From Convening the Industry to Supporting its Operators
BFS first became known for bringing operators into the same room.
Today, that operator-first work continues through The BFS Network: a platform for founders and executives navigating complex decisions, leadership structure, margin pressure, growth, and long-term value.
This archive documents the events, relationships, and conversations that helped shape that evolution.
How BFS Evolved
The format changed. The focus stayed the same.
Across years of summits, CEO forums, and industry conversations, BFS saw the same themes surface again and again:
Founder Dependency
Team Complexity
Operational Pressure
Profitability
Expansion Decisions
The Need for Stronger Peer-Level Perspective
Those patterns became part of the foundation for BFS’s current work.
Summits, CEO Forums & Operator Events
A look back at the events and executive gatherings BFS hosted between 2018 and 2023.
2023
The Summit by BFS 2023
Convene, Midtown West, New York City, NY | October 5–6, 2023
The Summit by BFS returned to New York City as the organization’s flagship annual event.
Key conversations focused on holistic member well-being, hiring, team culture, business fundamentals, profitability, brand identity, and the future of boutique fitness.
BFS also shared findings from its Spring Industry Report, including an increase in reported studio profitability from 47% to 67%.
Held alongside The Summit by BFS, the CEO Summit NYC 2023 brought together founders and senior operators for private executive-level conversations around leadership, growth, and operational complexity.
Keynote Speaker:
Anne Mahlum, Founder & CEO of Ambition, Founder & Former CEO of [solidcore]. Session name: Big Ideas and Bold Decisions: Anne Mahlum’s Formidable Leadership Within the Fitness Industry
BFS hosted programming at IHRSA under the theme “FIT to SCALE: The moment for wellness is now, let’s rise to the occasion together.” Included the invite-only CEO Summit @ IHRSA for senior executives.
Club & Studio Summit @ IDEA World
Los Angeles, CA | July 12–13, 2023
BFS partnered with IDEA World to bring boutique fitness business education to the West Coast. Included the CEO Summit at IDEA World on July 13; an invite-only executive seminar.
2022
The Summit by BFS 2022
Westin Times Square, New York City, NY | April 28–29, 2022
BFS returned to a full in-person summit with the theme: “The Path Forward: Shaping the Future of Fitness Together.”
The two-day event included executive education, industry panels, BFS Academy training, a coaches marketplace, partner activations, and conversations focused on rebuilding, resilience, and growth.
Held alongside The Summit by BFS, the CEO Summit was an invite-only executive seminar for owners and senior leaders in boutique fitness, wellness, and recovery. The experience focused on scaling, leadership, growth strategy, and the operating complexity facing larger or multi-location businesses.
Keynote Speakers: Jay Galluzo, Seasoned Business Owner, Strategic Advisor, Investor, Former CEO of Flywheel Session name: Why I'm Bullish About The Future of the Boutique Fitness Industry?
Sadie Lincoln, CEO & Co-Founder of barre3 Session name: Guiding Leadership Principles to Build a Resilient & Sustainable Company
Originally planned as an in-person New York City event, BFS moved the summit online during COVID-19. The virtual summit brought together owners, analysts, and industry leaders to discuss uncertainty, resilience, leadership, and the path forward for fitness and wellness businesses.
2019
BFS-NYC 2019
New York City, NY | 2019
BFS returned to New York City as part of its multi-city year. Archived audio sessions from the event covered the state of the fitness industry, technology adoption, and the changing business model of boutique fitness.
BFS-DC 2019
Hyatt Regency Reston, Reston, VA | August 1, 2019
BFS-DC 2019 brought the boutique fitness business community together on the East Coast for a one-day conference focused on practical business solutions for studio owners and operators.
The event centered on growth, operations, leadership, profitability, and the business realities facing boutique fitness brands.
BFS-Chicago 2019
Chicago, IL | November 1, 2019
The third stop of BFS’s first multi-city tour brought the operator community to the Midwest for conversations around growth, leadership, and the future of boutique fitness.
2018
BFS-NYC 2018
New York City, NY | April 2018
BFS launched the Boutique Fitness Summit in 2018 to serve a gap no other fitness business conference was addressing: the boutique fitness sector.
While most industry events were multi-day, West Coast conferences built around big box gyms, instructors, and personal trainers, BFS created a focused gathering for boutique fitness founders, studio owners, and operators.
BFS-DC 2018
Washington, DC | Fall 2018
BFS expanded to Washington, DC, continuing its early work of bringing operators together around leadership, operational excellence, and the business realities of running fitness and wellness companies.
Summit Recaps
Explore selected recap materials from past BFS summits, including event highlights, speaker moments, and key industry conversations from the room.
The Summit by BFS 2022 Recap Deck
A recap, highlighting BFS’s return to in-person events with keynote speakers, CEO Summit programming, BFS Academy trainings, business coaching, partner engagement, and boutique fitness operators from across the industry.
The Summit by BFS 2023 Recap Deck
A concise recap featuring boutique fitness leaders, the CEO Summit, BFS Academy Mini-Sprints, business coaching, speaker highlights, attendee insights, and conversations on growth, profitability, operations, and leadership.
Past Speakers & Industry Leaders
BFS events brought together founders, CEOs, operators, investors, advisors, and category leaders shaping the boutique fitness and wellness industry.
The conversations that started in BFS event rooms continue today through The BFS Network.
BFS now supports growth-stage and multi-location operators across beauty, fitness, wellness, recovery, and self-care through peer networks, advisory, benchmarking, market intelligence, and executive education.
Our work focuses on the decisions operators face as they scale: leadership structure, profitability, team development, operational complexity, and long-term enterprise value.
Frequently Asked Questions About BFS Events and Today’s Work
What was The Summit by BFS?
The Summit by BFS was BFS’s flagship event series for boutique fitness and wellness operators, focused on leadership, operations, business growth, profitability, and scale.
What types of events did BFS host?
From 2018–2023, BFS hosted summits, CEO forums, operator conferences, executive seminars, virtual events, and industry education experiences across multiple U.S. cities.
Is BFS still primarily an events organization?
BFS has evolved beyond its early event format. Today, The BFS Network supports founders and executives through peer networks, advisory, market intelligence, benchmarking, and executive education.
Who attended BFS events?
BFS events brought together founders, CEOs, executives, operators, advisors, service providers, and industry leaders across boutique fitness, wellness, recovery, beauty, and self-care.
What does BFS do today?
Today, BFS is an independent advisory and peer-based organization supporting growth-stage and multi-location operators as they navigate leadership, structure, profitability, scale, and long-term value.
Why does BFS maintain this event archive?
This archive documents the summits, speakers, and executive conversations that helped shape BFS’s industry role and the operator-focused work The BFS Network continues today.
