This article was updated August 2026.
The AusFitness Industry Trade Show & Summit is back at ICC Sydney on 11-12 September 2026, and for anyone working in the fitness business, it’s probably 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 show up to do business. New partnerships get formed here, purchasing decisions get made, and for a lot of people in the industry, it’s where they get a read on where things are heading over the next 12 months.
This year’s event is set to draw more than 7,000 fitness professionals, with over 100 exhibitors, 1,000+ products and solutions on the floor, and 50+ expert industry speakers across the two days.
What to expect at AusFitness Industry Sydney 2026
Delivered alongside national industry association AUSactive, the trade show gives fitness business owners, managers, PTs and buyers a hands-on look at the latest equipment and technology, plus a free education program built specifically for the business side of fitness.
The exhibitor floor covers everything from strength, cardio, functional and reformer Pilates equipment, through to gym management software, recovery technology, fit-outs and merchandise. For facility owners and decision makers, it’s a chance to see what’s available to sharpen the member experience and spot where the next growth opportunity might come from.
The free Business of Fitness Summit runs across both days, structured around four themes, Growth & Revenue, Leaders, Marketing & Member Experience, and Wellness & Longevity. The event also plays host to the AUSactive National Industry Awards Gala, held alongside the trade show as a celebration of the leaders, innovators and changemakers shaping the sector
Who's speaking at AusFitness Industry 2026
The full 2026 education agenda is now live, and the confirmed line-up gives a clear sense of the calibre of operators and executives sharing the stage this year.
Friday closes out with State of the Industry 2026, a panel bringing together Simon Thompson (Managing Director, Anytime Fitness Australia), Harry Konstantinou (CEO and MD, Viva Leisure), Elaine Jobson (CEO and Managing Director, BeWell Brands) and Andy Chamoun (Executive General Manager, Fitness & Lifestyle Group), for a view on where the industry is heading straight from the operators running some of its biggest networks.
The High-Performance Leadership panel is another standout, with Nick Cox (CEO, Belgravia Leisure), Chris Caldwell (CEO, Lift Brands), Andrew Holder (Founder and Managing Director, REVO Fitness) and Belinda Amis Wheaton (CEO, Fernwood Fitness) unpacking what separates the operators consistently performing at the top of the market.
Two sessions worth circling for anyone tracking where the industry is headed technologically and physiologically:
- AI in Your Business, with Cooper Jitts (Founder, Talk Agency), a practical look at what AI tools are actually worth adopting in a gym or studio right now
- GLP-1 and the Gym, with Ken Baldwin (Founder and Director of Education, Healthy Ageing Institute), Mairi Thompson (Menopause Exercise Specialist, Body Mind Bones) and Dr Cam McDonald (CEO and COO, Precision Health Alliance/Shae), examining what weight loss medications mean for gym business models
Emmett Williams, Managing Director of ABC Fitness and Chair of AUSactive, delivers two sessions across the two days, including The HVLP Opportunity, a look at what high-volume, low-price competitors are doing to the market and how established operators should respond.
The Growth & Revenue and Wellness & Longevity tracks also carry sessions directly built around the shifts covered below, including Revenue Beyond Memberships, Recovery as Revenue, and Pilates, Recovery & Wellness. The full agenda, including session times and the complete speaker list, is available at ausfitnessexpo.com.au/industry/agenda.
Secondary revenue is the trend everyone's talking about
If there’s one theme setting the agenda for 2026, it’s that membership fees alone are no longer enough to keep a fitness business growing. Speaking to What’s New in Fitness, AusFitness co-founder Shaun Krenz pointed to secondary revenue as the number one commercial conversation he’s having with operators around the country this year, covering everything from personal training and retail to recovery services, events and nutrition. In the same conversation, Krenz also flagged wellness and recovery moving into the core business model rather than being treated as a premium extra, a shift the Business of Fitness Summit picks up directly through sessions like Revenue Beyond Memberships and Recovery as Revenue.
It’s a shift that blurs the line between running a gym and running a preventative health business, and it’s exactly the kind of conversation the show’s education program is built to unpack.
Longevity is overtaking weight loss as the goal clients chase
Alongside the revenue conversation, there’s a broader shift underway in what members actually want from their training. Fitness business coaching outfit Fitness Profit, which works with close to 200 Australian gyms and studios, named longevity overtaking weight loss as the primary outcome clients are chasing as one of the defining trends shaping 2026. Krenz’s own read on the floor supports it too, he pointed to strength training moving beyond bodybuilding to connect with longevity, healthy ageing and women’s health, which he says is why suppliers are backing strength equipment more heavily than cardio this year. The flow-on effect touches everything from programming to how businesses market themselves, with personal brand and multi-channel communication increasingly separating the operators who are growing from those standing still.
Expect both of these threads, building sustainable revenue beyond memberships and adapting to a longevity-first client base, to run through a lot of this year’s Business of Fitness Summit sessions.
Why gym owners keep coming back to AusFitness Industry
Asked what he’d want an industry professional weighing up whether to attend to know, Krenz kept it simple. “Any gym owner operator should be asking what could improve member retention, what could create a new revenue stream, how can I run a better operation,” he told What’s New in Fitness. “You get access to over 100 suppliers with products specific to gyms, all for free. Literally all you’ve got to do is register.”
For a fuller picture of where Krenz sees supplier and franchise investment actually landing across the industry, not just what’s trending online, read our full interview: Follow the Money: Where Suppliers Are Betting in Australian Fitness.
When and where is AusFitness Industry Sydney 2026
AusFitness Industry Trade Show & Summit runs Friday 11 and Saturday 12 September 2026 at ICC Sydney, 14 Darling Drive, Sydney. It’s held alongside the consumer-facing AusFitness Expo, which runs from 11 to 13 September at the same venue.
Trade passes are free if you register before midnight on 10 September, and include entry to all three days of the co-located AusFitness Expo. After that cutoff, entry is $50 on the day. Passes are open to fitness industry professionals and accredited fitness students with a valid, verifiable ABN or equivalent proof of industry involvement.
For full details and registration, visit ausfitnessexpo.com.au/industry.
When: Friday 11 – Saturday 12 September 2026
Where: International Convention Centre, Sydney
Cost: Free (pre-registered) / $50 on the door
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