7 trending topics from PerformX Live 2026

Yet again PerformX Live 2026 exceeded expectations with 2 days jam-packed full of educational sessions, valuable networking opportunities, and much more. These are the 7 hottest topics everyone was talking about.

Gym operators showed up in force for the first major UK fitness event of 2026. Held at the NEC Birmingham for a second year running on 25 and 26 February 2026, PerformX Live was a must-attend.

The event included inspirational panels and talks from industry leaders and experts. Plus, the chance to experience the newest innovations in equipment and tech. And, best of all, plenty of chances to network and collaborate with customers, partners, and new connections.

There was a lot to see. A lot to do. And a lot of people to chat with at PerformX Live 2026! It was impossible to do everything. Plus, we know not everyone could spare the time to get to Birmingham for the event.

So, we’ve compiled the ultimate list of the 7 trending topics from the 2-days that you need to be across as a gym operator.

Let’s get stuck in!

#1: The capacity crunch (and why it’s a good problem to have)

Much like 2025, PerformX Live 2026 kicked off with the Gym Leaders Panel: Reviewing 2025 & Predicting 2026 in the Auditorium. Hosted by Ian Rushbury (Life Fitness), the panel featured John Penny (Third Space), Sophie Lawler (Total Fitness), Neil Randall (Urban Gym Group) and “JC” Jean-Claude Vacassin (Foundry).

Kicking off the valuable discussion, John explained how we’re witnessing a golden age for fitness. An age where interest and appetite for what operators are offering is high.

The panel echoed this sentiment. Neil shared how across the brands operated by Urban Gym Group in the UK & Europe (including Gymbox & TrainMore) members are moving from viewing memberships as discretionary spend to essential spend. Members want to spend time in club; they want to socialise and visit for longer.

This is creating a capacity challenge. Similarly, Sophie shared that Total Fitness’ The Women’s Gym has reached capacity.

The multi-site operator has purposefully limited this space to a set number of visiting members at any one time. Plus, memberships are capped with a waitlist available.

Reaching capacity is a good problem to have! The gym leaders shared how they are addressing this challenge.

Sophie shared that Total Fitness is shifting focus away from volume of memberships to look at loyalty and spend as success indicators. Quality of earning matters – building a stable member-base that stays for longer and spends more.

This has been successful so far, especially with new members. By letting members customise their package with bolt-ons, Total Fitness now attracts extra revenue from 9-10% of joiners.

The operator is also reviewing gym floor and club layouts to make the most of space available and give members what they want at every stage of a workout. This is also a key consideration for London-based luxury chain, Third Space.

John explained how London clubs are often limited in terms of footprint. So, the operator continuously looks at how clubs can adapt programming and services to spread member visits effectively across opening hours.

With a variety of different brands, Neil shared that Urban Gym Group looks at each club individually. Using heatmap technology, usage is monitored and changes made based on the latest trends.

#2: Proposition over everything

Capacity is not a problem for some operators. In the Gym Leaders panel, JC Vacassin explained that by design, Foundry locations only welcome a limited number of members and visits are by appointment only. In short, capacity is tightly managed.

JC emphasised how important nailing your proposition is as a gym operator in 2026. For Foundry, this means doing one thing brilliantly.

The importance of a clear proposition and brand position was echoed by the panel and across many of the sessions over the two-day event. Neil shared how differentiation is essential in guiding leadership to make the right decisions.

Likewise, Sophie shared how the clear brand promise behind Total Fitness stops the operator getting swept up in trends that detract from what the business is all about.

When you have a clear proposition and you know what your brand is all about, you can focus on how you can make it better and ways to increase yield, JC explained.

Inputs must impact outputs, avoid getting distracted by trends that don’t fit your business. For example, Foundry tried partnering with a high-end longevity clinic to sell a 360° membership. Ultimately, this didn’t sell as it wasn’t what members wanted from Foundry.

#3: AI is here

Day 1 of PerformX Live 2026 also saw the fantastic Steffie Bryant from gym AI leaders Keepme take to the Auditorium stage.

AI – artificial intelligence – has been a feature on the PerformX schedule pretty much every year since the event launched. From this year’s How AI is drastically changing the fitness industry session from Steffie, it’s clear that we’re at an inflection point.

AI is well and truly embedded into the fitness industry. Whether it’s solutions like Keepme that maximise sales and retention, or smart gym equipment from Technogym and EGYM that create compelling member experiences, AI is here.

Steffie explained that not only is AI already on the gym floor and behind the scenes, it’s also clever and getting even cleverer. Chatbots today can reason, understand nuance, and keep learning to improve over time.

Even if you’re a single site operator, it’s now economically viable to tap into the power of AI. The best AI solutions will plug into your existing tech stack (like your gym management software) rather than replacing it.

AI can be scary, fear that AI will replace people in businesses is abundant. Steffie emphasised that this is not the case. AI is best viewed as a partner to your people. One that picks up tasks that usually get missed (and those that are unrewarding and boring).

While AI is maximising sales, maintaining engagement, and actively addressing retention risks, your people are free. Free to focus on delivering services, building relationships, and other human work.

In a rallying call to action, Steffie told the audience that the time to act is now if you want to get the most from your AI investment. Operators who successfully build AI into their business will look for specialist solutions that are built for fitness, ones that are tried and tested, and integrate with existing systems.

AI learns over time, and by acting now, you’ll benefit from more learnings. So, reaping more rewards of AI adoption sooner and in the long run.

By employing AI to tackle the jobs that AI does best, Steffie shared that operators see the kind of growth that actually calls for more staff rather than less. So, you could find yourself expanding your team, creating rewarding jobs that bring more people into the fitness industry.

