says Ken Berry, president of Passport Technologies in Richmond, Que. He recommends that clubs consider radio frequency identification (RFID), a more secure technology. “Almost all of our customers use this
type of card,” says Berry, whose com- pany provides membership access solu- tions to 40 Canadian fitness clubs and to related industries. “It’s a much more secure technology.” Unlike barcodes, RFID cards have
a chip and can be swiped millions of times with no wear and tear. And be- cause they don’t use line-of-sight tech- nology (like barcode-style cards), mem- bers entering a club simply walk by the card reader and present the keychain, purse or gymbag that houses their card. As its popularity has increased, pric-
es have dropped. Cards now cost $4 to $5 on average while readers are $500 to $1,500. Some clubs require a deposit or charge members a flat fee to cover cost of the card. Unlike barcode cards, RFID cards can be reused once a member leaves the club. The technology is particularly use-
ful for unsupervised clubs since cards can be programmed to allow access to solely the male or female locker room. (Barcode readers aren’t designed to be wall mounted so don’t work well in this application.) Another advantage is that members
can use their RFID cards as a secure credit card at the club juice bar, pro shop or to pay tournament fees. Even if the club has independent vendors, a central database can redistribute the money to the appropriate parties. Club management can program
the cards to unlock lockers and much more. “Fitness clubs are currently using only 1% to 2% of the RFID card’s capa- bilities,” notes Berry.
2. Biometric handreaders
Though you may associate han-
dreaders with James Bond and the crew of the Starship Enterprise, these high tech security devices are mov- ing into fitness clubs and univer- sity recreation complexes that are serious about keeping out non-members. The handreader is an
extra security step that ensures a membership card really belongs to the person presenting it. To use it, members first key in their membership num- ber or swipe their (RFID) mem- bership card. Then they place one hand on the handreader; it takes a three-dimension- al reading of the size and shape of the hand and veri- fies the user’s identity in less than one second. Perhaps the great-
est advantage to this technology is that, unlike a membership card or pin number, a member’s hand can’t be lost, forgotten or stolen. This totally eliminates the cost, in time and money, of reissuing membership cards. But is it really necessary to invest
about $3,000 in a handreader? The technology is ideal for twenty-four- hour clubs, says Berry. In these set- tings – that typically offer no front desk person or staff monitoring – it stops friends from photocopying their barcode-style cards, sharing one mem- bership card amongst friends or bring- ing non-paying friends to their workouts.
3. RFID Towel Tracking
The dispensing, record- ing and tracking of towels
It stops friends from
photocopying their barcode-style cards, sharing one member- ship card amongst friends or bringing non-paying friends to their workouts.
is a full-time job at some club front desks. And in just about every club and rec centre, towels are a headache. Even with the most diligent staff and considerate members, facilities can easily lose hundreds of towels per year. One solution is to make members
electronically accountable for each club towel they use. Today, towels can have tiny RFID tags sewn directly onto them. The towel is registered to a member’s account via his/her mem- bership card as it is picked up. When the towel is returned to the front desk, the member’s account is credited (for the full amount or a portion of it, de- pending on the club policy). Facilities that want the job to be
completely hands off, so their staff can focus on serving members, can install an automatic dispenser. Others may prefer to have front desk members dis- tributing towels for a more personal approach. Either way, members are sure to be more diligent about return- ing towels. And if not? The resulting charges will offset the cost when it is time to order more. FBC
Barb Gormley is the managing editor of Fitness Business Canada, a freelance fitness writer and a certified personal trainer. Contact her at www. barbgormley.com.
March/April 2009 Fitness Business Canada 27
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