Bryan O'Rourke and the Fitness Industry Technology Council share this recap of 5 key trends that technology is driving in 2021 and beyond.

1. F I T C 2 0 2 1 F I T N E S S I N D U S T R Y T E C H N O L O G Y C O U N C I L T R E N D R E P O R T | W W W . F I T T E C H C O U N C I L . O R G
2021 FITNESS INDUSTRY
TECHNOLOGY COUNCIL TRENDS
REPORT
F I V E U N D E R LY I N G T R E N D S W I L L I N C R E A S I N G LY D R I V E T H E
W E L L B E I N G & F I T N E S S I N D U S T R Y I N 2 0 2 0 A N D B E Y O N D
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2. ABOUT FIT-C
E S T. 2 0 0 8
For twelve years the fitness industry technology council has been working with
innovators in the fitness industry to promote the responsible and effective adoption of
technology to enhance user experience, improve business models, and grow the
marketplace.
Over forty global brands provide their support, including fitness operators, equipment
manufacturers, associations, executives, and technology developers for their insights,
contributions, and collaboration. We thanks those brands and their leadership.
Every year we release our key trends report for free to the world and provide resources
to support increased adoption of innovative technologies. We hope you like it.
If you would like to get involved let us know info@fittechcouncil.org and follow us
@fittechcouncil on most digital networks.
We are a 501(c)6 non-profit that has the support and involvement of
leading global wellbeing, and fitness technology brands. We spend all of
our funds on educating and supporting the adoption of technology to
enhance user experience, improve business models, and growth the
marketplace. We have no administrative overhead costs.
A Non-Profit Consortium
Over 20,000 fitness professionals and decision makers receive our
monthly newsletters, with tens of thousands listening to our Fitness +
Technology Podcast weekly. Our videos and presentations around the
world also share thought leadership and best practices on tech adoption.
Information Resources
Our board of directors include global technology leaders: Kelly Card of
ABC Financial, Ted Vickey of FitWell, LLC, John Ford of eGym, Sharad
Mohan of Trainerize, Craig Miller of Planet Fitness, and Bryan O’Rourke of
Vedere Ventures. We thank them for their leadership and contributions.
Leading Board Of Directors
FITTECHCOUNCIL.COM @FITTECHCOUNCIL

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2021 TRENDS IN CONTEXT
A C C E L E R AT I N G D I S P E R S I O N
Disruption has been a popular term used to describe what has been happening in health and
fitness as a result of technology which in 2020 the COVID-19 pandemic only accelerated.
Professor Scott Galloway used the term “dispersion” in a recent newsletter; “Dispersion is the
distribution of products and services over a wider area where and when they’re needed most,
bypassing gatekeepers and removing unnecessary friction and cost. This year, companies
bypassed traditional channels of distribution like stores, movie theaters, and gyms in favor of
faster, contactless deliveries and digital unlocks.” The professor’s assessment in correct.
As his graphic to the right depicts, residential real estate and the companies that serve it are
benefiting while commercial real estate and the businesses that rely on it are suffering. This is
but one industry example, you can see health and fitness example on the next page. Our fitness
trend “#1 Technology Rules”. No longer will brands that do not rely have technology as their main
focus of product and service delivery excel.
Dispersion also creates a value transfer from businesses that do not benefit from dispersion to
those that do; thus creating a world of the #2 trend “The Haves and Have Nots”. The capital
markets reflect valuation disparity with much higher values for companies that are winners of
dispersion, at an accelerating rate and the recent surge of Peloton is a great example.
REAL ESTATE DISPERSION
@PROFGALLOWAY

4. +
2021 TRENDS IN CONTEXT
A C C E L E R AT I N G D I S P E R S I O N
As the Health and Fitness Dispersion graph on the right reflects, our trend #3 “The Big Tech
Battles” also reveals dispersion with digital in health and fitness being targeted by Apple,
Amazon, Google, and Oculus via Facebook. Of course Zwift, Peloton, and Noom represent a
few of the many who have leveraged dispersion trends in fitness as well. There are of course
others. Sadly traditional bricks and mortar gyms are rushing to reinvent themselves with brands
like Gold’s, 24Hour, Town Sports, and others emerging from bankruptcy. As well, YMCAs are
hurting despite their non-profit status with hospital systems profits like those at HCA suffer.
Included in the dispersion trend is also health or “sick” care, with traditional health systems
suffering while new emergent digital solutions are targeting the distribution of pharmaceuticals
(Amazon), the delivery of medical services remotely (Teladoc), and the digitization of health
information and records (Apple) as well; hence our trend #4 the “Wellbeing Shift”.
Finally, while dispersion shifts the appeal further towards and into digital the issue of traditional
employment, the role of consumers, and how people will function and exist in an increasingly
dispersive world makes what is human an important topic. Our trend #5, “Redefining Human
Capital” thus explores this dynamic in the year and decade ahead.
DIG
ITALLY
BASED
HEALTH
&
FITNESS SERVICES
DISPERSION
OF
CAPITAL
&
TIME
FACILITY
BASED
HEALTH
&
FITNESS SERVICES
DISPERSION = VALUE TRANSFER 2021 & BEYOND
INCREASE
DECREASE
HEALTH & FITNESS DISPERSION
@BRYANKOROURKE

