Presented by IFTA
Southeast Collegiate Fitness Expo
The best weekend of your year.
Three days in Charlotte with 600 collegiate fitness leaders from more than 50 campuses. Come for the energy. Leave with your people and your plan.
Friday, February 19 to Sunday, February 21, 2027
UNC Charlotte University Recreation Center
Charlotte, North Carolina
Registration is open. Early Bird rates run through October 30, 2026.
Built for the next generation of fitness leaders
You teach the classes. You coach the clients, run the floor, and keep the energy up when the gym is slammed. FitExpo is three days built for you, and for the directors who develop you.
What began in 1994 as a one-day choreography exchange between three universities is now the East Coast's premier university fitness and wellness experience. FitExpo '27 marks the 34th year.
What has not changed is the reason it works: people who do this job, in a room together, teaching each other. You will leave with practical ideas you can put to work on Monday, and with people who understand your day-to-day.
34
Years running
600
Attendees
50+
Campuses
3
Days
Why you will want to be there
Get better at your craft
Real, hands-on coaching you can use on the floor and in class your 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 are an instructor, a trainer, or the director who develops them.
Find your people
Meet instructors, trainers, and mentors from more than 50 campuses who truly get your day-to-day, and leave with friendships and connections that outlast the weekend.
Bring it back to your campus
Head home fired up, with fresh programming ideas, your CECs, and a plan you can actually run when you get back.
Earn CECs while you are here
Your weekend at FitExpo can count toward keeping your certifications current. Continuing education credits are pending approval from:
ACE · NASM · AFAA · IFTA
Approvals pending
Who it is for
Student fitness staff first, and the professionals who develop them. Newer to this, or coming from another corner of the movement world? You belong here too.
Most of the room
Student fitness staff
- Group fitness instructors
- Personal trainers
- Fitness floor staff
- Fitness assistants and specialists
- Graduate assistants
- Emerging student leaders
The people who lead them
Professional staff
- Fitness directors and assistant directors
- Fitness coordinators
- Group fitness managers
- Personal training coordinators
- Wellness coordinators
- Professional staff overseeing fitness
Need to make the case to your supervisor?
Here is the short version you can forward:
The Southeast Collegiate Fitness Expo is a three-day professional development conference for collegiate fitness staff, held February 19 to 21, 2027 at UNC Charlotte. Now in its 34th year, it draws roughly 600 attendees from more than 50 campuses. Early Bird registration is $75 per student and $100 per staff member, and most Southeast programs can drive in. Our team would come back with coaching and programming we can put to work immediately.
What to expect
Movement, music, and real energy. People leave describing it with one word: a vibe.
Interactive workshops
Live demonstrations
Roundtable discussions
Peer sharing & case studies
Coaching & communication
Student staff development
Emerging trends
Leadership development
Networking built in
Full schedule and featured presenters announced in January.
Agenda at a glance
Three days, built to build you. Here is the shape of the weekend. Featured sessions and speakers announced in January.
Friday, February 19
| 1:00-5:00 PM | Pre-Conference Workshops & Certifications |
| 5:00-8:00 PM | Check-in & Facility Tours |
Saturday, February 20
| 7:00-8:30 AM | Check-in |
| 8:30-9:50 AM | Welcome & Opening Session |
| 10:10-11:00 AM | Breakout Sessions |
| 11:20 AM-12:10 PM | Breakout Sessions |
| 12:15-1:45 PM | Lunch & Demo Teams |
| 2:00-2:50 PM | Breakout Sessions |
| 3:10-4:00 PM | Breakout Sessions |
| 4:20-5:10 PM | Breakout Sessions |
Sunday, February 21
| 8:30-9:20 AM | Sunday Master Class |
| 9:40-10:30 AM | Breakout Sessions |
| 9:40-11:30 AM | Fitness Directors Brunch |
| 10:50-11:40 AM | Breakout Sessions |
| 12:00-12:50 PM | Breakout Sessions |
Draft agenda. Times and sessions subject to change. Sunday breakouts run after the Master Class, so plan to stay through the morning.
Saturday, February 20 · During the lunch hour
Demo Team Showcase
Bring the energy. Bring the creativity. Bring your A-game.
Your school's chance to light up the main stage with a high-impact, three-minute performance in front of 600 people. Show us your formats, your choreography, your props, and most of all your team's personality.
