0.8 CECs
Approved
Presented by IFTA
The Northeast's can't-miss day for collegiate fitness.
One high-energy day of learning, coaching, and connection — built for the student instructors, trainers, and staff who bring collegiate fitness to life, and the pros who lead them.
Saturday, November 7, 2026
David Pottruck Health & Fitness Center · University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA · Pre-Conference Friday, Nov 6
Registration is open. Regular rates run through October 16, 2026 — late rates begin October 17.
Built for Group Fitness Instructors, Personal Trainers, and the front lines of Collegiate Fitness
You teach the classes. You coach the clients, run the floor, and keep the energy up when the gym is slammed. Collegiate Fit Philly is a day built for you — and for the fitness directors and coordinators who hire, coach, and champion that work. Come spend a day in Philadelphia sharpening your skills, trading ideas with people who do exactly what you do, and reconnecting with why you got into this in the first place. It's the easiest place in the Northeast for the whole community to come together.
Why you'll want to be there
Get better at your craft
Real, hands-on coaching you can use on the floor and in class the very next shift — no fluff, no filler, just tools that make you better at what you love.
Grow your confidence
Walk out standing a little taller. Step into your role and grow as a leader — whether you're an instructor, a trainer, or the manager who develops them.
Find your people
Meet the instructors, trainers, and mentors from campuses across the Northeast who truly get your day-to-day — and leave with friendships and connections that outlast the day.
Leave inspired
Head home fired up — with your CECs, fresh ideas, a little Philly grit, and real ways to level up fitness on your campus.
Earn CECs while you're here
Your day at Collegiate Fit Philly counts toward keeping your certifications current.
CECs
Self-Submit
0.8 CEUs
Approved
0.8 CEUs
Approved
IFTA CECs are self-submitted. Send your conference schedule to IFTA after the event.
Who it's for
This day is built around student fitness staff first — and the pros who develop them. Newer to this, or coming from a studio or another corner of the movement world? You belong here too.
For student fitness staff — that's most of the crowd
- Group fitness instructors
- Personal trainers
- Fitness floor staff
- Fitness assistants & specialists
- Graduate assistants
- Emerging student leaders
For the pros who lead them
- Fitness directors & assistant directors
- Fitness coordinators
- Group fitness managers
- Personal training coordinators
- Wellness coordinators
- Professional staff overseeing collegiate fitness
Bringing a team?
It might be the best thing you do for your staff all year. Bring your crew together and they'll come back more confident, more connected, and more fired up about the work — and your whole program feels it all season long.
Student registration packages
Cover your students in one transaction — and let each of them fill in their own details instead of you typing all of it. Shirt sizes, meal preferences, session picks: they handle their own.
- Buy as many student registrations as you need and complete your purchase — pay by credit card, or request an invoice and pay by check.
- Once payment has been received and processed, you'll be able to assign registrations.
- Assign each registration to a student and manage everyone from one place.
- Each student enters their own information directly.
Before you buy
- Packages cover student registrations only. Professional staff register individually.
- Registrations can't be assigned until payment has been received and processed.
- Package sales are final and nonrefundable.
- Assign, reassign, or transfer a registration to another student through October 23. Make changes by October 2 if you want them reflected in shirt sizing, attendee bags, and meal counts.
- Would rather enter everyone's information yourself? Skip the package — use regular registration and add each person as a group member.
Need to make the case?
Here's the short version you can forward to your supervisor:
"Collegiate Fit Philly is a one-day professional development conference for collegiate fitness staff, held Saturday, November 7 at the University of Pennsylvania. Registration is $109 per student and $149 per staff member through October 16, and increases after that. Because it's regional, most Northeast campuses can drive in and back the same day — no flights, no hotel nights. Our team would come back with coaching and programming they can put to work immediately."
Want to hand them something to look at? Send the flyer to your director, or share the overview with your students.
What to expect
Expect movement, music, and real energy — educational sessions, workout classes, and a room that actually feels alive. The kind of day people leave describing with one word: a vibe.
Agenda at a glance
A full day of learning on Saturday, with optional pre-conference workshops on Friday. Here's the shape of the day. The sessions and the people teaching them are just below.
Friday, November 6 · Pre-Conference
| 1:00 – 5:00 PM | Pre-Conference Workshops |
Saturday, November 7 · Main Event
| 7:30 – 8:30 AM | Check-in & Registration |
| 8:45 – 9:45 AM | Welcome & Warm-Up |
| 10:00 – 10:50 AM | Breakout Sessions |
| 11:10 AM – 12:00 PM | Breakout Sessions |
| 12:00 – 1:15 PM | Lunch & Keynote |
| 1:30 – 2:20 PM | Breakout Sessions |
| 2:40 – 3:30 PM | Breakout Sessions |
| 3:50 – 4:40 PM | Breakout Sessions |
| 5:00 – 5:50 PM | Closing Session |
Draft agenda — times and sessions subject to change.
Sessions & Presenters
More than 20 sessions, one very full day
Here's what's on the schedule. This is the shape of it: what you can learn, and who you'll learn it from.
Move with us
Classes you take, not talks you sit through.
