Connected: Health & Fitness Summit 2026

Scale. Innovate. Thrive.
Connecting Health & Fitness for the Success of Clubs, Brands, and Communities.

February 18-20, 2026
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Los Angeles

Setting the pace in fitness, health & wellness innovation

The Connected: Health & Fitness Summit (CHFS) is your VIP pass to the future of fitness, packed with curated content, inspiring speakers, and plenty of opportunities to flex those networking muscles and get you ahead of the game.

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Attendees

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Game-Changing Sessions

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Hours of Networking

Featured 2025 Speakers

JJ Creegan

JJ Creegan

Chief Operating Officer

OrangeTheory Fitness

JJ Creegan

JJ Creegan

Chief Operating Officer
OrangeTheory Fitness

J.J. Creegan has been part of the Orangetheory team since 2020 and has been in the industry for +20 years. In his role as COO he oversees the strategy for the performance, support, & quality of all global studios.

Before joining Orangetheory, J.J. was a key member of the founding team and served as Chief Operating Officer at Youfit Health Clubs. In this role, he spearheaded operations, strategy, marketing, and culture, driving the brand’s rapid expansion from concept to over 120 owned and operated locations in under eight years. His leadership was instrumental in transforming Youfit into a prominent player in the fitness industry.

J.J. Is also a board member for the Health & Fitness association (formally IHRSA) advocating for our industry and representing OTF. His career in the industry began as a teenager stacking weights at an early Planet Fitness location. 

J.J. is a true power walker who always prefers to start on the floor. His favorite benchmark is absolutely the 200m row. He and his wife Megan are happy parents to eight-year-old twins Jolene & J.J. IV.

Jon Canarick

Jon Canarick

Managing Partner

North Castle Partners

Jon Canarick

Jon Canarick

Managing Partner
North Castle Partners

Jon Canarick is a Managing Director with 18 years of consumer private equity investment experience. Since joining North Castle in 2001, Jon has actively managed North Castle’s investments across a variety of Healthy, Active, and Sustainable Living sectors and across all job functions at North Castle. Having started his career at NCP as an Associate out of investment banking, Jon has played a crucial role in the development of North Castle and many of its portfolio companies. Jon currently sits on the Board of Directors of Echelon Fit, CR Fitness, Encore Vet Group, Kettlebell Kitchen, The Escape Game, Barry’s Bootcamp, Brooklyn Boulders, Curves, Jenny Craig, Palladio, and SLT. Previously, Jon served on the Board of Directors of Mineral Fusion, gloProfessional, Flatout, International Fitness, Enzymatic Therapy, Performance Bicycle, Avalon and DDF and was actively involved in the Firm’s investment in Grand Expeditions. Prior to joining North Castle, Jon worked in the Financial Sponsors Coverage and Leveraged Finance groups of Bear, Stearns & Co., where he executed leveraged buyout transactions and provided advisory services for financial sponsors. Jon earned a B.B.A. from the University of Michigan and an M.B.A. from Columbia Business School.

Gloria Winters

Gloria Winters

Chief Health Officer, VP Partnerships

YMCA

Gloria Winters

Gloria Winters

Chief Health Officer, VP Partnerships
YMCA

Gabby Reece

Gabby Reece

Health & Fitness Leader, Podcast Host, Speaker, Author

Gabby Reece

Gabby Reece

Health & Fitness Leader, Podcast Host, Speaker, Author

Robert Gabbay

Robert Gabbay

Associate Professor Medicine, Harvard Medical School

Former Chief Scientific and Medical Officer, American Diabetes Association

Robert Gabbay

Robert Gabbay

Associate Professor Medicine, Harvard Medical School
Former Chief Scientific and Medical Officer, American Diabetes Association

