The Health & Fitness Association (HFA) last week closed out The HFA Show 2025, its renamed and reimagined global conference and trade show, welcoming nearly 10,000 attendees, 363 exhibitors, 50 sponsors, and 215 speakers from around the world for three days at the Mandalay Bay Resort in Las Vegas.
The night before the show’s opening, almost 200 people gathered to celebrate the induction of six trailblazers who have revolutionized the health and fitness industry into the inaugural class of the HFA Hall of Fame. The event raised $33,000 for the HFA Foundation, a 501(c)3 public charity that works to support health through exercise.
The first day of the show featured a full slate of education sessions and a Zenoti-sponsored keynote by marketing strategist and AI expert Shama Hyder, founder and CEO of Zen Media. The Women’s Leadership Summit, sponsored by Daxko, drew a standing-room crowd, and the annual Kick-Off Party, sponsored by Hapana with music provided by BMI, closed the day.
The trade show floor opened on day two with 363 exhibitors and new offerings such as a Pickleball Pavilion, plus an Experience Stage for demonstrations and classes. The second-day keynote, sponsored by Matrix Fitness, featured industry icon Chuck Runyon, co-chair of the Purpose Brands board of directors and co-founder of Anytime Fitness, in a fireside chat with HFA President and CEO Liz Clark. Prior to the keynote, HFA honored Greta Wagner, executive director and executive vice president of Chelsea Piers Connecticut, with the Woman Leader Award in honor of Julie Main and gave Toshikazu Saito, CEO and president of Renaissance Inc., with the Global Leader Award in honor of John Holsinger.
The final day brought celebrities to the event with former MLB star Alex Rodriguez delivering the keynote and participating in an exclusive meet-and-greet and Q&A, all of which were sponsored by ABC Fitness. Actor Mark Wahlberg made a surprise appearance on the trade show floor, visiting booths and testing equipment with EoS Fitness, as they partner on a new club, Municipal Gym. HFA bestowed its Jim Worthington Advocate of the Year award on Erik Lindseth, senior vice president and general counsel of Life Time Inc. The first-ever HFA Pickleball Tournament crowned Isaiah Taylor from True Force Technologies and Tyler Wren, REV owner, as champions.
International forums ran all three days, convening global stakeholders for key discussions on industry growth and collaboration. This year’s event also featured a Global Advocacy Summit addressing how to engage policymakers in various countries to see fitness as essential.
“What stood out this year wasn’t just the scale of the event—it was the shift in conversations,” Clark said. “With the event’s theme ‘Navigating a New Era of Global Wellness,’ we saw operators, suppliers, and international leaders focused on redefining what’s possible. From AI and wellness integration to global policy and inclusion, the industry is clearly future-focused—and The HFA Show is where those next chapters are taking shape.”
The HFA Show 2026 will take place March 16-18, 2026 in San Diego. Registration opens in September.
