Mission Fitness Brasil

One of the HFA’s most enduring partnerships has been with Fitness Brasil. A highlight of the 26-year relationship is the annual Fitness Brasil Expo (formerly IHRSA/Fitness Brasil Latin American Conference & Trade Show), which has been rebranded. The largest health, fitness, and wellness show in Latin America, the next Fitness Brasil Expo will be held in São Paulo, Brazil, on August 28-30, 2025.

In another sign of the strong ties behind the two organizations, The HFA Show will include the first-ever Brazilian Forum on March 14 in Las Vegas. The forum will be hosted by Gustavo Almeida, the CEO of Fitness Brasil, who said that he hopes to foster networking and educational opportunities.

"The main goal of the Brazilian Forum is to offer a valuable opportunity for club managers from Brazil and to ‘translate’ insights from their experiences at The HFA Show to help their businesses back home," he says. Another goal is to connect with attendees who will visit Las Vegas from more than 80 countries.

“It’s a great opportunity for people from other countries to get to know a bit about the Brazilian industry and meet some of our leaders,” he says.

Almeida hoped to increase the number of Brazilian attendees at The HFA Show this year by launching Missão Fitness Brasil (Mission Fitness Brasil) last summer at the Fitness Brasil Expo. He anticipates 150-200 attendees from Brazil will attend the Vegas event, and 30-50 of them will participate in the educational sessions.

Organized with the help of travel and tourism company Guiatours, the trip will include visits to some of Las Vegas’ best health clubs and exclusive learning opportunities for the Fitness Brasil group.

The Brazilian Forum should add to the interest in the Fitness Brasil Expo, which includes bodybuilding and fitness contests, as well as cultural events, in addition to education sessions and a trade show.

The 2024 Fitness Brasil Expo had a 15% increase in attendance over the 2023 event. Almeida anticipates this year’s Fitness Brasil Expo will draw 2,500 attendees and 125 exhibitors, representing the main suppliers in Brazil within the 29,000 square meters (about 35,000 square feet) of the Transamérica Expo in São Paulo. Last year’s event offered 167 hours of content, with more planned this year.

“Registration is open and doing very well,” Almeida says.

A Market With Huge Potential

Fitness Brasil, an omnichannel platform for the fitness, sports, health, and wellness ecosystem, offers education, networking, business opportunities, and entertainment throughout the year. Almeida expects more than 30,000 unique visitors to the Fitness Brasil digital platform (fitnessbrasil.com.br) during the 2025 Fitness Brasil Expo, again showing the strength of the Brazilian fitness market (see sidebar).

That strength was noted by HFA research in the recently released 2024 Latin America Fitness Consumer Survey, created by the HFA and ABC Fitness. Brazil was one of six Latin American countries surveyed in the report (see sidebar).

For more information, visit healthandfitness.org/show.

HFA Research Finds Strength and Potential in Brazilian Fitness Industry

The Brazilian fitness market has great potential, especially in the category of consumers who have not yet joined a fitness facility, according to findings from the 2024 Latin America Fitness Consumer Survey, a collaboration between the HFA and ABC Fitness.

Brazil was one of six countries surveyed for the report. The others were Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, and Peru. Brazil is second to Mexico in market size in the region (27.3% and 32%, respectively).

Brazilian non-members are especially likely to join a fitness facility, showing strong interest in fitness services, according to the report.

“Focused marketing efforts in Brazil could drive significant membership gains, particularly among urban populations,” the report says.

Brazilians also spend the most on fitness products and services per month compared to those in the other Latin American countries surveyed for the report.

To learn more about the fitness industry in Brazil and other Latin American countries, download the report at healthandfitness.org/publications.