King, whose CorePlus<\/a> operates Pilates and Yoga studios in Australia and the U.S., echoed that sentiment, emphasizing connection as a key part of the experience.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cPeople want more than a workout now; they are craving connection,\u201d he said. \u201cThey want to be part of a community \u2014 it\u2019s not transactional, and it\u2019s more than just showing up for a class.\u201d<\/p>\n Sullivan added that F45<\/a> has adapted its offerings in response to this new consumer mindset.<\/p>\n \u201cNow, people want to bring their friends, family, they want to try different modalities using ClassPass<\/a> \u2026 so seeing that trend, we\u2019ve adapted to provide more of an experience rather than just a workout,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n Personalization Takes Center Stage<\/p>\n For Almeida, delivering a sense of connection across Solidcore\u2019s 100-plus locations starts with data-driven personalization.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cOur clients are demanding more personalization at scale,\u201d she said. \u201cIn order to do that, we have to deeply understand our consumers \u2026 and build experiences around them as individuals.\u201d<\/p>\n One emerging form of personalization is pregnancy-friendly programming, with King seeing a demand among CorePlus members who \u201cwant to continue moving safely before and after pregnancy.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThis has encouraged us to lean into working closely with the product teams and training education teams to create pregnancy-friendly classes,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n AI Is Fueling Efficiency, Not Replacing Human Connection<\/p>\n As AI becomes more embedded in business operations and everyday life, panelists agreed that artificial intelligence\u2019s biggest value lies in freeing up time for human connection<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cIf we can get rid of 80% of tasks that are coming through \u2026 that frees (staff) up for the member experience so they can connect 1-1 with members,\u201d Sullivan said.\u00a0<\/p>\n Fitness and wellness brands can also leverage AI to help with long-term planning.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m using it more for research and demographics and helping franchisees when we\u2019re looking at different areas to branch out with our next location,\u201d Organic Bronze Bar<\/a>\u2018s Van Auken shared.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re using AI \u2026 to understand what types of classes at what time should be on the schedule, who should coach those classes, getting really smart about schedule optimization,\u201d Almeida added. \u201cWe\u2019re using it in client experience, member retention and engagement, and then a small example that we have recently launched is AI-moderated client interview panels.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s certainly not a replacement for human insights, but for quick and dirty insights, it\u2019s pretty powerful,\u201d she added.\u00a0<\/p>\n Word of Mouth Still Rules<\/p>\n Despite advances in tech, old-fashioned word of mouth remains the most powerful growth driver for fitness and wellness brands, the panelists noted.\u00a0<\/p>\n See Also<\/p>\n![\"F45](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/2024-09_Recovery_By_F45_Recovery_Space_2-1024x683.jpg\")
F45 studios can now offer cold plunges and saunas, a move to expand beyond fitness (credit: F45 Training)<\/p>\n![\"interior](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/image2-1024x683.webp.webp\")
credit: [solidcore]<\/p>\n
![\"Person](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Egym-180x180.webp.webp\")
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