Submission guidelines
- One application per university
- Three minutes maximum
- Engaging and polished
- Safe and well-coordinated
- Clean music required
Applications open in November
Dance-based, strength-based, fusion, or something nobody has seen before. Start planning with your team now. We will post the application here and send it to everyone on the list the day it goes live.
Sunday · 9:40 to 11:30 AM
The Fitness Directors Brunch
Presented by Fit Pro Programming
Close out the weekend with a relaxed brunch built for fitness directors and coordinators. Space to refuel, reflect, and connect with peers from across the country before you head home.
Refuel
Reflect
Connect
Slow down and trade the takeaways that actually stuck. Meaningful conversation, shared ideas, and the kind of relationships that keep going long after the weekend ends.
Open to any fitness director or fitness coordinator attending FitExpo. The brunch runs alongside Sunday breakouts, so plan to pick one. Leave energized and inspired for the semester ahead.
Registration rates
Pick the rate that fits you. The earlier you register, the more you save.
| Registration | Early Bird Through Oct 30 | Regular Oct 31 to Dec 18 | Late Dec 19 to Jan 19 | Last Minute Begins Jan 20 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Student | $75 | $90 | $105 | $125 |
| College & University Staff | $100 | $120 | $140 | $150 |
| Community | $229 | $249 | $279 | $299 |
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. Early Bird rates run through October 30, 2026.
Bringing students and not sure yet exactly who is coming?
Student registration packages let you lock in today's rate now and assign names later. Each student then fills in their own shirt size, meal preference, and session picks, so you are not chasing 12 people for details.
See how team registration worksBringing a team?
It might be the best thing you do for your staff all year. They come back more confident, more connected, and more fired up. Your whole program feels it all season.
There are two ways to register a group. The difference is simply who types in each student's details.
Option 1 · Most departments pick this
Student registration packages
Your students enter their own information.
Buy the seats now, assign them later. Shirt sizes, meal preferences, emergency contacts, session picks: each student fills in their own.
Best when:
- You do not know yet exactly who is coming
- You want to lock in the current rate before it increases
- You would rather not chase 12 students for shirt sizes
Option 2
Register everyone yourself
You enter everyone's information.
Use regular registration and add each person as a group member in one sitting. No assignment step, no waiting on students.
Best when:
- You already have everyone's details on hand
- Your roster is set
- You want it finished today, start to finish
Either way, you can pay by credit card or request an invoice and pay by check.
Before you buy a package
- Packages cover student registrations only. Professional staff cannot be assigned to a package seat. Staff go through regular registration, either on their own or added as a group member alongside your students.
- Registrations cannot be assigned until payment has been received and processed.
- Package sales are final and nonrefundable.
- You can assign, reassign, or transfer a registration to another student up to the change deadline. Changes after the cutoff may not make it into shirt sizing, attendee bags, or meal counts.
Friday, February 19 · 1:00 to 5:00 PM
Come in early. Leave certified.
Friday afternoon is for going deeper. Certifications and hands-on workshops before the weekend kicks off, then check-in and facility tours at 5:00.
More certifications coming soon
We are finalizing the rest of the Friday lineup. Join the list below and we will send details as each one is confirmed.
Call for Presentations
Share what is working on your campus
The best sessions come from people doing the work. If you have built something that moves the needle, a program, a system, a way of leading, we want to hear about it.
Proposals are open now and close October 14, 2026.
Every proposal needs a video
All submissions must include a short video upload with the session proposal. This applies to everyone, whether or not you have presented at FitExpo before.
Students, loop in your supervisor
All student presenters must notify their fitness coordinator or immediate supervisor of their intent to submit. Supervisors reserve the right to withdraw a session from consideration.
You do not need a national platform or a decade of experience. Just something real you have built and can teach. We are especially looking for workshops, demonstrations, roundtables, and case studies that send people home with something they can put to work on Monday.
We are looking for students, graduate assistants, and collegiate fitness professionals to lead high-energy, value-driven sessions. Not affiliated with a college or university? Outside presenters are considered through our sponsorship program.
Proudly supported by our partners
FitExpo is made possible by organizations that share our commitment to developing the next generation of collegiate fitness professionals.