- Connect, Engage, Move: Kicking Off Collegiate Fit Philly
- Box & Burn
- Ride Reinvented
- Athletic Cycle Intervals
- Rock Climbing
- Foundational Mat Pilates
- The Final Note: Barre, Pilates & Yoga Flow
Coaching and programming
The craft of building a session and leading a room.
- Creating a World-Class Small Group Training Session
- Personal Training Programming
- Stop Starting from Scratch: A Smarter Approach to Group Fitness Planning
- One Move, One Thousand Options
- The Terrible T's of Cueing
- Build a Better Strength Workout
- Biomechanics Workshop
Leading your program
For the people who hire, develop, and advocate for staff.
- Fitness Directors Roundtable: Challenges, Solutions & Shared Strategies
- How to Offer CECs to Your Fitness Staff
- Fitness & Nutrition Scope of Practice
- The Buzzword Bargain
Career and community
Where this work can take you, and who's already there.
- Beyond the Job Title: Careers in Fitness Live
- So You Want to Be a Group Fitness Manager…
- History of City 6
Session descriptions, room assignments, and the full agenda will be released soon.
Featured presenters
They come from campuses and companies across the Northeast and beyond. Most of them do this work every day, on a campus a lot like yours.
Josh Bruno, MA, CSCS
Sales Executive
EGYM
Jennifer Clark, MS
Assistant Program Director of Group Fitness
University of Connecticut
Carter Collins, RN-BSN, CPT
Owner
IFTA Fitness
Ron Dukes
Group Fitness Leader
Temple University
Julia Gale, BS
Programming Coordinator, Fitness & Recreation
Villanova University
Caeley Grady
Coordinator of Adventure and Experiential Education
University of Pennsylvania
DJ Homann
Training & Education Lead
Life Fitness
Chris Hopkins, M.Ed
Associate Director of Facilities & Administration
Temple University
Tori Lord, MS
Assistant Director of Fitness Programs
UNC Charlotte
Mikayla Marti
Fitness Coordinator
Temple University
Jessica Maurer
Speaker & Author
JHMFitness
Tricia Murphy-Madden
Co-Founder
Fit Pro Programming
Greg Sims
Director of Sales
IFTA Fitness
Steven Trotter, MS, ACSM-EP
Principal & CEO
Globetrotter Wellness Solutions
Anthony Wall, PhD
National Spokesperson and Global Wellness Ambassador
American Council on Exercise
Registration rates
Pick the rate that fits you. The earlier you register, the more you save.
| Registration | Early Bird Closed Sep 18 |
Regular Open now – Oct 16 |
Late Begins Oct 17 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Student | $75 | $109 | $129 |
| College & University Staff | $129 | $149 | $169 |
| Community | $199 | $219 | $249 |
Student — currently enrolled college or university students, including student fitness staff and graduate assistants. · College & University Staff — professional staff employed by a college or university. · Community — instructors, trainers, and fitness professionals outside the collegiate setting are welcome, too.
Registration is open now at Regular rates through October 16, 2026. Late rates begin October 17. Registering students for your department? Buy student registrations →
Pre-Conference · Friday, November 6
Two ways to spend Friday afternoon
Come in a day early. Both options run Friday from 1:00 to 5:00 pm at the David Pottruck Health & Fitness Center, and both are open to everyone, whether or not you are registered for Saturday.
Collegiate Fitness
Career Boot Camp
Launching Your Future in Fitness
Four hands-on hours for students, recent grads, and anyone early in a fitness career. Map where you actually fit in this industry, hear from people who have built careers in it, run a mock interview with a partner, work the room in a structured networking sprint, and leave with a written action plan.
Included: a professional headshot taken on site and yours to keep, 0.4 CEUs through ACE, NASM, and AFAA, plus the workbook and session slides.
$69
See the WorkshopPresented by IFTA
Mat Pilates Instructor Certification
Walk out ready to teach
Earn a credential you can put straight to work on your campus. You will work through the online course beforehand, then spend the afternoon putting it into practice on the mat, with hands-on coaching and personalized feedback from an IFTA instructor.
CECs awarded: 4 IFTA, 4 AFAA/NASM, 0.4 ACE, 4 AAAI.
$199
Includes the online certification course and the in-person practical.
Already certified? Audit the session for CECs at $99.
Register with IFTAHeads up: both run in the same time slot, so you will choose one. Each is a separate ticket from conference registration, and neither requires you to be registered for Collegiate Fit Philly.
Call for Presentations
Share what's working on your campus
The best sessions come from people doing the work, and this year's lineup came from exactly that. Proposals closed September 9, 2026. The lineup is live — see the sessions and presenters above.
Thank you to everyone who submitted. We had more strong proposals than we had room for. Stay tuned for 2027 presenter opportunities.
Proudly supported by our partners
Collegiate Fit Philly is made possible by organizations that share our commitment to developing the next generation of collegiate fitness professionals.
Presenting Partner
Platinum Partners
Gold Partners
Supporting Partners
Partner With Us
Get your brand in front of the next generation of fitness leaders
Collegiate Fit Philly puts your brand in the same space as a projected 150 student fitness staff — the instructors, trainers, and floor staff building careers in this industry — plus the fitness directors and coordinators who make the buying decisions on their campuses, from schools across the Northeast.
