Following a successful 2023, Elevate is returning to ExCel London on 12 and 13 June 2024. Here’s our guide to the UK’s largest tradeshow dedicated to fitness, sport, and physical activity.

What is Elevate?

Elevate, www.elevatearena.com, is the UK’s largest tradeshow focused on the physical activity & fitness industry. It takes place annually in London and the 2024 show will be the 7th edition.

The Elevate fitness show attracts thousands of decision makers from gyms, fitness clubs, fitness studios, and other types of operators. It features innovative suppliers with over 250 exhibitors showcasing exciting solutions and products.

The fitness tradeshow offers excellent networking and learning opportunities for professionals in attendance. It’s a must-attend event for fitness club owners and operators of all sizes. In 2023, it boasted:

  • 5,000+ attendees
  • 250+ exhibitors
  • 4 theatres with free education
  • 200+ speakers
  • 1,000+ products live in action

It’s held each year and last took place on 14 & 15 June 2023 and 15 & 16 June 2022.

When is Elevate 2024?

Elevate 2024 takes place on Wednesday 12 and Thursday 13 June 2024. The 2-day event is highly strongly anticipated by many in the industry (including the Xplor Gym team!).

The visitor open hours for 2024 are:

  • Wednesday 12 June 2024 – 9.00am to 5.30pm
  • Thursday 13 June 2024 – 9.00am to 4.30pm

Where is Elevate taking place?

Elevate is taking place at ExCel London. It’s one of the biggest exhibition and convention centres in the UK. And has all the amenities you’d expect from such a premier venue.

Getting to Elevate ExCel London

The venue address is:

Halls S05-S08, Royal Victoria Dock, One Western Gateway, London, E16 1XL, UK

You can find ExCel London using the what3words app with these 3 words: ///sticky.thing.senses

Arriving by public transport? There are no shortage of options available!

  • The Elizabeth Line – alight at Custom House station (2 mins walk)
  • Docklands Light Railway – alight at Custom House station (2 mins walk)
  • Emirates Airline Cable Car – the UK’s first urban cable car which connects ExCel London to The O2 and North Greenwich tube station. Show your pass for Elevate to get a single fare for £3. Cable car cabins arrive every 30 mins and it takes around 10 minutes to cross the river
  • Uber Boat by Thames Clipper – alight at Royal Wharf Pier (20 minutes walk through Britannia Village and over the Royal Victoria dock footbridge)

Driving? Use event hall entrance S3. Parking at ExCel London costs £25 for up to 24 hours and there are 2,000 spaces available. You can use the postcode E16 1FR for satellite navigation or ///cheer.events.began via the what3words app.

Cycling? There are 60 bike racks available at ExCel London. These can be found near to the east entrance under the stairway that connects Level 0 to Level 1.

How to attend Elevate 2024 – tickets

Elevate 2024 is free to attend for fitness industry professionals – like you as a gym owner or operator! You can get your free ticket by visiting the Elevate website registration portal.

Free visitor tickets let you:

  • Try the latest products, equipment, tech, and services
  • Learn with CPD-accredited education sessions from 200+ thought leaders
  • Network with 1,000s of peers and build your brand
  • See 250+ suppliers face-to-face in one convenient location
  • Build lasting relationships and partnerships

You’ll want to claim your tickets fast before space runs out. Elevate reported a record-breaking start when tickets were released. Act fast if you want to be at Elevate ExCel London this year.

For suppliers who are not exhibiting, there’s a charge for tickets. It costs £195+ VAT for a 2 day pass. A supplier is a business or entity providing goods, materials or services to support the operations of gyms and fitness clubs. These tickets are available for sale via the registration portal on the Elevate website.

Accommodation for Elevate 2024

Don’t miss out on any of the action! Enjoy all the educational and networking opportunities throughout Elevate by staying nearby.

For 2024, there’s a discount on bookings of 9+ rooms for a group of people, you can access special group rates via the Elevate website.

There are plenty of options near to Elevate ExCel London to suit different budgets. All with easy access to the venue. Hotels do get booked up fast! So, book as early as possible to get your preferred accommodation.

Options include:

Food & drink during Elevate 2024

Whether you want to grab a coffee, stop for a snack, or enjoy a laidback lunch, there are plenty of options within ExCel to suit all tastes and dietary needs. Just head out of the halls where Elevate is taking place and take a walk to see what’s on offer.

Last year our team particularly enjoyed lunch from the Bagel Factory, Prime Burger and Baba Dhaba. We hope those outlets will be open for this year’s event too (we’ll keep checking the ExCel website and let you know)!

Stop for a coffee away from the crowds at Costa or HEJ. Or head to the Elevate Hub and enjoy a networking session at the same time.

Looking for a place for dinner nearby? There are plenty of options a train or taxi ride away at Canary Wharf or cable car ride away at The O2.

