What Enterprise Fitness Operators Should Do Next: 7 Takeaways from ATN Innovation Summit

Every year, the Athletec Innovation Summit brings together many of the people shaping the future of fitness. Founders, franchise leaders, operators, investors, marketers, and technology partners all come together to exchange ideas, challenge assumptions, and share what they’re seeing across the industry.

Many of our customers were in those same rooms, and what stood out to me most wasn’t necessarily any one trend or technology. It was how often conversations came back to the same challenge: as brands grow, how do they continue delivering the kind of experiences that made them successful in the first place?

Consumers expect more personalization. Competition continues to expand. Discovery is changing, and expectations around service and hospitality are higher than ever. The brands that will thrive over the next decade won’t simply be the ones that recognize these shifts. They’ll be the ones that build the systems and processes necessary to deliver exceptional experiences consistently, while still empowering operators to create meaningful relationships within their local communities.

Here are seven themes that stood out, and what I believe they mean for enterprise fitness brands.

1. Strength has become the new aspiration

During his session, Kevin Tadmori of Meta shared that getting stronger has officially surpassed weight loss as America’s number one fitness goal. That shift says a lot about how consumers are redefining health and what they value from fitness brands.

People are still motivated by results, but increasingly those results are tied to longevity, mobility, confidence, resilience, and feeling capable in everyday life. For operators, this represents more than a messaging opportunity. It creates an opportunity to rethink how programs are positioned, how coaches talk about progress, and how brands define success for their members.

The brands that will continue building loyalty are the ones that connect fitness to a bigger purpose. Strength, confidence, and healthy habits create deeper and more sustainable relationships than short-term transformation promises ever could.

2. The strongest brands scale without losing their local connection

Sarah Luna of Pilates Addiction shared something that resonated with me because it reflects what we’ve consistently seen among successful operators: the strongest franchisees are deeply embedded in their communities. They show up at local events, support youth sports, and build relationships outside the four walls of their studios.

As brands grow, there can be a tendency to think scale and standardization are the primary goals. But what struck me during this conversation is that scale doesn’t replace community – it should enable it. The best franchise systems create consistency in the areas that matter most while giving operators the flexibility to foster authentic relationships in their local markets.

Corporate provides the playbook. Operators bring it to life. Technology should support that balance, not get in the way of it.

3. Awareness isn’t the challenge anymore – execution is

During the Pilates discussion, Bryan Myers of [solidcore] shared an interesting perspective on category growth. As modalities become more mainstream, awareness naturally expands. More consumers are exposed to Pilates, strength training, and boutique fitness experiences than ever before.

That creates opportunity, but awareness alone doesn’t create loyal members.

As brands scale, execution becomes increasingly important. Are leads receiving timely follow-up? Does every location deliver a consistent first experience? Is the first thirty days designed to help members establish habits that keep them engaged?

Those questions matter because growth isn’t simply about generating demand. It’s about converting curiosity into loyalty. The brands that create repeatable systems around onboarding and member engagement will ultimately outperform brands that rely solely on acquisition.

4. Discovery Has Become More Fragmented, and Consistency Matters More Than Ever

Aundrea Bentley of [solidcore] talked about how dramatically consumer discovery has changed. People are finding brands through TikTok, Reddit, creators, AI tools, reviews, and community conversations. It’s no longer just Google.

What struck me wasn’t simply that channels are changing. It’s that consumers are asking questions long before they ever walk through your doors. They want to know whether they’re a good fit, what to expect, which membership is right for them, and whether they’ll feel comfortable getting started.

For enterprise brands, this creates a new challenge. You can’t control every place people discover your business, but you can ensure that your message, experience, and value proposition are consistent wherever people encounter your brand.

The strongest organizations are equipping franchisees and local operators with the tools, content, and systems necessary to answer those questions consistently and confidently.

5. Retention starts with understanding why members leave

One of the most valuable observations from the summit came from Nat Straub at Jetset Pilates. She reminded operators that knowing someone stopped coming isn’t enough. The more important question is understanding why.

It’s easy to think about retention in broad terms, but the reality is that members leave for very different reasons. Some struggle with scheduling. Some lose motivation. Others never fully established a habit in the first place. Treating all inactive members the same often leads to generic win-back efforts that miss the mark.

The operators seeing the strongest retention outcomes are increasingly using member behavior to identify early signs of disengagement and tailor outreach accordingly. They understand that retention isn’t just about bringing people back after they’ve left. It’s about recognizing changes in behavior before someone leaves in the first place.

That shift – from reacting to churn to proactively identifying risk – is where some of the biggest opportunities for growth exist today.

6. Hospitality Is Becoming the Competitive Advantage

Jeremy Mustakas of Jean-Georges Restaurants brought a hospitality perspective that felt particularly relevant for fitness. One idea that stood out was that luxury isn’t always about excess. Often, it’s about continuity.

Members shouldn’t feel like they’re starting over every time they walk through the door.

As competition increases, experience becomes one of the few differentiators that competitors can’t easily replicate. Consistency across locations, seamless check-in, recognizing milestones, respecting members’ time, and making people feel known all contribute to the experience members remember.

For enterprise brands especially, hospitality isn’t just about exceptional service at one location. It’s about creating operational consistency that allows every location to deliver on the promise of the brand.

The details matter because those details shape how members feel, and ultimately how long they stay.

7. Personalization at Scale Is What’s Next

One of my favorite conversations from ATN was with Chris Farnsworth at LiveMetta, who talked about how the next evolution of technology isn’t simply automation—it’s better timing and more relevant experiences.

As tools mature, operators have an opportunity to understand when members typically lose momentum and intervene before disengagement turns into churn. Whether it’s recognizing declining attendance, celebrating milestones, or reconnecting with someone through a message from a favorite instructor, personalization is becoming less about broad segments and more about individual moments.

For enterprise brands, the challenge is creating systems that help every location deliver those moments consistently. The future won’t belong to brands that automate the most communication. It will belong to brands that use technology to make members feel known, supported, and connected—at scale. The brands that win will be the ones that recognize those moments early and respond in ways that feel genuinely human.

The Opportunity Ahead

The biggest takeaway I left with wasn’t that our industry needs more innovation. It was that our industry needs more operational excellence.

Most enterprise operators already understand where fitness is headed. Consumers want personalization. They expect hospitality. They want stronger communities and experiences that feel both premium and local.

The challenge isn’t identifying those trends. It’s delivering on them consistently across every location, every team, and every member interaction.

That’s where systems matter.

Because the brands that win the next decade won’t simply have the best ideas. They’ll be the ones that turn those ideas into repeatable experiences, and give operators more visibility, franchisees more support, and teams more time to focus on what matters most: building the relationships that keep members coming back.