For Fitness Brands, Authentic Events Are the Next Growth Channel
Athletech News caught up with Events.com co-founders Stephen Partridge and Mitch Thrower to learn what events are resonating with consumers and how fitness operates can capitalize on the experience economy The growing interest in health and fitness—paired with Gen Z’s desire for in-person connection—has opened the door for brands to collaborate on high-energy experiences like […]
Athletech News caught up with Events.com co-founders Stephen Partridge and Mitch Thrower to learn what events are resonating with consumers and how fitness operates can capitalize on the experience economy
The growing interest in health and fitness—paired with Gen Z’s desire for in-person connection—has opened the door for brands to collaborate on high-energy experiences like fitness raves, competitive races like Hyrax (and the training that leads up to them) and even experiential retail events hosted by Nike and Gymshark.
One company at the forefront of this movement is Events.com, a marketplace connecting event organizers with eventgoers, co-founded by Stephen Partridge, president and Mitch Thrower, CEO. Fittingly, both entrepreneurs are avid athletes themselves—Partridge a waterman, surfer, windsurfer and former Olympic hopeful for Barcelona ’92, while Thrower is a 22-time Ironman triathlete and the prior co-founder of Active.com.
As Thrower describes it, we’re living in a rapidly expanding experience economy—one where consumers are prioritizing meaningful activities over material possessions. One sector is especially well-positioned to benefit from the shift: the fitness industry.
credit: Photo by Mārtiņš Zemlickis on Unsplash
“The rise of community-driven events, from running clubs to fitness gatherings with a festival-like atmosphere, capitalizes on the desire for connection, amplified by the isolation of the pandemic and a renewed awareness of health and mortality,” he tells Athletech News. “Organizers are tapping into this trend by leveraging accessible technology to create and promote these events, meeting the demand for social, sensory-rich experiences that blend physical challenge with human interaction.”
Events.com has seen considerable growth in fitness events prioritizing social engagement, with the global running club phenomenon standing out as a prime example, Thrower confirms. Overall, though, the marketplace’s data suggests that shared connection is just as important as the challenge of a heart-pounding fitness event.
“These modern iterations draw diverse participants seeking both exercise and camaraderie, often in outdoor settings that enhance the experience,” he says. “Accessible events like group runs or yoga gatherings are gaining serious traction, appealing to wider demographics and naturally aligning with products or services. They tap into a growing desire for fitness experiences that feel like shared, uplifting journeys.”
It’s a space where even traditional fitness operators—like gym owners—can compete and connect with Gen Z experience-seekers, Partridge adds, by launching their own events that focus on current trends (such as high-intensity circuits or group runs) while integrating their signature offerings.
Centr x Hyrox equipment | credit: Centr/Hyrox
“Alternatively, operators might consider partnering with established event producers, giving them access to proven frameworks without having to build everything from the ground up,” Partridge says.
Still, it takes more than a flashy event and social-ready branding—authenticity is what truly resonates with consumers, Partridge says, highlighting two major brands that are wildly successful in this area.
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“Experiential fitness marketing for this new breed of participatory events and communities is still in its early stages, but brands that succeed are those building authentic connections with consumers during moments of physical and social empowerment,” he says. “Effective campaigns foster loyalty by linking the brand to the event or local fitness communities that drive attendance, creating a sense of belonging. Companies like Lululemon excel with their community-focused yoga sessions and running groups, blending their apparel with a lifestyle ethos. On the other hand, Red Bull’s high-octane fitness challenges align their energy brand with peak performance. Both examples show the power of showing up where customers feel most alive.”
Although 2025 has a highly engaged base of consumers focused on health, wellness, fitness and connection, competition is fierce—and with some signs of tightening discretionary spending, brands may need to get more creative.
credit: F45
“To succeed in the thriving fitness event market this year, organizers need a strong technological foundation,” Thrower advises, adding that Events.com is equipped with all the tools needed for ticketing, marketing, analytics and sponsorship management for maximized impact.
“Beyond that, two elements are critical: first, access to a target audience, whether through local networks or broader channels, to ensure visibility and participation,” he says. “Second, a standout venue or inspiring location can elevate the event into a memorable experience, attracting people who are looking for something worth sharing—something Instagram-worthy. Together, these components create a winning formula for 2025 and beyond.”
