Day 2 of Beyond Activ Americas: Fitness Leaders Focus on Innovation for Growth
Krissy Vann | Host, All Things Fitness and Wellness
Day two of Beyond Activ Americas in New York City kicked off with a focus on growth through innovation, bringing together leaders from across the fitness and wellness industry. The panel, moderated by Ross Campbell, Founder and CEO of Beyond Activ, featured prominent voices including Jeff Bladt, Senior VP of Pricing and Inventory at Mindbody + ClassPass; Jim Pisani, CEO of Life Fitness; Naresh Krishnaswamy, CEO of Cult.fit; and Rose Minar, Global Chief Marketing and Experience Officer at Lift Brands. These leaders shared their insights on how their organizations are pushing the boundaries of innovation to remain competitive and drive growth.
Jeff Bladt opened by discussing ClassPass's unique challenge—not just competing with other fitness platforms, but with the couch and Netflix. Retaining users is a persistent problem, and ClassPass aims to solve it by keeping consumers engaged throughout their fluctuating motivation cycles. To do this, they’ve expanded their inventory beyond fitness classes to include offerings like food and beverage, spas, and even coworking spaces. These additions may seem outside the typical fitness framework, but they play a key role in keeping users within the ClassPass ecosystem, with fitness as the core attraction.
On the Mindbody side, Bladt emphasized their focus on incremental improvements. With a new tech leadership team, Mindbody has leaned into AI-driven insights, helping businesses understand which customers are likely to stick around and who may be at risk of dropping off. This approach allows businesses to better engage with their customers, making use of data analytics to predict future behaviors and spending patterns.
Naresh Krishnaswamy of Cult.fit brought the discussion back to the human element, pointing out the fitness industry’s constant battle with habit formation. He highlighted the fact that even for those who make it to the gym, staying consistent remains a challenge. “At the end of the day, you’re competing with Netflix and the couch,” Krishnaswamy said, underscoring the importance of addressing human behavior in any fitness innovation. It’s not just about developing new products and services; it’s about keeping people engaged for the long term.
Jim Pisani of Life Fitness offered a different perspective, focusing on the balance between innovation and operational excellence. Life Fitness has been in the game for 50 years, and Pisani stressed that each new product or service must be customer-driven. Their latest innovation, the Symbio cardio line, features an adjustable surface deck that adapts to different terrains, adding value for the user. Pisani also emphasized the importance of creating a company culture that encourages innovation while maintaining the stability needed for success. “You have to empower your team to take chances, but also give them guardrails,” he said. “If you’re going to fail, fail fast, learn, and move on.”
Bladt discussed the cultural aspects of innovation. He stressed the importance of experimentation, but cautioned that companies need to ensure they are actually learning from their trials. "It’s easy to be misled by early results," he said, emphasizing the need to be crystal clear about what questions you’re trying to answer before diving into new initiatives. According to Bladt, true innovation comes not just from trying new things, but from understanding and learning from those efforts.
As Beyond Activ Americas continues, the focus on innovation as a driving force for growth is clear. From AI insights to addressing human behavior challenges, the fitness industry is evolving rapidly, and businesses are adapting to stay ahead.
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