Highlights at Canary Wharf to check out include:

  • Boisdale Canary Wharf – British restaurant & bar, restaurant open from 6-11pm Wednesday & 6pm-1am Thursday, located at Cabot Square, Canary Wharf, London, E14 4QT
  • Gaucho Canary Wharf – Steak restaurant, open from 12-11pm, located at 29 Westferry Circus, London, E14 8RR
  • The Ivy In The Park, Canary Wharf – Modern British brasserie, open from early to 11.30pm on Wednesday & 12.30am on Thursday, located at 50 Canada Square, Canary Wharf, London, E14 5FW
  • Wahaca Canary Wharf – Mexican restaurant, open from 12-10pm, located at The Park Pavilion, 40 Canada Square, London, E14 5FW
  • Gallio – Mediterranean restaurant, open early to 10pm, located at Upper Level, 2 Cabot Square, London, E14 4QT
  • Roka Canary Wharf – Contemporary Japanese robatayki restaurant, open from 5-10.30pm, located at 4 Park Pavilion, 40 Canada Square, London, E14 5FW
  • Dishoom Canary Wharf – Modern Bombay-inspired Indian café, open from early to 11pm, located at 13 Water Street, London, E14 5GX

Highlights for fitness club owners and operators

Elevate always delivers an outstanding programme of education across the two days. It’s one of the largest learning opportunities for fitness professionals available in a live setting.

This educational content is contributed to by 1,000s of thought leaders. And the programme is also completely free for club owners and operators. The schedule for Elevate 2024 does not disappoint!

For 2024, there will be educational content delivered in 4 key streams:

  • Debate – previously the Thought Leaders Conference, this stream will focus on the industry’s hottest topics. Sessions will cover the language of physical activity, women, future of leadership, mental health, and more
  • Generate – previously the Business of Physical Activity, this stream will focus on the business of fitness. Topics covered will include retention, social media, tech, staffing, and more
  • Collaborate – previously Activating the Nation, this stream will focus on community engagement and promoting health. Sessions will cover gamification, inclusive language, integrating fitness into healthcare, and more
  • Accelerate – Previously Future Performance and Wellbeing, this stream will focus on optimising personal performance and wellbeing. Topics covered will include lasting behaviour-change, sleep, menopause, adaptogens, biomechanics, injury recovery, mindset, and more

Must-attend sessions for gym owners and operators

With so much to see and do, you need to plan ahead to avoid missing key sessions. To help, these are our Elevate 2024 picks of must-attend sessions for gym owners and operators – we’ll keep updating this list as the schedule is fine-tuned!

Sleepers to keepers

When? 9.50-10.20am on Wednesday 12 June 2024

Where? Generate stream

Start Elevate the right way by attending this session led by Julie Allen from Active Insight.

Any session with Julie is bound to be packed full of data-driven insights and learnings from Julie’s 20+ year career in fitness. This one will be a deep dive into sleepers. You’ll get answers to big questions like:

  • Why do people keep paying even though they don’t visit?
  • And how can you awaken interest in sleepers to get them back in and visiting your club regularly?

Future trends in fitness and wellness

When? 12.40-1.40pm on Wednesday 12 June 2024

Where? Debate stream

Led by fitness industry stalwart, David Minton of Leisure DB, this panel session will explore how together we can drive the industry forward. So, we keep more people living healthier lives for longer.

David will be joined by an impressive list of experts, including:

How to win over the hearts and minds of Gen Z

When? 3-3.40pm on Wednesday 12 June 2024

Where? Generate stream

In this session that’s bound to be thought-provoking, join Chloe Kinch from Proinsight and Marina Thomas from Marina Solutions to learn more about Gen Z.

Applying customer experience expertise and sharing insights, the session will explore how Gen Z communicates with businesses like yours, how they give feedback, and how quickly that can negatively impact your business.

Gen Z is a smaller generation than others. So, to win this generation of potential gymgoers, you’ll need to know what matters to them and how they think. Get answers from Chloe and Marina.

Solving the perennial people problem

When? 11.15-11.50am on Thursday 13 June 2024

Where? Generate stream

If you’re finding attracting and keeping the right staff for your gym business tough, you’re not alone. This session will help.

Lawrence Everest and Madeline Cummings from Love Recruitment will be joined by a panel of experts to shed light on the realities of recruitment. And sharing tips and takeaways to help you find, win, and grow the right team for your business.

Panellists will include:

Evolutionary gym design

When? 11.55am-12.35pm on Thursday 13 June 2024

Where? Generate stream

Want to make the right gym design decisions for the future? Attend this session to hear from experts and understand how to meet the evolving needs and expectations of gym goers in 2024 and beyond.

These speakers will be taking to the stage to redefine gyms spaces to be versatile, motivating and aligned to fundamental that drive engagement:

Other highlights for gym owners and operators at Elevate 2024 include:

See Xplor Gym in action at Elevate 2024

Visit Xplor Gym at Elevate to see why innovative gyms and fitness clubs are switching to gym management software from Xplor Gym.

You’ll find us at stand C35. Stop by for a chat with the team. And while you’re with us take advantage of our power station to recharge your phone. Plus, rehydrate and refill your water bottle at our water station.

Contact us to arrange a meeting during the tradeshow.

Article by Xplor Gym

First published: 07 May 2024

Last updated: 07 May 2024