Water polo women’s gold medal match at World Aquatics Championships 2025: Greece vs. Hungary-Xinhua
Players of Greece pose for photo during awarding ceremony for the women’s water polo match at the World Aquatics Championships 2025 in Singapore on July 23, 2025. (Xinhua/Wu Zhizun) Players of Greece walk into the court before the water polo women’s gold medal match between Greece and Hungary at the World Aquatics Championships 2025 in […]
Players of Greece pose for photo during awarding ceremony for the women’s water polo match at the World Aquatics Championships 2025 in Singapore on July 23, 2025. (Xinhua/Wu Zhizun)
Players of Greece walk into the court before the water polo women’s gold medal match between Greece and Hungary at the World Aquatics Championships 2025 in Singapore on July 23, 2025. (Xinhua/Wu Zhizun)
Players of Hungary comfort each other after the water polo women’s gold medal match between Greece and Hungary at the World Aquatics Championships 2025 in Singapore on July 23, 2025. (Xinhua/Wu Zhizun)
Haris Pavlidis (Top, 3rd R), coach of Greece, instructs during the water polo women’s gold medal match between Greece and Hungary at the World Aquatics Championships 2025 in Singapore on July 23, 2025. (Xinhua/Wu Zhizun)
Sandor Cseh, coach of Hungary, reacts during the water polo women’s gold medal match between Greece and Hungary at the World Aquatics Championships 2025 in Singapore on July 23, 2025. (Xinhua/Wu Zhizun)
Athina Dimitra Giannopoulou of Greece shoots during the water polo women’s gold medal match between Greece and Hungary at the World Aquatics Championships 2025 in Singapore on July 23, 2025. (Xinhua/Wu Zhizun)
Eleni Xenaki of Greece celebrates after the water polo women’s gold medal match between Greece and Hungary at the World Aquatics Championships 2025 in Singapore on July 23, 2025. (Xinhua/Wu Zhizun)
Players of Hungary prepares before the water polo women’s gold medal match between Greece and Hungary at the World Aquatics Championships 2025 in Singapore on July 23, 2025. (Xinhua/Wu Zhizun)
Eszter Varro (L) of Hungary competes during the water polo women’s gold medal match between Greece and Hungary at the World Aquatics Championships 2025 in Singapore on July 23, 2025. (Xinhua/Wu Zhizun)
Dorottya Szilagyi (R) of Hungary competes during the water polo women’s gold medal match between Greece and Hungary at the World Aquatics Championships 2025 in Singapore on July 23, 2025. (Xinhua/Wu Zhizun)
Sandor Cseh, coach of Hungary, reacts during the water polo women’s gold medal match between Greece and Hungary at the World Aquatics Championships 2025 in Singapore on July 23, 2025. (Xinhua/Wu Zhizun)
Team members of Greece celebrate after the water polo women’s gold medal match between Greece and Hungary at the World Aquatics Championships 2025 in Singapore on July 23, 2025. (Xinhua/Wu Zhizun)
Eleni Xenaki of Greece celebrates after the water polo women’s gold medal match between Greece and Hungary at the World Aquatics Championships 2025 in Singapore on July 23, 2025. (Xinhua/Wu Zhizun)
Krisztina Garda of Hungary competes during the water polo women’s gold medal match between Greece and Hungary at the World Aquatics Championships 2025 in Singapore on July 23, 2025. (Xinhua/Wu Zhizun)
Eszter Varro (L) of Hungary competes during the water polo women’s gold medal match between Greece and Hungary at the World Aquatics Championships 2025 in Singapore on July 23, 2025. (Xinhua/Wu Zhizun)
Panna Tiba of Hungary celebrates scoring during the water polo women’s gold medal match between Greece and Hungary at the World Aquatics Championships 2025 in Singapore on July 23, 2025. (Xinhua/Wu Zhizun)
Christina Siouti (R) of Greece passes the ball during the water polo women’s gold medal match between Greece and Hungary at the World Aquatics Championships 2025 in Singapore on July 23, 2025. (Xinhua/Wu Zhizun)
Medalists celebrate during the awarding ceremony for the women’s water polo match at the World Aquatics Championships 2025 in Singapore on July 23, 2025. (Xinhua/Wu Zhizun)
Dora Leimeter of Hungary competes during the water polo women’s gold medal match between Greece and Hungary at the World Aquatics Championships 2025 in Singapore on July 23, 2025. (Xinhua/Wu Zhizun)
Haris Pavlidis (C), coach of Greece, celebrates after the water polo women’s gold medal match between Greece and Hungary at the World Aquatics Championships 2025 in Singapore on July 23, 2025. (Xinhua/Wu Zhizun)
Players of Greece pose for photo during awarding ceremony for the women’s water polo match at the World Aquatics Championships 2025 in Singapore on July 23, 2025. (Xinhua/Wu Zhizun)
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SANTA CLARA, Calif. – Santa Clara men’s cross country announced its 2025 competition schedule. The season begins August 29 at the USF Invitational in San Francisco. The Broncos then head to the Kym Duyst Invitational September 13 followed by Sean Earl Loyola Lakefront Invitational and the Pacific Invitational October […]
SANTA CLARA, Calif. – Santa Clara men’s cross country announced its 2025 competition schedule.