Emlyn Brown

Emlyn Brown

Senior VP, Wellness

Accor

Emlyn Brown

Emlyn Brown

Senior VP, Wellness
Accor

Emlyn responsible for driving the strategic development and design strategy for wellness at ACCOR, seamlessly integrating the ethos of well-being into every facet of the customer journey. With an illustrious career spanning over 22 years, his journey into the world of wellness commenced in 1996, marking the genesis of his passion for transforming lives. Throughout his career, Emlyn has occupied various pivotal leadership roles, traversing the globe from Europe to the Middle East, Asia, and the vibrant landscapes of China. He has been at the helm of group operations for renowned luxury spa and fitness companies. Prior to joining Accor, he was a senior lead at Resense Spas S.A as Global Design Director, and as Managing Director of Asia, accountable for the growth of the Resense portfolio in China and Southeast Asia. Emlyn was the wellness director at award winning consultancy, GOCO Hospitality, and has held senior positions at Six Senses Resorts & Spas where he was the regional director for Europe and later the operations director for Asia. He started his career with Holmes Place Lifestyle club, and held director level roles in Switzerland and Germany.

Joe Cannon

Joe Cannon

Senior Vice President Business Development

Hyperice

Joe Cannon

Joe Cannon

Senior Vice President Business Development
Hyperice

Kimberley Nixon

Kimberley Nixon

Managing Partner

Open Venture Capital

Kimberley Nixon

Kimberley Nixon

Managing Partner
Open Venture Capital

Kimberley Nixon is Founder and Managing Partner at Open Venture Capital (OVC), an early stage venture capital fund. The fund invests in sport, health and wellness brands that have the ability to expand from product to platform via a unique product, marketing and/or community engagement approach. Open Venture Capital began as Open Venture Studio, and for several founders we continue to invest time and resources to build a clear value proposition and a path to scalability before investing capital. 

Kimberley is an Operator turned VC. Kim holds deep expertise in leading digital transformations and launching new products to market. Over the course of her 20-year career Kimberley has been entrusted by her clients, boards and executive leadership alike to deliver against key strategic objectives tied to growth optimization and operational excellence. Her work has spanned startup to billion dollar organizations, and across several international markets for companies including Under Armour, Manduka Yoga, Health House, Headspace and Tonal.

Our Mission

To redefine healthcare by placing fitness, wellness, and technology at its core. We’re driving the next wave of innovation by bringing together 700+ C-Suite leaders to shape how we move, recover, and live healthier lives. Check out the highlights from our 2024 event below:

What to Expect in 2026
CELEBRATING THE ANNUAL #CHFS AWARDS
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Honoring the visionaries redefining health and fitness. Join us in recognizing the industry’s most influential leaders!

Learn More

Who Attends

Meet the Who's Who in Connected Health & Fitness

Strength in Community: Our Past Attendees

  • Amira Polack, Struct Club
    “FOR THE PAST 5 YEARS, CHFS HAS BEEN THE #1 EVENT FOR OUR BUSINESS. FROM THE MOSTRELEVANT CONVERSATIONS TO THE MOST HIGH-POWERED RELATIONSHIPS, CHFS IS WHERE IT’S AT.”

    — Amira Polack, Struct Club

  • BYRAN MYERS, [SOLIDCORE]
    “CHFS 2024 WAS GREAT -- IT REALLY REPRESENTED A “WHO’S WHO” OF THE HEALTH & WELLNESS INDUSTRY, AND THE CONNECTIONS AND CONVERSATIONS WERE INVALUABLE!”

    — BYRAN MYERS, [SOLIDCORE]

  • Emma Barry, Trouble Global
    “This event is the Olympic Games of forming partnerships ”

    — Emma Barry, Trouble Global

  • “I MADE INVALUABLE CONNECTIONS WITH INDUSTRY LEADERS AND AM EXCITED TO CONTINUE GROWING THESE RELATIONSHIPS AFTER THE SUMMIT!”

    — RETSY HOLLIDAY, FITBIT, GOOGLE

Our Partners

Become a Partner

We can create bespoke packages designed specifically for you – from presenting your expertise on the main stage, to hosting a private dinner. You can partner with us showcase your brand and make valuable new connections. Opportunities predominantly lie in 3 main categories: Thought Leadership, Branding & Networking.


Interested in a media partnership? We'd love to hear from you and how we can support one another to connect with the industry.