We came, we listened, and we walked away energised. Beyond Activ APAC 2025 brought together leaders from every corner of the fitness and wellness industry, offering two packed days of insights that hit home for gym owners across Australia and New Zealand.
This year felt especially relevant. The conversations were honest. The challenges were familiar. From shifting consumer behaviours to new expectations around community, wellness and member experience, this year’s sessions delivered the kind of practical ideas you can take straight back to your gym.
Here are some of the highlights that stood out.
1. Holistic wellness is shaping what members want
The industry has been talking about holistic wellness for years, but this year confirmed that it is now the expectation, not an add on.
Members want more than a workout. They want recovery, mobility, mental wellbeing and a sense of connection built into their overall experience. Pilates continued its surge in bookings across Australia and New Zealand and low impact training and recovery categories are growing quickly.
Key learnings:
- Pilates bookings in APAC grew more than 50 percent year on year
- Recovery, mobility and low impact training are among the fastest growing categories
- Consumers want wellness built into their experience, not bolted on at the end
- Brands are starting to design programs for the whole human, not just the workout
Gyms are already finding simple ways to bring this to life. Blending movement with recovery, creating small social moments and giving members chances to connect outside the workout are all becoming part of the weekly rhythm. These touches make the experience feel more complete and more personal.
Hot Tip
Ask members what they want to do before or after class. Build small rituals around those preferences to create a stickier experience.
2. Community is now the strongest competitive advantage
One theme came through loud and clear across the two days. Community is becoming the real differentiator for gyms of every size.
Members want to feel known and supported. They want a place that feels welcoming and consistent, where they can build real connections that make training something they look forward to rather than something they tick off.
Key learnings:
- Community is a driver of retention across every modality
- Clubs are creating social spaces and support networks that serve beyond fitness
- Connection is becoming as important as programming
- Members are influenced by how staff show up every day
People return to the places where they feel they belong. Build places people feel proud to belong to and everything else becomes easier.
3. Culture, not discounts, drives real retention
Across multiple conversations, one message kept resurfacing. Retention has very little to do with one off tactics and far more to do with the culture your team creates every day.
Gyms that retain members well tend to focus on the basics done consistently. A warm welcome. A strong onboarding experience. Clear communication. Staff who are engaged and present. And a community that feels supportive even during unstaffed hours.
Key learnings:
- Retention is shaped across every touchpoint, not one tactic
- The first 60 days carry significant weight in long term loyalty
- Culture must show up even when staff are not present
- Lifetime value lifts dramatically when clubs invest in staff capability and consistency
Rather than relying on reactive campaigns, strong retention often comes from steady, everyday behaviours that make members feel supported and set up for success.
4. Lead quality, simple journeys and fast conversions matter
Consumer expectations have changed and slow, clunky processes are costing gyms real revenue.
Gyms that make it easy for prospects to connect, opt in and buy are winning.
Key learnings:
- Early SMS and email opt ins drove up to 30 percent more bookings within the first 90 days
- Long forms and redirects on sign up pages continue to hurt conversions
- Members who train three times in their first ten days are significantly more likely to stay
- The first ten days and the first sixty days are the critical windows where habits form
A sweet analogy: A chocolate shop in New York offered a free piece of chocolate on entry and sales jumped immediately. In fitness, small moments of delight still work.
Hot Tip
Walk through your own sign up process from the eyes of someone new. Remove anything that slows them down or creates doubt.
5. Adapting to trends without losing your identity
Sessions on evolving training formats touched on a challenge every gym owner understands. Trends move fast. The goal is to adapt without confusing loyal members.
Pilates, HYROX and functional competition formats are popular right now. Shorter, faster sessions continue to rise. The challenge is staying relevant without losing the essence of your brand and the consensus was clear. Adapt, but do not drift.
Key learnings:
- Trends can boost demand, but they come and go
- Speed to market is important, but protecting your brand identity matters
- Members expect variety, pace and convenience
- Successful studios test and refine formats before rolling them out widely
Know who you are. Add value where it makes sense. Do not chase every trend just because it is trending. Gyms that know who they are can adapt with confidence.
6. Advocacy is gaining momentum and it benefits every gym
The advocacy discussions highlighted a huge opportunity. If the sector can collectively encourage more Australians to get active, everyone wins.
The numbers were compelling.
Australia has about 27 million people. Roughly 5 million currently belong to a gym. If even one million more people joined, the economic and health impact across the industry would be enormous.
Key learnings:
- Participation growth does not need to come from competitors
- Public and private partnerships can shift national awareness
- Advocacy can drive demand that lifts all operators
- Growing the industry pie benefits individual businesses
This message landed well. Growth does not need to come from shifting members between clubs. It can come from getting more people active.
7. Smarter, sustainable growth wins over fast growth
Our very own Commercial Director, Tayler Maich chair a panel of high hitters who shared practical insights on scaling in a high cost environment and what separates sustainable growth from costly growth.
Gyms that win long term focus on predictable revenue, smart marketing decisions and strong operational systems.
Key learnings:
- Growth should be steady and supported by good processes
- Recurring revenue systems create stability
- Blending brand building with performance marketing drives healthier results
- Clear budgets and forecasting help gyms grow with less risk
It was a valuable reminder that growth works best when it supports people, purpose and long term success.
Gyms that put the right systems in place tend to grow with more confidence and predictability, even when the market shifts around them.
Our Key Takeaways
- Fitness is growing as more people see strength, recovery and mental wellbeing as part of long-term health.
- Recovery and longevity services are expanding the market and attracting older adults with strong purchasing power.
- Personalisation is becoming a core expectation across programming, communication and member support.
- Community continues to be one of the strongest drivers of retention and long-term engagement.
- Simple, seamless member journeys help people build habits early and stay committed for longer.
- Clear positioning and consistent culture support retention more effectively than one off tactics.
- Strong systems give gyms more predictability and confidence when planning for growth.
Wrap Up
Two days, countless conversations and plenty of ideas to take home. Our team loved being in the room with the people who shape this industry every day. Catching up with customers, chatting with peers, and hearing from partners who are doing great things made the event feel both familiar and fresh.
A big thank you to the Beyond Activ team for bringing everyone together. We were proud to support the event as a gold sponsor and it was great seeing our Commercial Director, Tayler Maich, on stage contributing to the discussions that matter most.
We are already looking ahead to the next Beyond Activ event. If it is anything like this year, it will be another chance to learn, connect and push the industry forward.
Stay in the know & get business tips straight to your inbox!
You might also be interesed in…
by Toni Rennie Marketing Director - Xplor Gym ANZ
-
First published: 05 December 2025
Written by: Toni Rennie