, and it is one produced by member experience, not advertising spend.
Operational efficiency through automation and smarter software use was discussed at length. The interest was less in technology for its own sake and more in identifying which administrative and communication tasks are consuming staff time that could be better spent on members. Whether it came from automated payment chasing, digital inductions, online booking or membership renewals, time-saving was repeatedly cited as one of the most valuable contributions from these fitness operators.
Gym Owners Forum: The Value of Operators Talking to Operators
The Gym Owners Forum, a key Ashbourne partner, had a visible presence at Elevate at stand D40, and given their mission to focus on incisive conversation regarding industry expertise and know-how, it was their perfect environment.
Throughout the event they were able to conduct interviews with industry experts such as Glen Thurgood from LeisureDB on the future of independent gyms, Nicolas Denby from Sleven Fitness & GymSync on Fair Rates for Fitness, and Juha Suoniemi from Neurosonic on smart recovery, results and wellbeing.
The value of a community like the Gym Owners Forum is always at its most apparent at an event like Elevate, where the density of engaged, talented industry professionals allows them to shine. Whether it is retention strategies and pricing decisions, or staffing approaches and investment in new services or software, all these topics and more benefit from the conversation and collaboration that the Gym Owner’s Forum provides.
Several of the attendees that GOF spoke to at the stand D40 described specific challenges they were facing, looking for practical input from people in the same situation. That sort kind of direct, specialised conversation is hard to replicate via a simple webinar or article, but easily occurs when gym owners are in the same room and talking honestly about their businesses and their craft.
Departing Positive
The independent fitness sector in 2026 is under genuine pressure, and no one at Elevate was pretending otherwise.
As such, it was amazing to witness that the atmosphere wasn’t anxious, but purposeful and positive. The people we spoke in attendance were there to work, and the quality of the conversations reflected professionals who have thought seriously about their businesses and are looking for solution and innovation, not just platitudes.
What Elevate 2026 made clear is that independent gym and fitness club owners are adapting to these new challenges. They are deepening the value proposition their businesses offer by building recovery services, training staff in mental health awareness, removing language that alienates members, investing in new software and hardware, all while finding ways to create community around their clubs that larger operators cannot easily replicate.
We didn’t witness a sector just surviving, we saw it thriving.
And so, with all that being said. We hope to see you at Elevate 2027!
