Industry event W3Fit is taking place this week at the Higueron Hotel in Malaga, Spain. Organised by We Work Well, the curated networking event is now in its fourth year and runs from 14-17 October.

At the opening party W3Fit co-founder, David Zarb Jenkins, welcomed 240 delegates, of which 120 were new. Around 1,500 meetings took place, with ninety operators attending, split between the UK, Europe and the Middle East.

The format involves a pre-arranged meeting schedule, with 20-minute slots broken up with meals and snacks, movement and education breaks. Around the meetings is a busy schedule of networking opportunities, including off-site evening team-building.

The HCM team started the day with Yoga by Les Mills – there was also the option of a bootcamp, or going to the gym or pool.

Newly-released in September, Yoga by Les Mills comprises four different classes – Vinyasa, Hatha, Yin and Breath. Les Mills’ Spanish instructor, Antonio Jnavarro, says the classes combine the tradition of yoga with the science of fitness. A new schedule will be released every three months.

Longevity, recovery, data and Generation Alpha were subjects of a panel discussion on day one, chaired by Justin Musgrove, with Leejam Sports’ COO, Shaden Al-Sagri; Kevin Yates, CEO of Lift Brands EMEA and Michelle Bletso, head of group fitness, products and programming at David Lloyd.

Key points discussed included the need to 'stay in lane' when delivering longevity services – such as offering bloodwork – by collaborating with specialists from outside of the industry to offer these services.

Yates said that recovery is key to future growth, with red light therapy, cold showers and reformer studios now mandated across the whole Snap Fitness estate.

Bletso said David Lloyd Clubs is installing Spa Retreats wherever it can because the return on investment is amazing. Holistic classes are also growing. She also made the point that recovery needs to be personalised and there needs to be more education for staff who can then educate consumers.

With the eldest of Generation Alpha now being 16 and already joining gyms, Musgrove said the industry needs to understand this cohort and their needs right now. This is a demographic that has grown up with technology, not adopted it.

Al-Sagri said that insights from Leejam showed that 14-year-olds don’t want to be spoken to at the gym, going against the ingrained company policy of saying 'hi' and 'bye' to all members.

Turning to purchasing, a poll found that forty per cent of delegates who responded to a questionnaire said they would be prepared to work with disruptor equipment suppliers from China and India when doing equipment purchasing, hinting at a potential disruptive force in the market and panelists discussed this trend. The price point is tempting, however ongoing servicing and partnership is also very important and could be more challenging.

Next year’s event will take place in Malta on 13-16 October.