This isn't a traditional exhibit hall. Our partners become part of the day through education, hands-on activations, and real conversations with the people shaping collegiate fitness.
Get the Sponsorship GuideOpportunities include presenting partnerships, hands-on activations, exhibitor space, and recruiting-focused experiences.
Travel & hotel
Collegiate Fit Philly is hosted in Philadelphia, PA — an easy city to reach and a great one to explore while you're here.
Getting here
Collegiate Fit Philly is hosted at the David Pottruck Health & Fitness Center on the University of Pennsylvania campus in University City — one of the most walkable, transit-friendly parts of Philadelphia. Fly into Philadelphia International Airport (PHL), or take Amtrak or regional rail to 30th Street Station, just minutes from campus.
David Pottruck Health & Fitness Center
3701 Walnut St, Philadelphia, PA 19104
Driving in? Parking options are below.
Where to stay
We've held courtesy room blocks at four Philadelphia hotels for November 5–8. Reserve early — blocks are limited and release back to the hotels after the cut-off date.
Cut-off dates vary by property, so check the card before you book.
Hampton Inn
1301 Race Street
$169 + tax
per night
To venue
2.6 mi
Parking
$71 valet
- Hot breakfast included
- Free Wi-Fi
- Book by October 6
Home2 Suites
1200 Arch Street
$159 + tax
per night
To venue
1.7 mi
Parking
$41–68
- Breakfast included
- Public garage nearby — no hotel lot
- Book by October 15
Sheraton University City
3549 Chestnut Street
$235 + tax
per night
To venue
0.3 mi
Parking
$25 self
- On Penn's campus — walk to the venue
- Free Wi-Fi
- Breakfast not included
- Book by October 12
Sonesta Rittenhouse
1800 Market Street
$169 + tax
per night
To venue
1.5 mi
Parking
$26.50 valet
- Group parking discount Fri–Sat ($42.75 Thu)
- Free Wi-Fi
- Breakfast not included
- Book by October 15
Listed alphabetically. Distances are to Pottruck Health & Fitness Center. Rates are per room, per night, plus 16.36% Philadelphia occupancy and levy taxes. Parking is billed separately by the hotel and is subject to change.
Parking
Paid visitor parking sits right beside the venue. Two Penn lots are closest to Pottruck.
Walnut 38 Garage
N.E. corner of 38th & Walnut Streets
Saturday
$20
Weekdays
$25
- Right next door to Pottruck
- Evenings $20 after 4:00 PM, out by 11:00 PM
- Credit card only
- EV charging stations available
Sansom 38 Lot
S.W. corner of 38th & Sansom Streets
Hourly
$4.75
Full day
$20
- About one block from Pottruck
- Saturday and Sunday from 6:00 AM to midnight
- Weekdays from 2:00 PM to midnight, permit only before that
- Credit card only
No advance reservation
Coming Friday for a pre-conference workshop?
Sansom 38 is permit only until 2:00 PM and the workshops start at 1:00, so head to the Walnut 38 Garage instead.
Rates, hours, availability, and payment methods change. Check Penn Transportation's visitor parking page before you drive in for the most current information.
Stay in the loop
Already registered, or still deciding? Drop your email and we'll send schedule drops, featured presenter announcements, pre-conference details, and travel and hotel updates as they're confirmed.
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Enter your email and we'll keep you posted.
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Questions
When and where is Collegiate Fit Philly?
Collegiate Fit Philly takes place Saturday, November 7, 2026 at the University of Pennsylvania's David Pottruck Health & Fitness Center in Philadelphia, PA, with optional pre-conference workshops on Friday, November 6.
How do I register?
Registration is open now at Regular rates through October 16, 2026. Late registration begins October 17. Register now →
Can I register a group of students?
Yes — registration packages are built for exactly that. Buy as many student registrations as you need and pay by credit card or by invoice and check. Once payment has been received and processed, you can assign each registration to a student and manage everyone from one place, and each student enters their own information. Assignments and transfers stay open through October 23, though changes made after October 2 may not be reflected in shirt sizing, attendee bags, or meal counts. Packages cover student registrations only — professional staff register individually — and package sales are final and nonrefundable. Buy student registrations →
What if I'd rather enter my students' information myself?
Use regular registration instead of a package and add each person as a group member. Packages are the better fit when you want students filling in their own details; individual registration with group members is the better fit when you're handling it all from your desk.
Who should attend?
Collegiate Fit Philly is designed for student fitness staff — group fitness instructors, personal trainers, fitness floor staff, assistants, specialists, and graduate assistants — along with the fitness directors and coordinators who hire, develop, and lead them.
Can I present?
The Call for Presentations closed September 9, 2026. Featured sessions and presenters will be announced soon — drop your email in the updates form above and we'll send the lineup as soon as it's set.
Are there student rates?
Absolutely. Student pricing is available at every phase, currently $109 during regular registration.
Come be part of it
Collegiate Fit Philly only comes around once a year. Regular rates are open through October 16 — grab your spot and we'll see you in Philly.
