5 big takeaways from Leisure DB’s Evolve 2025

Once again, the Leisure DB team put on it’s Evolve event to celebrate the launch of The 2025 State Of The UK Fitness Industry Report. And to discuss all things data and the future of our industry. Get the 5 biggest takeaways that you need to be on top of as a gym operator.

Industry players from around the UK gathered at London’s Porchester Hall on 5 June 2025 for Leisure DB’s Evolve event.

This informative and eye-opening afternoon saw the launch of the latest edition of The State Of The UK Fitness Industry Report (which is now available to read for free). And included a packed afternoon of talks, panels, and networking.

Missed the event? Want a summary of the top takeaways? We’re here to help! Here are the 5 biggest takeaways for gym owners and operators.

Let’s get stuck in!

#1: This is a golden moment for the UK fitness industry

The biggest headline from this year’s state of the industry report? Leisure DB Founder, David Minton, shared that member numbers, market value, and market penetration have grown to set new records. Across private and public operators:

The private sector has seen positive growth:

It’s an exciting time to be part of the industry with headline stats like these!

#2: Change or face extinction

While the fitness industry has grown, Chair of Leisure DB, David Turner, opened and closed the event with an ultimatum – adapt and change, or face extinction.

Like most industries do, we are facing a pivotal turning point where demands and expectations are changing. The challenge is to evolve as an industry. We need to recognise that what got us here, won’t necessarily allow us to survive into the future.

We can look at big brands in other industries as case studies:

To keep thriving, it’s essential to respond to the wider world. Make use of the abundance of data that exists today to make informed decisions. Look for integrations that help you make better use of that data. Embrace the wellness opportunity (more on that later!).

Ultimately, it means thinking outside the walls of the gym. Seeking to influence consumers wherever they are, and so, creating a stronger sense of belonging. Belonging that’s at the heart of any strong community.

#3: There’s power in delivering value

More often than not, group exercise is at the heart of any strong fitness community.

And there’s one brand that’s synonymous with group fitness – Les Mills. Founder of the iconic brand and New Zealand gym chain, Phillip Mills, spoke about the power of group exercise for gym operators.

If you want to boost retention, you need to get members to visit more. Group exercise is an ideal way to do this.

There have been numerous studies showing that people who do group exercise visit more often than those who don’t. It increases length of stay and member lifetime value – boosting profitability. And even wins you new members when participants bring friends along.

Phillip spoke about the loss of members coming out of the COVID pandemic – especially older members. And the need to adapt to win over Gen Z and younger Millennial consumers.

These younger people are often found at boutique studios – pulled in by the formats and community feel on offer. The drawback is often the cost of these clubs. The cost for a week can be as much as a month at a traditional gym.

Gym operators have the potential to do group exercise better than everyone. Many low cost and big box operators are already adding new formats and introducing new price points to cover boutique inspired experiences. So, making it hard for boutiques to compete.

As a gym operator, look for ways to adapt and incorporate new class formats into your facilities. Delivering value that wins you new members – and helps you keep them for the long-term.

#4: Diversify to boost revenue

Looking away from pure fitness offerings, there’s one thing everyone has been talking about over the last 5+ years. Wellness. And how we can adapt to build on the wider change in how people think about their health.

Author and consultant, Casey Conrad, led a high energy session, talking with infectious enthusiasm about the wellness opportunity and how gym operators can diversify to boost revenue.

The shift towards wellness is already well under way in the US.

Big names like Planet Fitness, Crunch, and Life Time have incorporated wellness offerings like hydromassage, red light and cryotherapy into clubs. There are also several specialist franchise wellness and medical concepts like Stretchlab, Pause Studio, and Prime IV. This shows health and wellness is not going away.

Adapting to appeal to wellness seekers – those looking to feel better, build longevity, reduce reliance on medicines, and recover from injury – can help you tap into this growth opportunity.

As a wellness expert, Casey has successfully helped operators convert space to add wellness offerings. There are 8 typical modalities that work for gyms and fitness clubs:

With so many options, it’s important to choose the best modality for your business. Casey shared that you should work this out based on:

Once you’ve expanded your offering to include wellness you need to find a way to make it stick. Casey sees most success when businesses offer structured programmes.

4-week programmes work well for attracting new prospects. This timeframe is doable for the average person, the price point is normally attractive, and it’s enough time to start building relationships and having an impact.

With the right approach adding wellness to your offering will help you attract more customers, increase your average transaction value, and encourage more frequent spending.

All of which will boost revenue – helping you protect and grow your business.

#5: Influence better business outcomes

In the final panel of the event, Leisure DB CSO, Glen Thurgood was joined by a selection of tech experts to talk all things data. In this final takeaway, we wanted to highlight two important ways that data can be used to power better business outcomes.

Tanya Hall from EGYM shared how operators are using connected equipment to create gamified experiences. Experiences that are highly personalised to individual goals. And in doing so, delivering engaging journeys that drive real results for members who may not always feel at home in a traditional gym setting.

This data is also being used by gym operators to power informed operational decisions. From increasing usage to creating programmes that deliver better outcome for members, the data from connected equipment can help you run your business effectively.

Meanwhile, Duncan Mann from HoxtonAI spoke to the importance of understanding how people use space. Newer technologies can help you assess exactly how busy assets are at all times of day.

Often gym operators and managers are working off-of gut feel when it comes to managing space. The reality can be very different.

With the right data, you can make informed operational decisions about things like where staff are, cleaning rotas, and more. Decisions that help you deliver better, more consistent experiences for members and visitors.

The wrap up…

What an afternoon! There you have it, the big takeaways for gym operators from Evolve 2025:

We’ve just scratched the surface of all there was to uncover from Evolve. Did we miss anything you’d include?

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