Fitness expos of the past were little more than indoor trick-or-treating for muscleheads. You’d walk around for hours, from booth to booth, collecting supplement samples from supplement companies, then go back to your hotel room and dump your haul onto the queen-sized bed – pouches of amino acid powder, energy drinks, pre-workouts, and snack-sized protein bars.
That was your dad’s, or maybe your big brother’s, expo, but times have changed dramatically, giving way to a bigger, better, more entertaining and inspiring weekend, while serving more diverse interests. No event better represents this than the 2023 Olympia World Fitness Expo, which in 2023 will be held November 3-4 at the Orange County Convention Center in the vacation hot spot of Orlando, Florida.
“The Olympia Expo is entering a new era, bringing the entire fitness community together like never before,” says Olympia President Dan Solomon. “It’s bigger and more exciting, a true reflection of the passion and diversity that has turned fitness into a multi-billion dollar industry.”
History has always been made at the Olympia, mostly through hanging the medal of immortality around the necks of the all-time greats: Schwarzenegger, Zane, Haney, Yates, Coleman, Cutler, Heath, just to name a handful. Now, we’re seeing a historic evolution of the Olympia Expo right before our eyes. If you haven’t attended the event in recent years, you might not recognize it. It’s not just supplements and bodybuilding anymore, but rather an all-encompassing showcase for the strongest, fittest, most impressive athletes on the planet, a world that has spilled over into several growing health and wellness trends.
Ultimate Olympia Experience
What makes the Olympia World Fitness Expo different from many of the other industry trade shows is that it doesn’t revolve around booths and exhibits. It’s now an experience, a complete immersion of fitness and sport. When you walk through those doors, it won’t look or feel like a trade show; it will feel like a competitive arena.
The Olympia has always been called the “Super Bowl of Bodybuilding,” and now it truly is. At the Super Bowl, the best part is the day or two before the game where all the events and hoopla take place. That’s what Olympia Weekend has become. The Friday and Saturday night stage production, known as the Finals, are the cherries on top of a high-octane multiday experience.
“We had a booth at the Olympia for years back in the early 2000s, but then we stopped going because it wasn’t much more than just a bunch of supplement companies handing out free products,” says one Olympia Expo exhibitor. “We finally came back recently and couldn’t believe how much it had changed. It was amazing. It was a community of healthy, fit-minded people all there not just to see new products, but to take in the events and competitions. I had no idea there were going to be so many different sports and events at the expo. It was insane!”
The sheer number of those sports and competitions is growing every year. In 2023, Olympia Expo attendees will be treated to nearly two dozen events at the convention center, all of which are included in the ticket price. The diversity of competition is unmatched, with sports ranging from mixed martial arts to powerlifting to sumo wrestling (see list of events below).
“The Olympia is the heart of our sport and it’s where everyone comes together to celebrate muscle and strength,” says Stuart Dansby, manager of Athletes and Partnerships at BSN, a top sports nutrition brand. “As we continue to produce the highest quality products, it’s vital for BSN to be a part of the Olympia family, while supporting the fitness community and our sport.”
Olympia Expo Events
Just like the Super Bowl, it all starts with the venue. Regarded as one of the most expansive and modern convention host venues in the world, Orlando’s Orange County Convention Center (OCCC) is the perfect location for a fitness and sporting event of this magnitude. As a bonus, the Convention Center is connected by a walking bridge to each of the Olympia Weekend’s host hotels (Rosen Centre, Rosen Plaza, and Hyatt Regency Orlando) and only a 20-minute drive from Orlando International Airport.
Joe Weider created the Mr. Olympia, the event that put Schwarzenegger on the map, and through the expo, it has now come full circle as the ultimate fitness destination. The
Olympia Expo has gotten bigger than anyone would have imagined, standing tall as the must-attend event of the year.