The season begins August 29 at the USF Invitational in San Francisco. The Broncos then head to the Kym Duyst Invitational September 13 followed by Sean Earl Loyola Lakefront Invitational and the Pacific Invitational October 3.
Santa Clara hosts the annual Bronco invitational at Baylands Park in Sunnyvale on October 18. More info can be found here.
Pre Nationals on October 18 close out the regular season before the WCC Championships November 1. NCAA West Regionals are November 14 in Sacramento, and the NCAA Championships are November 22 in Columbia, Mo.
HOUSTON – The American Conference has released home and away opponent pairings for the upcoming 2025-26 season, which will feature an 18-game conference slate with six opponents being played twice and six opponents only once. The Owls will host Charlotte, North Texas, Temple, Tulsa, USF, UTSA, Tulane, UAB and Wichita State. Rice will travel to Charlotte, North […]
HOUSTON – The American Conference has released home and away opponent pairings for the upcoming 2025-26 season, which will feature an 18-game conference slate with six opponents being played twice and six opponents only once.
The Owls will host Charlotte, North Texas, Temple, Tulsa, USF, UTSA, Tulane, UAB and Wichita State.
Rice will travel to Charlotte, North Texas, Temple, Tulsa, USF, UTSA, East Carolina, Memphis and Florida Atlantic.
The Owls were 17-17 a season ago, making back-to-back appearances in the AAC Championship game. All-AAC Second Team selection Dominique Ennis returns to the team, along with All-Newcomer Team selection Victoria Flores and All-Freshman Team honoree Aniah Alexis.
Rice has already announced a trip to the Discover Puerto Rico Shootout over the Thanksgiving holiday, with the Owls facing UCF, Illinois State and Morgan State. The full nonconference schedule and American schedule will be released at a later time.
NBCUniversal Considering Cable Channel Featuring Peacock Sports, NBA Content
Shutterstock image Erik Gruenwedel July 23, 2025 Cable TV might not be dead yet. NBCUniversal is reportedly considering launching a cable-themed channel that would include Peacock sports content, in addition to the NBA. The channel would launch in the fall to coincide with NBC Sports and Peacock assuming distribution rights to the NBA as part […]
Cable TV might not be dead yet. NBCUniversal is reportedly considering launching a cable-themed channel that would include Peacock sports content, in addition to the NBA.
The channel would launch in the fall to coincide with NBC Sports and Peacock assuming distribution rights to the NBA as part of the league’s 11-year, $75 billion license rights agreement with Disney (ABC Sports and ESPN), NBC, Peacock and Prime Video, according to The Wall Street Journal, which first reported the move, citing sources familiar with the situation.
NBCUniversal has made no official comment on the situation.
The sports channel would be bundled with select third-party premium TV offerings rather than conventional pay-TV bundles.
The move comes as NBCUniversal is spinning off its cable assets into a separate standalone company called Versant, which includes CNBC, MSNBC, USA Network, Oxygen, E!, SYFY, Golf Channel and digital assets Fandango, Rotten Tomatoes, GolfNow and SportsEngine.
