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 fitness, sport, and physical activity. 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:

  • 1,000s industry decision makers
  • 250+ exhibitors
  • 10 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 is strongly anticipated by many in the industry. This 2-day event takes place on Wednesday 12 and Thursday 13 June 2024.

Opening hours for the tradeshow in 2024 are to be announced. In 2023 the opening hours were:

  • Wednesday 14 June 2023 – 9.30am to 5.30pm
  • Thursday 15 June 2023 – 9.30am to 4.30pm

Where is Elevate taking place?

While the exact location for Elevate 2024 is yet to be announced, Elevate typically takes 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 N1-N2, 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 N1-N2. 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 ///expect.likes.eager 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

Tickets are yet to be released for Elevate 2024. In 2023, tickets were free for owners and decision makers from multi-site and independent gyms, health clubs, ands sports clubs.

Free visitor tickets let you:

  • Try the latest products, equipment, tech, and services
  • Learn with CPD-accredited education sessions from 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

Watch this space for more details on attending Elevate in 2024 and how to get your ticket.

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 2023, there was a discount on bookings of 10+ rooms for a group of people, you could 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. 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!

Stop for a coffee away from the crowds at Costa or E16 Coffee. Or head the Elevate Hub and enjoy a networking session at the same time.

If you are looking for a place for dinner nearby, highly rated restaurants include:

There are also plenty of options a train ride away at Canary Wharf or cable car ride away at The O2.

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 1000s of thought leaders. And the programme is also completely free for club owners and operators. The schedule for Elevate 2024 is yet to be announced.

For 2023, there was educational content delivered in 5 key streams:

  • Thought leaders conference – this featured the most urgent challenges and opportunities for the sector. Hot topics included the impact that the cost of living, energy, and climate crisis are having on the industry
  • The business of physical activity – this examined how your business could perform more efficiently and effectively. Sessions looked at the latest trends, technology, marketing, workforce, facility design, and more
  • Activating the nation – this focused on how the industry can get the inactive more active. Topics covered included active aging, youth participation, the impact of inequality on physical activity, and supporting the healthcare system
  • Future performance & wellbeing – this focused on cutting edge developments in performance and wellbeing. Including uncovering the answer to what wellbeing is, as well as sessions covering gut health, goal-focused training, strength, nutrition, sleep and more
  • Moving well – rehab and prehab – this looked at the latest innovations, techniques and research from sports therapists, physiotherapists, and osteopaths.

Plus, there were workshops and seminars run in these additional streams:

  • Technogym education
  • Third Space academy
  • EMD theatre
  • Heart centred business workshop
  • STOTT Pilates – sponsored by Merrithew

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 were our Elevate 2023 picks of must-attend sessions for gym owners and operators – you can read our 8 hottest takeaways from Elevate 2023 here! We’ll share recommendations for 2024 when the speaker schedule is announced.

Future trends

When? 9.55-10.35am on Wednesday 14 June 2023

Where? The business of physical activity theatre

Industry legend David Minton, founder of Leisure DB, will take to the stage to uncover the key trends impacting the fitness and activity industry.

In this must-attend session, David will explore what these trends mean for your business. He’ll be joined by industry experts including:

  • Sam Miller – Co-Founder and CEO of Atlas AI
  • Neil King – Founder/CEO of Longevity Network
  • Keith Smith – Trainer/Tutor at klslimited
  • Lara Morgan – Venture Partner – dryrobe, Scentered, KitBrix, activbod
  • Kate Corfield – Head of Fitness Development at Ministry of Sound

Leveraging technology to deliver deeply tailored member experiences

When? 11.30am-12pm on Wednesday 14 June 2023 (and 12.30-13.00pm on Thursday 15 June 2023)

Where? Technogym Education theatre

Members expect a tailored experience from your club. Digital technology is central to delivering highly personalised experiences. In this session, Dave Alstead from Xplor will join Martin Perry from Technogym UK to share insights, learnings and practical examples of experiences that members love. And that balance operational effectiveness at the same time.

Winning the war on attrition

When? 2.55-3.35pm on Wednesday 14 June 2023

Where? The business of physical activity theatre

In an exclusive session for Elevate attendees, Huw Edwards, CEO of ukactive will be joined by a panel of fitness industry experts to examine a preview of soon to be released research on attrition trends.

The panel includes Julie Allen from Leisure-Net Solutions, Guy Griffiths, MD of GGFit, Martin Perry from Technogym, and Dave Alstead from Xplor. All bring a wealth of experience working with operators and owners of gym and fitness clubs of all sizes.

Getting the industry in shape for the future

When? 10.45-11.25am on Thursday 15 June 2023

Where? The business of physical activity theatre

This session will uncover best practices for gym and fitness club businesses of all sizes. See how your business could get into better shape with the right approach to marketing, retention, attrition, your business model and more.

With Rob Handy of Independent Gyms, who will be joined by:

How to onboard and keep good PTs

When? 1.15-1.50pm on Thursday 15 June 2023

Where? The business of physical activity theatre

Want to attract a higher quality of personal trainer? Need to improve retention of your trainer team? Want to increase uptake of PT amongst your members? Then you need to attend this session. The panel features successful operators who will share how they onboard and keep the best trainers. And divulge what PT business models work for them and how to better serve your business, each trainer, and each PT client.

With Paul Swainson, Research and Development Manager at Future Fit, brings over 15 years of experience as a personal trainer, PT manager, consultant and educator. Paul will be joined by:

Beyond the hype: Is strength training here to stay?​

When? 3-3.30pm on Thursday 15 June 2023

Where? Technogym education theatre

Join Ben Jones, educator at Technogym UK, to explore the benefits to strength training, the science behind it and how it differs other forms of exercises. Ben will also talk about the challenges associated with strength training and address common misconceptions about the practice.​ This is a hot topic for gym and fitness club owners.

Other highlights for gym owners and operators in 2023 included:

  • Goal-based training with Frank Valencia (HYROX), Eddie Dier (HYROX) and Paul Dudley (Keiser) (10-15-10.55am on Wednesday 14 June 2023 in the Future performance and wellbeing theatre)
  • Nutrition solutions – an untapped market in gyms? with Jeni Peters and Paul Swainson (Future Fit) (16.20-17.00pm on Wednesday 14 June 2023 in the Future performance and wellbeing theatre)
  • Aligning planetary and personal health with David Minton (Leisure DB), Andrew Crowley (OS Generation), Sean Nolan (Alliance Leisure), Keith Burnet (Les Mills) and others (3.30-4.15pm on Thursday 15 June 2023 in the Thought leaders conference)

HYROX at Elevate

In 2023, Elevate partnered with HYROX for the first time ever. HYROX is a race inspired by athletes who consider functional fitness their sport of choice. It’s a fantastic challenge that combines strength, endurance, and determination!

By partnering, Elevate and HYROX looked to engage physical activity professionals and operators (like you!) with the opportunity to take a unique HYROX Physical Fitness Test (PFT).

Open to all Elevate London attendees, the test offered a bespoke chance for 4 members of your team to come together and represent your brand.

Each team member completed:

  • A 500m run
  • 25 burpee broad jumps
  • 50 stationary lunges
  • A 500m row
  • 50 hand release push ups
  • 50 wall balls

We’re waiting to see if this will return for Elevate 2024!

See Xplor Gym in action at Elevate 2024

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

Contact us to arrange a meeting during the tradeshow.

Article by Xplor Gym

First published: 12 June 2023

Last updated: 31 October 2023