Franchise Growth & Innovation: LIVE From Beyond Activ With Bryan O'Rourke
Release Date: 09/23/2024
Accelerating Growth In Boutique Fitness With Julian Barnes
Fitness + Technology
In this episode of the Fitness + Technology Podcast, host Bryan O’Rourke is joined by Julian Barnes, Co-Founder and CEO of The BFS Network, a market intelligence and growth accelerator for beauty, fitness, and self-care businesses. In his role, Julian serves as a strategic growth advisor, helping BFS members enhance profitability and scale smarter. With a background that includes marketing leadership roles at Velocity Sports Performance and Oasis Day Spa, Julian later co-founded Body Local, NYC’s premier networking platform for wellness professionals. Today, he leads BFS, which supports...
info_outline
OfferingTree: Building Trust and Tech For Wellness Pros With Eddie Arpin
Fitness + Technology
In this episode of the Fitness + Technology Podcast, host Bryan O’Rourke is joined by Eddie Arpin, Co-Founder of OfferingTree, a comprehensive website, scheduling, and payment solution designed specifically for wellness professionals. OfferingTree empowers coaches, yoga instructors, personal trainers, mindfulness teachers, and other wellness practitioners by streamlining digital operations, so they can focus on delivering exceptional client experiences. In this conversation, Eddie shares the journey behind OfferingTree, his insights into the evolving needs of wellness professionals, and...
info_outline
The Future of Fitness LIVE From Beyond Activ With Bryan O'Rourke
Fitness + Technology
In this episode of the Fitness + Technology Podcast, Bryan O’Rourke shares his keynote, “The Key Trends Creating Opportunities and Challenges for the Global Fitness Industry in the Next 5 Years” live from Beyond Activ in Singapore. Bryan shares the spotlight for what’s next for fitness across the globe — from emerging technologies and programming innovations to finance, business models, and the forces reshaping how to serve members and scale impact. Whether you lead a gym, studio, supplier brand, or digital platform, this talk is designed to challenge your thinking and equip you for...
info_outline
Today’s New World Of Startups & Technologies With Pariskshit Dutt & Jackson Powell
Fitness + Technology
In this episode of the Fitness + Technology Podcast, Bryan O’Rourke welcomes Pariskshit Dutt & Jackson Powell to the show. They are the founders of Fittest, a hardware-free heart rate tracking platform designed to help gyms boost member engagement, drive accountability, and increase retention. By seamlessly integrating with wearables, Fittest provides real-time in-studio and at-home tracking, gamification, and performance insights without the cost or hassle of additional hardware. Today, the two join Bryan to talk about their startup business and the challenges with data wearable...
info_outline
The Future of Fitness Presentation: LIVE From SIBEC With Bryan O'Rourke
Fitness + Technology
In this episode of the Fitness + Technology Podcast, Bryan O’Rourke shares his presentation “The Future of Fitness” live from SIBEC. Bryan offers a bold and thought-provoking look at how industry leaders can thrive amid rapid transformation. From navigating global micro and macro trends to redefining leadership, marketing, and digital strategy, this talk explores what it takes to succeed in today’s evolving fitness landscape. You’ll hear his insights on the rise of recovery and luxury experiences, the shifting role of human capital, the obsolescence of traditional SAAS platforms, and...
info_outline
The Sales Funnel & Consumer Behaviors: Challenges & Opportunities With Sarah Harris & Hilary McGuckin
Fitness + Technology
In this episode of the Fitness + Technology Podcast, Bryan O’Rourke shares his webinar with Hilary McGuckin and Sarah Harris from Keepme.ai as they explore how the modern fitness sales funnel is evolving—and what that means for fitness operators, marketers, and tech providers alike. In their conversations, they unpack: The biggest challenges fitness businesses face today with consumer acquisition and retention. Surprising insights from Keepme’s latest research on changing consumer behaviors. How AI, personalization, and automation can reshape the funnel. Real-world success stories and...
info_outline
Successfully Augmenting Fitness Facility Products & Services With Garrett Marshall
Fitness + Technology
In this episode of the Fitness + Technology Podcast, host Bryan O’Rourke welcomes back Garrett Marshall, a distinguished leader with over 22 years of experience driving growth in the wellness industry. Garrett’s expertise spans strategy and innovation, executive leadership, business development, strategic partnerships, and technological product development. He has notably served as CEO of Fitness On Demand and President of Xponential Fitness. Today, he is the Founder and Chief Growth Officer of Wellbuilt Ventures, helping clients scale revenue through data-driven strategies, and serves as...
info_outline
Next Gen-Fitness: Innovation, Insights, & Industry Disruption With Bryan O'Rourke
Fitness + Technology
In this episode of the Fitness + Technology podcast, Bryan O’Rourke joins an exclusive panel live from FIBO to explore the future of the fitness industry through the lens of technology, innovation, and digital transformation. Featuring global industry leaders: Bryan K. O'Rourke – President, Fitness Industry Technology Council | Chairman, Vedere Ventures | CEO, Core Health & Fitness Hugo Braam – CEO & Co-Founder, Virtuagym Magdalena Szwed – Product Director, Benefit Systems Oddział Fitness Henrik Gockel – Founder, Prime Time Fitness GmbH Moderated by Hans Muench, FITC...
