Bryan K. O'Rourke

An expert panel shares their views on what lies ahead for the indoor cycling sector, both in and out of the club.

I was interviewed for this article written by Clint Carter in Men's Journal about trends in fitness related to COVID-19.

In the decade that just has come to an end, the European fitness market (based on EuropeActive & Deloitte data) has seen tremendous growth. The total number of members active in our 62.000 facilities grew from 37 million in 2008 to 62,2 million in 2018, a growth of 68% in a decade, or almost 7% per annum on average. These numbers illustrate that the changes in market size have been enormous. But not just in size. This exponential growth illustrates the sea wave of change that took place in the… Show more

In the decade that just has come to an end, the European fitness market (based on EuropeActive & Deloitte data) has seen tremendous growth. The total number of members active in our 62.000 facilities grew from 37 million in 2008 to 62,2 million in 2018, a growth of 68% in a decade, or almost 7% per annum on average. These numbers illustrate that the changes in market size have been enormous. But not just in size. This exponential growth illustrates the sea wave of change that took place in the last 10 years. The biggest changes impacting the sector are:


The rise of low cost, the arrival of boutique studios and other innovative concepts.
The Internationalisation of suppliers and health club chains.
The acceptance of fitness as mainstream physical activity or sport.
The impact of advanced technology in equipment and management systems.
The application of AI, the invention of apps and wearables.
And the increased popularity of group exercise and virtual fitness.

The big question of course is: Will it be possible to grow to the magic number of 100 million members in fitness and health clubs by 2030? What major new changes will impact our sector in the future? It is to be expected that the above forces of change will continue in the next decade. The aim of this book is to provide some answers and food for thought around the themes for the future and provide practical tips for managers in dealing with these expected changes for their business. Show less

To say the at-home indoor cycling market is booming would be an understatement. Ignited by US-based Peloton back in 2013, when it first launched its bike on Kickstarter, the market has gained strong momentum over the last few years in particular. We’re seeing major new players enter the fray and a surge in consumer demand.

It would certainly be a logical progression, as tech advisor and entrepreneur Bryan K O’Rourke explains: “We’re already seeing McFIT and other gym brands entering the… Show more

To say the at-home indoor cycling market is booming would be an understatement. Ignited by US-based Peloton back in 2013, when it first launched its bike on Kickstarter, the market has gained strong momentum over the last few years in particular. We’re seeing major new players enter the fray and a surge in consumer demand.

It would certainly be a logical progression, as tech advisor and entrepreneur Bryan K O’Rourke explains: “We’re already seeing McFIT and other gym brands entering the content streaming business, and it’s just getting started. Brands will have to make decisions around how and where they wish to compete, given consumer expectations.

“Cloud computing, quality video production and enterprise platforms are already enabling businesses to deploy content solutions, at scale, more and more economically. You can launch streaming solutions relatively inexpensively. YouTube now has a subscriber model.

“The bottom line is that, if your content concept appeals to a certain segment, you – as a fitness professional or business – can already become a global provider to users directly. Indeed, there are fitness studios already making good money streaming their content to exercisers around the world.“

And this will only go up a gear as hardware and software move closer together, confirms O’Rourke: “There will no doubt be increasing competition, as several well-financed entrants are now planning on entering home cycling with equipment and platforms.

“There is certainly enough demand – people expect to have their fitness experience available to them whenever and whenever they choose – but more importantly the economics of delivery are going to become less expensive as well. When it comes to health and fitness as a frictionless service, what we’re already seeing is only the beginning.“ Show less

The fitness sector is the largest participant sport in Europe, and it is growing at over 4% per year. It already has 60 million members across. Europe and is the largest market in the world. As we aim towards our target of 80 million users by 2025, we need to be imaginative and persistent in how we market and sell our diverse range of products and services. With the increasing popularity of active and healthy lifestyles, what can marketing and sales do to help improve the position and reach of… Show more

The fitness sector is the largest participant sport in Europe, and it is growing at over 4% per year. It already has 60 million members across. Europe and is the largest market in the world. As we aim towards our target of 80 million users by 2025, we need to be imaginative and persistent in how we market and sell our diverse range of products and services. With the increasing popularity of active and healthy lifestyles, what can marketing and sales do to help improve the position and reach of fitness? The marketing and sales “challenge” for all organisations is to be innovative and competitive while maintaining the current success of our businesses across Europe.

Authored by renowned experts, Marketing and Sales in the Fitness Sector explains how to get the fitness sector ready for the future. This book gathers together the combined knowledge and opinions of the very top marketing and sales professionals to help continue our rapid development and growth of the industry. It explains that it requires adaptable proven marketing and sales strategies combined with real experience. The authors of Marketing and Sales in the Fitness Sector are making a significant contribution in this area of real opportunity. Show less

Human capital is defined in multiple ways, for example the skills the labour force possesses and is regarded as a resource or asset. In most definitions it encompasses the notion that there are investments in people (e.g. education, training, development), and that these investments increase an individual’s productivity, as well as the collective productivity and uniqueness of a company or group of people. The fitness sector has grown tremendously in the last decades and is now the number 1… Show more

Human capital is defined in multiple ways, for example the skills the labour force possesses and is regarded as a resource or asset. In most definitions it encompasses the notion that there are investments in people (e.g. education, training, development), and that these investments increase an individual’s productivity, as well as the collective productivity and uniqueness of a company or group of people. The fitness sector has grown tremendously in the last decades and is now the number 1 participation sport in Europe with almost 60 million members and employs an estimated 650,000 people. Whether you own one fitness club or 100, the key to success is people, and that starts with great leadership across the entire organisation from the CEO, to the fitness floor and back office.The aim of this book is to put the people element in management more in focus for the fitness and active leisure sector. In this book the reader will find answers to the following questions:

What is Human Capital and how does it impact me?
What are the dilemmas of servant leaders?
How do people and the right culture make the difference?
How will the use of technology impact human capital?
How to attract, select and keep talent?
What are the key motivators for workers in the sector?
How about skills development?
What is the return on investment of workplace health promotion?
How to ensure that human capital is future proof?

