AusFitness co-founder Shaun Krenz on the five trends fitness business owners need to act on now.
If you run a business in the fitness or wellness world, you already know it’s an industry that is ever-evolving. Consumer habits shift, new equipment categories emerge, technology rewrites the operating playbook, and competition seems to grow by the month.
The businesses that thrive over the long term aren’t necessarily the ones with the flashiest fit-outs or the biggest marketing budgets; they’re the ones that spot where the industry is heading and position themselves early. In other words, it pays to future-proof.
So, where do you get that kind of read on the market? For many in the industry, the answer is the AusFitness Industry Trade Show & Summit, which returns to ICC Sydney on 11–12 September 2026. For anyone working in the business of fitness, it’s arguably the most useful two days on the calendar.
It’s the only dedicated fitness and wellness trade show in Australia, and it’s where gym owners, studio operators, equipment buyers, and brand representatives actually show up to do business. New partnerships get formed here. Purchasing decisions get made. For a lot of people in the industry, it’s where they take the pulse of where things are heading over the next 12 months.
The event runs alongside the AusFitness Expo (11–13 September), the consumer-facing side of the weekend, which means the combined event draws both trade professionals and the public through the doors.
We spoke with Shaun Krenz, co-founder of AusFitness Industry, who shared his top five tips for future-proofing your fitness or wellness business, and what this year’s show floor reveals about where the industry is going.
Strength training is still booming
Strength training has proven its effectiveness time and time again, and prioritising it within your fitness business remains one of the smartest ways to future-proof. The benefits are well established: it boosts metabolism, strengthens bones, builds muscle, and supports healthy ageing, which is exactly why demand keeps climbing.
It’s also the biggest category on this year’s trade show floor. Exhibitors including Drax, Panatta, Gym 80, Performaxx, iFIT/FreeMotion, Gym Direct, QLI Fitness, and Newtech are all showing and the conversation has shifted well beyond the performance athlete. More women, older adults, and general population members are prioritising strength for confidence, body composition, and healthy ageing. and the equipment and programming on offer is following that shift.
For operators, it’s goo to note that strength isn’t a trend, but rather a foundation to build on. If your floor plan, class timetable, or coaching capability hasn’t kept pace with the strength boom, now is the time to invest.
Recovery is a smart revenue stream
Another way to future-proof your business is to build multiple revenue streams, and recovery is one space that just keeps growing.
Operators are no longer treating recovery as an add-on; it’s a product in its own right. This year’s show features a dedicated recovery cluster on the floor, with CryoBuilt (cryotherapy), Fusor Labs, Compass Pools (hydrotherapy), and multiple cold water system suppliers all exhibiting. As Krenz puts it, the gyms building recovery revenue are creating a stickier member experience and a higher-value offering.
The global wellness and recovery sector is valued at $6.3 trillion and is projected to reach $9 trillion by 2028, growing at 7.3% annually. [1] Closer to home, the Australian wellness and physical recovery market has reached a valuation of $194.4 billion, roughly 7.5% of the nation’s GDP. [1] This just goes to show how in demand this space really is. Recovery has become a major category your members are already spending on, the only question is whether they’re spending it with you or somewhere else.
Technology is reshaping how gyms operate
There’s no doubt technology is changing the game for fitness businesses, from automating day-to-day operations to managing members, class numbers, and finances with far less friction.
It’s one of the strongest categories on the floor this year, with Hapana, GymMaster, Perfect Gym, Naamly, Xplor, Evolt 360, InBody, GuardSync AI, and Tanda all exhibiting. But the story here isn’t just software. It’s operators using body composition scanning, AI-powered access control, member communication tools, and workforce management platforms to run leaner, smarter businesses.
The gyms that embrace these tools free up their teams to focus on what actually retains members, such as coaching, great customer service and building a community.
Pilates and wellness services are expanding the gym offering
Pilates has moved well beyond being a niche studio workout. It’s now part of the broader strength, recovery, mobility, and wellness shift happening across the market, especially with more men, older adults, and high-performing professionals using it to support longevity, posture, injury prevention, and overall performance, proving it is a training style that’s here to stay.
From an AusFitness perspective, it fits into a bigger trend: consumers no longer see fitness as just “gym training”. They’re building full wellness ecosystems around strength, recovery, mobility, nutrition, wearables, and active health.
Pilates Reformer Australia, Your Reformer, Sensol Fitness, and TMAX are all on the floor this year, alongside wellness and nutrition exhibitors Refined Wellness and The Carnosine Lab. The operators future-proofing their businesses are adding complementary services like these, bringing in new demographics and increasing revenue per member in the process.
The business of running a gym is getting more sophisticated
Finally, future-proofing isn’t just about what happens on the gym floor – it’s about what happens in the back office. Access to growth capital, risk management, and financial literacy are now front-of-mind for gym owners who are serious about building businesses with long-term value, not just busy timetables. Whether it’s structuring finance for an expansion, protecting the business against risk, or simply understanding the numbers well enough to make better decisions, the most resilient operators are treating their gyms like the serious businesses they are.
Trade passes are free if you register before midnight on 10 September, and include access to the AusFitness Expo. After that cutoff, entry is $50 on the day. Passes are open to fitness industry professionals and accredited fitness students.
Full details and registration at ausfitnessexpo.com.au/industry.
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