AB Show 2026 didn’t have to look far to find the ideal keynote speaker to address today’s athletics, fitness and recreation business climate. Longtime club operator, Athletic Business magazine contributor and AB Show session leader Chris Stevenson is owner and founder of California-based consultancy The Empower Group, bringing decades of customer service insight and staff culture expertise to an audience he knows as well as anyone who has ever commanded the AB Show stage.
“I am honored to keynote AB Show 2026,” says Stevenson, who has bylined the regular AB column The Owners Club since October 2019 and is co-author of the 2024 textbook Fitness Facility Management. “I’ve had the privilege of keynoting conferences across the country, but what makes this one especially meaningful is that I was once sitting in those same seats as an attendee — learning and growing in this industry. Now I get to stand on that stage and share what I’ve learned along the way. My goal is to deliver a keynote that’s engaging, entertaining and packed with actionable takeaways that attendees can use immediately to grow both personally and professionally.”
Like most who are called to the athletics, fitness and recreation professions, Stevenson brings purpose and passion to the process of improving peoples’ lives — whether he’s working with club members, an organization’s employees or education-seeking audiences.
“Chris has been an incredible ally to Athletic Business,” says AB executive editor Andy Berg. “Not only does he know what it takes to be successful in our industry, he’s also just a genuinely good person who wants the industry to thrive. His column, his sessions at AB Show — it all comes from the same place: he actually cares.”
Adds AB Show director Adam O’Brien, “Chris brings an incredible level of positivity, energy and authenticity to every stage he steps on. His message is both inspiring and practical, and his ability to connect with audiences makes him one of the most engaging speakers in our industry. I’m excited for our attendees to experience Chris’s passion and stage presence firsthand at AB Show 2026.”
See and learn from Chris Stevenson when he takes the keynote stage at AB Show 2026, Nov. 18, at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Fla.