At the same time, live sports remains a pay-TV staple, while Fox and Disney in the fall plan to launch standalone streaming services — Fox One and ESPN — targeting TV sports viewers.
Peacock, which ended March with 41 million paid subscribers, currently streams NBC’s “Sunday Night Football,” and an exclusive NFL game, in addition to PGA Tour golf, college football, the WNBA, Olympics and Premier League Soccer.
Comcast ended the quarter with more than 12 million Xfinity premium TV subscribers.
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Center Valley, PA (July 23, 2025) – The DeSales University volleyball team was honored with the AVCA Team Academic Award as announced by the organization this week. Teams were awarded the academic award by maintaining a year-long GPA of 3.3 on a 4.0 scale as 1,450 collegiate and […]
Center Valley, PA (July 23, 2025) – The DeSales University volleyball team was honored with the AVCA Team Academic Award as announced by the organization this week.
Teams were awarded the academic award by maintaining a year-long GPA of 3.3 on a 4.0 scale as 1,450 collegiate and high school volleyball programs earned the award.
“It is very exciting to see that the record-setting, on-court successes during the 2024-25 season have extended to the classroom,” says AVCA CEO Jaime Gordon. “The fact that more programs earned the Team Academic Award than ever before is evidence of how committed our coaches are when it comes to helping their players reach their goals as both students and athletes.”
Head coach Michele Zabinski just finished her 20th season in charge of the volleyball program leading the Bulldogs to a 14-17 overall record and a spot in the MAC Freedom postseason tournament last season. Thirteen Bulldogs earned MAC Fall Academic Honor Roll honors and first-year Allison Reimer was named to the MAC Volleyball Academic All-MAC Team.
LONG BEACH, Calif. – Women’s Golf Head Coach Alyssa Waite has announced the addition of two Division I transfers and a freshman who will join three returning players and three high school signees to make up the team’s roster for 2025-26. Alyson Sor | Long Beach, Calif. | Wilson HS | UC Irvine […]
LONG BEACH, Calif. – Women’s Golf Head Coach Alyssa Waite has announced the addition of two Division I transfers and a freshman who will join three returning players and three high school signees to make up the team’s roster for 2025-26.
Alyson Sor | Long Beach, Calif. | Wilson HS | UC Irvine
Alyson Sor will transfer to Long Beach State after a pair of successful seasons with Black and Blue rivals UC Irvine. Last season, Sor had a 74.29 scoring average and recorded four Top 20 finishes, including a fifth-place finish at the Soboba Classic at Soboba Springs Golf Club last spring, helping UC Irvine win the team championship. She has a career Division I low of 68 and had a Top 10 finish at the Utah Tech Trailblazer Invitational as a true freshman. “Aly is our Long Beach local,” said Waite. “We wanted to bring the Wilson High School star back home. She is a long hitter who has big aspirations with golf, and we are excited to help get her to the next level with her game.”
Emma Kang | Torrance, Calif. | South Torrance HS | Idaho
Emma Kang comes to Long Beach State by way of Idaho, where she spent the last two seasons as a regular part of the lineup. A two-time All-Big Sky selection, she was the Big Sky Player of the Week after winning the Tri-State Invite hosted by Eastern Washington, and she had the lowest scoring average last season for the Vandals at 74.4. “It was time for Emma to come back home,” said Waite. “Her Dad is a Long Beach State alum and she’s from Torrance, so we took the opportunity to welcome her into the team and back to Southern California. She brings great collegiate experience and has the eagerness to learn.”
Chloe Park has an extensive junior golf record and will join Long Beach State as a freshman in 2025. The 2021 Southern California Junior Tour Player of the Year, Park was a winner earlier this year at the Two-Day Spring Series at Morongo, carding a 75 and a 76, and shot a 71 at Bear Creek Golf Club in the TTC Cantlay Series. “We are excited to bring in Chloe as a freshman,” noted Waite. “She is a fierce competitor who knows how to compete.”
Former All-Big West golfers Madison Le and Erin Lee are joined by Isabelle Olivas-Lowell in returning to the program, while Olivia Chappell, Summer Schafer, and Kailey Yoon committed to the program in November.
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