5. F I T C 2 0 2 1 F I T N E S S I N D U S T R Y T E C H N O L O G Y C O U N C I L T R E N D R E P O R T | W W W . F I T T E C H C O U N C I L . O R G
COVID ACCELERATED THE 5 MEGA-TREND DRIVERS
MASSIVE DISPERSION IS NOW UNDERWAY
T E C H N O L O G Y I S A B I G PA R T O F T H E G R O W I N G E C O S Y S T E M O F H E A LT H A N D F I T N E S S W H I C H I S
C H A N G I N G F A S T A S A R E S U LT O F F I V E M E G A - T R E N D D R I V E R S . C O V I D - 1 9 S E R V E D T O
A C C E L E R AT E C H A N G E S A L R E A D Y U N D E R W AY I N T H E A D O P T I O N O F T E C H N O L O G I E S C R E AT I N G
G R E AT E R N E A R - T E R M O P P O R T U N I T I E S A N D T H R E AT S V I A D I S P E R S I O N .
Consumers
Globalism Demographics Technologies Economics
An interconnected multi-cultural
world creating new markets,
cross boarder competition, and
fear amongst the status quo.
Changing demography with an
aging population, the decline in
brith rates, and heightened
cross generational dynamics.
Increasingly empowered and
knowledgable buyers have
higher expectations of
everyone and everything.
Always on and connected with
more intelligence along with
distrust and ethics being a
bigger concern.
Sustainability and the fourth
industrial revolution recreating
industries, jobs, production,
capital and payment.

6. F I T C 2 0 2 1 F I T N E S S I N D U S T R Y T E C H N O L O G Y C O U N C I L T R E N D R E P O R T | W W W . F I T T E C H C O U N C I L . O R G
COVID-19 FORCED ORGANIZATIONS TO PERISH FROM
DISPERSION OR SEE THINGS THROUGH A NEW LENS
E
N
2. USER EXPERIENCE
The experiences brands seek to create for their
employees, customers, and stakeholders are the key
differentiator in a competitive world. Omni-presence,
hyper-personalization, frictionless commerce,
strategic, facilitated, and convenient are all things that
combine to evoke feelings in humans.
1. MINDSET - NEW THINKING
How brands and organizations see the world, how
their values are the basis of their culture, and how
they interact with and deliver value to their
employees, stakeholders and customers. Mindset is
the most important aspect of success today because
it impacts what people see as possible.
4. EXECUTION ENGINES
The foundation to executing experience in a
sustainable business now requires fundamental
tools : enterprise systems, human capital, automation,
data collection, and machine intelligence. Without
attention to these engines UX and New Economics
cannot work.
3. NEW ECONOMICS
New ways to create and monetize the business as a
platform, digital-physical delivery, dynamic pricing, the
way businesses can sustainably monetize has
expanded into many many options. Transaction is the
lowest common denominator with platforms enabling
the highest value creation dynamic.
M
U
T H E F O U R K E Y C O M P O N E N T S O F S U C C E S S F U L B U S I N E S S M O D E L S T O D AY A R E T H E M U N E D Y N A M I C S .
T E C H N O L O G I C A L T O O L S A L O N E W I L L N O T M A K E A S I G N I F I C A N T I M PA C T W I T H O U T O R G A N I Z AT I O N S
U N D E R S TA N D I N G A N D E M B R A C I N G T H E S E M U N E D Y N A M I C S : M I N D S E T , U S E R E X P E R I E N C E , N E W
E C O N O M I C S A N D E X E C U T I O N E N G I N E S A N D P R I O R I T I Z I N G T H E M A C C O R D I N G LY.

7. F I T C 2 0 2 1 F I T N E S S T E C H N O L O G Y T R E N D R E P O R T | W W W . F I T T E C H C O U N C I L . O R G
2. Haves And
Have Nots
3. Big Tech
Battles
5. Redefined
Human Capital
4. Wellbeing
Shift
1. Technology
Rules
2021 FITNESS INDUSTRY TECHNOLOGY TRENDS
T H E F I V E T R E N D S T O K E E P A N E Y E O N I N 2 0 2 1 A N D B E Y O N D A R E
T E C H N O L O G Y R U L E S , T H E H AV E S A N D H AV E N O T S , B I G T E C H B AT T L E S ,
W E L L B E I N G S H I F T, A N D R E D E F I N E D H U M A N C A P I TA L .

8. F I T C 2 0 2 1 F I T N E S S T E C H N O L O G Y T R E N D R E P O R T
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