From Curiosity to Adoption: What HFA Told Us About Agentic AI

If there was one clear theme coming out of HFA this year, it’s this: the conversation has officially shifted.

Not long ago, the dominant question was “What is AI?”
Today, especially across the North American market, it’s “How fast can I adopt this in my operation?”

That shift was evident in nearly every conversation on/off the show floor. Operators aren’t looking for education anymore – they’re looking for execution. They want to understand what works, how quickly it can be deployed, and what kind of impact it can have on their business.

And the urgency is real.

Teams are stretched. Front desk staff are juggling too much. Calls are missed. Leads go cold. Member communication becomes reactive instead of proactive. And ultimately, revenue and retention opportunities slip through the cracks.

That’s where Agentic AI is gaining traction.

Not as a replacement for teams, but as an extension of them.

We’re seeing strong interest in:

  • Voice Agents to ensure every call is answered and handled consistently
  • Sales Agents to instantly engage, qualify, and follow up with leads
  • Customer Service Agents to manage day-to-day member inquiries without adding staff burden

The common thread? Operators want reliability at scale – without increasing headcount.

Another key takeaway: speed matters. The market isn’t asking ifthey should adopt, it’s asking how soon they can get started with a practical deployment.

For those of us in the REX community, this presents a real opportunity. The operators we work with aren’t just open to innovation, they’re actively pursuing it.

The question now becomes: how do we help them adopt it effectively?

If you’re exploring how Agentic AI “employees” could fit into your operation, or want to compare notes coming out of HFA, I’d love to connect!

Book time with Jason Abucejo

Let’s keep the conversation going!

Why REX?

Running a business is one of the most demanding and isolating roles a person can take on. Your staff can’t always tell you the hard truths. Your competitors certainly won’t. And well-meaning advisors rarely have the real-world experience to challenge you the way a peer can.

REX Roundtables are built on the belief that the right peer group changes everything. Each Roundtable is structured around candor over comfort: polite talk is actively discouraged in favor of the honest, incisive exchange that actually moves businesses forward. Your chair and fellow members create a confidential, high-trust environment where the difficult conversations are held, and then acted on.

The results bear this out. In the fitness industry alone, the top 25% of REX member clubs are 50 to 100% more profitable than industry averages. That performance gap isn’t luck; it’s what happens when smart operators stop working in isolation and start working together.

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