There are chapters from expert authors, and you will find ten case studies from real life situations in fitness organisations. The book contains two reviews from specific research and interviews that were conducted specially for this publication. There are many tips for club owners and managers in the sector. Show less

With aggressive expansion strategies and low membership costs, fitness clubs are looking to rapidly expand -- and franchisees are lining up to get in on the action.

From the Apple Watch to eagle-eyed sensors, digital technology is going ever further to embed itself into your health club.

With more than 52 million members, fitness is the largest sport in Europe. However, with a penetration rate of around 15% of total population, the market has not yet reached its full potential. There are many opportunities to grow and achieve EuropeActive’s goal of 80 million members by 2025.

To achieve this challenge, the sector needs to focus on finding ways to keep existing members and clients longer, and to reach out to new target groups. The term customer engagement and customer… Show more

With more than 52 million members, fitness is the largest sport in Europe. However, with a penetration rate of around 15% of total population, the market has not yet reached its full potential. There are many opportunities to grow and achieve EuropeActive’s goal of 80 million members by 2025.

To achieve this challenge, the sector needs to focus on finding ways to keep existing members and clients longer, and to reach out to new target groups. The term customer engagement and customer experience pop-up regularly in business literature. In short, it is about the perception that customers have of all their interactions with an organisation.

If the fitness sector provides an experience that customers like, they will have a positive feeling, and will be more likely to spread positive messages. They are also more likely to continue to be a customer for the long term, will increase their purchases, and will enhance their loyalty and retention.

This book is written for club owners and managers in the health and fitness sector who want to learn more about the ways and means to improve their business. For this reason, the book contains contributions from a mix of experts, both from the academic and the business world, but also some interesting case studies and practical strategies on how to improve business in terms of customer engagement and experience. The book will be launched at the EHFF/FIBO in Cologne (April 5th) and is available per April 10th. Show less

When most people create business partnerships, they focus on potential opportunities, their office, titles, mission statements, stationary, logos, social media platforms, and more. But entrepreneurs Bryan O'Rourke and Robert J. Dyer know there is much more to establishing a successful partnership. The founders of Fitmarc, which is a strategic partner with a variety of leading global fitness and wellness players, share nine principles to success in this guide to improving life at work and at… Show more

When most people create business partnerships, they focus on potential opportunities, their office, titles, mission statements, stationary, logos, social media platforms, and more. But entrepreneurs Bryan O'Rourke and Robert J. Dyer know there is much more to establishing a successful partnership. The founders of Fitmarc, which is a strategic partner with a variety of leading global fitness and wellness players, share nine principles to success in this guide to improving life at work and at home. Whoever you're considering as a partner, values and character should be at the top of the list. You must openly discuss your views without fear of reprisal-and if you can't-you need to ask yourself why. It's also important to realize that no one has the right answers. But you do need to ask the right questions if you want to succeed. Show less

This book is designed to help create an even more innovative fitness and health club sector as one of the drivers of the plan to get more people, more active, more often. This core mission of EuropeActive is not only for the growth of the sector, but also to get more people beyond the four walls of health clubs.

Slim one-room gyms are in, and the low cost of starting them is turning gym rats and workout instructors into entrepreneurs.

In EuropeActive’s Essentials of Motivation & Behavioural Change, a wide range of strategies and practical tools will be presented based on multiple theories and frameworks. In ten chapters, topics on exercise, nutrition, and lifestyle will be discussed, but also special topics like the role of technology to support motivation & behaviour change, and customer service & communication.

This book supports fitness, health and sport professionals to get more people, more active, more often… Show more

In EuropeActive’s Essentials of Motivation & Behavioural Change, a wide range of strategies and practical tools will be presented based on multiple theories and frameworks. In ten chapters, topics on exercise, nutrition, and lifestyle will be discussed, but also special topics like the role of technology to support motivation & behaviour change, and customer service & communication.

This book supports fitness, health and sport professionals to get more people, more active, more often. Personal trainers, fitness instructors, group fitness instructors, physiotherapists, nutritional coaches, sports coaches, and many more will learn about the essentials of motivation and behavioural change and gain a large amount of practical strategies and tools to support their clients or members. Show less

Changing consumers, a changing competitive landscape and new methods of service delivery create innovation opportunities for fitness businesses if they keep these principals and trends in mind. Innovation is the most powerful long-term driver of economic growth in any industry and health and fitness are no exception. Innovation is sustainable, however, only when companies convert new ideas into commercially successful products and services. The innovation process begins with the emergence of… Show more

Changing consumers, a changing competitive landscape and new methods of service delivery create innovation opportunities for fitness businesses if they keep these principals and trends in mind. Innovation is the most powerful long-term driver of economic growth in any industry and health and fitness are no exception. Innovation is sustainable, however, only when companies convert new ideas into commercially successful products and services. The innovation process begins with the emergence of new market opportunities, progresses through the process of developing new products and services, and finishes with customer and market acceptance. The sobering facts are however, that most efforts at innovation are massive failures (1). Show less

The concept of innovation is often misunderstood as that of merely embracing established change. However, true innovation is represented by the congruence of invention and commercialisation.