Diamond Presenting Partner
Platinum Partners
Exhibitors
Partner With Us
Get your brand in front of the next generation of fitness leaders
FitExpo puts your brand in the same room as roughly 600 student fitness leaders from more than 50 colleges and universities, plus the fitness directors and coordinators who make the buying decisions on their campuses.
This is not a traditional exhibit hall. Our partners become part of the weekend 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.
Brands that have partnered with FitExpo
Travel & hotels
Getting here
Charlotte is one of the easiest cities in the Southeast to reach, and most regional programs can drive in.
- Fly into Charlotte Douglas International (CLT), about 20 miles from campus
- Sessions run in the University Recreation Center and Belk Gym
- Every hotel below is within three miles of the venue
The Venue
University Recreation Center
8827 Craver Road
Charlotte, NC 28262
Where to stay
Courtesy room blocks at six hotels in the University area for February 18 to 21. Reserve early. Blocks release back to the hotels after the cut-off.
Drury Inn & Suites
415 West W.T. Harris Blvd
$129 + tax
per night
To venue
1.7 mi
Parking
Included
Breakfast
Free, hot
- Free 5:30 Kickback food and drinks
- Free wi-fi throughout
- $10 per guest beyond two
- Book by January 28
Fairfield by Marriott
535 Collins-Aikman Drive
$129 + tax
per night
To venue
1.9 mi
Parking
Included
Breakfast
Included
- Free wi-fi
- King, queen, and suite options
- Book by January 28
Home2 Suites by Hilton
625 McCullough Drive
$129 + tax
per night
To venue
1.9 mi
Parking
Included
Breakfast
Included
- All-suite rooms with kitchenette
- Free wi-fi
- Book by January 28
Hyatt Place Charlotte University
640 University Center Blvd
$139 + tax
per night
To venue
2.0 mi
Parking
Included
Breakfast
All guests
- Breakfast covers everyone in the room
- Free wi-fi
- Rate code G-BBR0
- Book by February 1
Holiday Inn Express & Suites
6020 University Pointe Blvd
$159 + tax
per night
To venue
2.9 mi
Parking
Included
Breakfast
Two guests
- $10 per additional guest for breakfast
- Free wi-fi
- Suites available
- Book by January 28
Upscale pick
The Mecklen Hotel
8520 University Executive Park Drive
$159 + tax
per night
To venue
1.7 mi
Parking
Included
Breakfast
Two guests
- Tribute Portfolio boutique property
- Free wi-fi in rooms and public areas
- Book by January 28
Distances are driving miles to the University Recreation Center. Rates are per room, per night, plus 15.25% state and local tax. Group rates available three days before and after the event, based on availability.
This is what the weekend looks like
Scenes from FitExpo '26.
Stay in the loop
Already registered, or still deciding? Drop your email and we will send schedule drops, featured presenter announcements, pre-conference details, and travel updates as they are confirmed.
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Questions
When and where is FitExpo '27?
FitExpo '27 runs Friday, February 19 through Sunday, February 21, 2027 at the UNC Charlotte University Recreation Center, 8827 Craver Road, Charlotte, NC 28262. Pre-conference certifications run Friday afternoon, with check-in and facility tours from 5:00 to 8:00 PM.
How do I register?
Registration is open now. Early Bird rates run through October 30. Regular registration runs October 31 to December 18, late registration runs December 19 to January 19, and last minute rates begin January 20. Register now
Can I register a group of students?
Yes. Student 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. Buy student registrations
Who should attend?
Student fitness staff first: group fitness instructors, personal trainers, fitness floor staff, assistants, specialists, and graduate assistants. Plus the fitness directors and coordinators who hire, develop, and lead them.
When does the weekend wrap up?
The Sunday Master Class starts at 8:30 AM and breakout sessions run through 12:50 PM. Plan your travel for Sunday afternoon so you do not miss the last few sessions.
Can I present?
Yes. The Call for Presentations is open now and closes October 14, 2026. Every proposal needs a short video upload, and student presenters must notify their fitness coordinator or supervisor before submitting. Submit a proposal
Are CECs available?
Continuing education credits are pending approval from ACE, NASM, AFAA, and IFTA. We will confirm here as approvals come through.
Are there student rates?
Absolutely. Student pricing is available at every phase, starting at $75 during Early Bird.
Come be part of it
FitExpo comes around once a year. Early Bird rates are open through October 30. Grab your spot and we will see you in Charlotte.
Register Now