info_outline
ROOK: Data Integration & Its Utility In Our Industry With Marco Benitez
Fitness + Technology
This week on the Fitness + Technology podcast, host Bryan O’Rourke welcomes Marco Benitez to the show. Marco is the CEO & Founder of ROOK, a wearable API that transforms health data and empowers apps and software with actionable insights. ROOK easily processes and embeds data from hundreds of wearables with single integration and shares access to deeper understanding and more actionable insights that allows users to make more informed decisions, find better solutions, and drive innovation. Today, Marco joins Bryan to talk about his business, data usage, and the implications on our...
info_outline
Elevating Lead Gen. Marketing, Tech, & Data With Mike Arce
Fitness + Technology
This week on the Fitness + Technology podcast, host Bryan O’Rourke welcomes Mike Arce to the show. Mike is the CEO & Founder of Loud Rumor, which helps fitness studios dramatically increase membership by improving their marketing strategies through consulting. Today, Mike joins Bryan to talk about his business, lead generation marketing, implemented technology, and other implications around fitness operations. One Powerful Quote: 34:57: “If you gamble, you’re just playing off feeling, but if you play the game, you do the right moves, and you live with the results.” 4-10...
info_outlineThis week, on the Fitness + Technology podcast, Bryan O’Rourke shares his presentation live from Beyond Activ in New York. Beyond Activ is a leadership, investment, and business development event for owners, managers, and investors of health, wellness, fitness, and hospitality brands. Bryan was invited to present and host a panel on franchise innovation and growth with Emily Seaman, Head of Marketing from Momence, Bradford Smith, Chief Development Officer from PureGym, Eric Keller, VP of Support at Self Esteem Brands, and Justin Vartanian, Senior VP of International Division at Planet Fitness.
You can access Bryan's presentation deck here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1vSI72UFIcTKyT8G7yZ8jskOJaEknXvc6/view
Recap of presentation is as follows: Key Drivers of Future Growth and Innovation (GII): Globalism, Demographics, Values, Technologies, and Economics are identified as the five mega-trend drivers of GII.
Customer Spending and Attitudes: Younger generations (Gen Z and Millennials) are spending more on health and wellness than older generations. U.S. consumers consider going to the gym a core part of their fitness routine.
Five Trends Impacting Businesses:
Declining customer satisfaction due to cuts in customer service.
Generative AI is shifting the internet experience from transactional to personal.
Lack of differentiation and creativity in app and brand design.
People feel overwhelmed by technology and desire more control and human connection.
Traditional life paths and values are shifting, leading to uncertainty and a search for trust.
2024 Edelman Trust Barometer: Innovation and technology offer promise but also risk exacerbating trust issues and societal instability. CEOs are expected to address societal changes and lead on issues like job skills, technology ethics, and automation.
Franchising and Competition: The International Franchise Association (IFA) tracks 9,000 brands in the U.S. alone, indicating high competition. There's also increasing cross-border competition for brands globally.
Key Opportunities for Businesses:
Prioritize the customer experience and personalization at scale.
Differentiate through authentic branding and humanized technology.
Embrace long-term thinking, adaptability, and a focus on human values and trust.
CEOs should address societal impacts of innovation and lead on key issues.
Overall, the presentation emphasizes the need for businesses to adapt to evolving consumer trends, technological advancements, and societal changes to drive future growth and innovation. please send podcast link asap ty
One Powerful Quote:
9:45: “What this leads to inevitably for all firms and franchising is the balancing of humanizing their brands while futurizing their organizations.”
4-10 Bullet Points (w/ timestamps) - Highlighting key topics discussed:
2:42: Bryan kicks off his presentation with the five leading trends influencing the industry.
12:04: Bryan asks the panel regarding growth strategy for franchising.
16:14: Bryan asks the panel about growth focus by geography, demographics, franchisees, or mergers/acquisitions.
19:35: Bryan asks the panel about leveraging technology to enhance franchise operations.
27:00: Bryan asks the panel about the challenge in executing innovation.
28:33: Bryan asks the panel about brand consistency and localization challenges for international brands.
32:59: Bryan asks the panel about low performing franchisees.
38:15: Bryan asks the panel about franchise saturation in the marketplace.
42:36: Bryan asks the panel about their personal slogans to business and life.
44:31: Bryan and the panel answer questions from the audience.
Bullet List of Resources:
https://www.planetfitness.com/
Guest Contact Information:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/emily-seaman/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/bradfordsmithfranchise/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/eric-keller-cfe-6638a28/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/justinvartanian/
https://www.bryankorourke.com/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/bryankorourke/