#4: Simplicity is the new sophistication

Adrienne Adhami closed out the line up on the Auditorium stage for PerformX Live 2026 day 1 with the 2026 trends shaping the fitness industry session.

Highly respected in the fitness industry, Adrienne is a leading wellness coach and advisor trusted to guide on the latest consumer trends impacting brands. It’s fair to say that Adrienne packed incredible value into just 45-minutes!

Adrienne took the gym operators and fitness professionals in the audience on a whistlestop tour of the 5 biggest consumer wellness trends:

Each of the trends that Adrienne outlined have one thing in common for gym operators. They all call for simplicity in your approach.

Make it simple for consumers. People want something straightforward from someone they can trust. Many will pay for convenience, education, and trust. Focus on delivering all three to win loyal members.

#5: Making strength training less scary

Adrienne shared that strength training taps into the longevity as a lifestyle trend. Adults who perform strength training 2+ times per week have a 10-17% lower risk of all-cause mortality.

Strength training was the focus of the Strength for life: Transforming perceptions into participation panel that kicked off the PerformX stage for day 2. Hosted by ukactive’s David Stalker, this panel brought together Charlton Clarke (Les Mills), Stephanie Heath (Everyone Active), and Jamie Townsend (Serco Leisure) for a practical discussion.

ukactive research shows that many people are unaware of the Chief Medical Officer’s guidelines which state that adults aged 19-64 should engage in strength bearing activities at least twice a week.

When it comes to barriers to strength activities, the research found:

The panel discussed how gym operators can change the narrative to take the intimidation out of strength training.

That starts by meeting every individual where they’re at. And making it clearer that strength is not just about lifting weights on the gym floor. Stephanie shared that the studio can be a great place to get those new to strength training involved.

Traditionally studios have been named ‘Dance studio’ or ‘Yoga studio’, Charlton recommended reviewing this as you adapt your programming to incorporate strength-focused formats. This can encourage younger people to attend too.

Jamie spoke to the important role that gym staff can have in encouraging new and existing members to try strength modalities. He emphasised that personal trainers should be trained to make recommendations based on the individual they are helping and with an understanding of what will encourage that member to keep coming back.

Likewise, Stephanie shared that Everyone Active offers new members a choice of cardio, group fitness, or strength focused inductions. Strength inductions are the most popular option, demonstrating just how much people value help in this area.

Stephanie spoke to the importance of training gym staff to provide adequate education to all members. That goes beyond talking to members on the gym floor.

It means engaging everyone and actively directing them to good quality content. Then consistently checking in to see how the member feels and providing appropriate guidance.

#6: The rise of competitive community

Gymgoers who’re already hooked on the benefits of strength training are turning their attention to fitness events. This is creating a significant opportunity for you as a gym operator.

Bringing together George Crook (HYROX), Mark Hartnett-Morgan (ATHX), Emily leRoux (Deka/Spartan), and Nicolas Denby (GymSync), the Fitness racing: Harnessing the boom panel discussed how you can tap into this opportunity.

Gymgoers are increasingly motivated by their desire to live and perform better. They want community and connection from fitness experiences. Fitness races are a motivating way to achieve performance-based goals, connect with others, and be part of a community.

Operators are recognising and supporting this. Mark explained that the best gyms do this by incorporating fitness racing into a wider programme that covers the basics of fitness. So, setting members up for long-term success without tying members or your business to one race or format.

Building on this, George emphasised the need to create variety. Members may have a favourite fitness race but may want to try a variety. Upskill your coaches and PTs to deliver the right training with options to make sessions inclusive for different fitness levels and abilities.

Events are a fantastic way to add excitement back into going to the gym, as Nicolas explained. Emily spoke to the fact that Deka is designed to be an in-gym event that engages the community. Many operators are creating their own fitness event formats.

Mark recommended that if you’re invested in supporting members with fitness races, look to make it about community rather than just individual performance. One gym took over a heat at the London ATHX event in January 2026. Members of all ages and fitness levels were there cheering each other on.

Whether you choose to become an affiliate of one race format, or want to offer training for a variety, George shared that the key to success is authenticity. If you love what you do, if your staff love it too, and that’s built-in to your culture, members will follow you to that racing format. They’ll feel your passion for it.

Right now, there are only a handful of gyms in the UK set up to serve elite level athletes across all racing formats. These athletes are looking for race conditions when training. So, there’s even opportunity for some operators to tap into this specialist demand.

#7: Dare to be different

The fitness industry is beige. This was the message that marketing innovator, Rory McEntee (GymNation and ex-Gymbox), shared in his Stop playing it safe: A serious wake-up call for fitness marketing session.

At best, gym brands blend in, with almost all the bigger players focusing on price-led offers. Rory cautioned that we’re on a race to the bottom with lazy marketing.

Want to stop blending in and start standing out? You’re in the right place. Rory shared these 5 rules that can help anyone push, bend, and break the rules to build a disruptive brand:

Tap into what’s happening today to be relevant and achieve maximum attention. It’s not necessarily about jumping on social media trends, look at the wider world for cultural moments and news you can use creatively to boost your brand.

Be memorable and shout louder than the rest.

The wrap up…

And there you have it! The top 7 trending topics from PerformX Live 2026 that you need to be across as a gym operator:

We’ve just scratched the surface of all there was to uncover at PerformX Live 2026. We’d love to hear what your top takeaways were.

Bring on PerformX Live 2027!

We’ve left PerformX Live 2026 feeling inspired and motivated for the year ahead. We can’t wait to do it all again in 2027!

Step into the future with powerful gym management software from Xplor Gym. Our experts are waiting to show you how we can help you scale your business.