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Member

REWARDS

to retain members and encourage referrals. Here’s how some clubs are rewarding their members for staying the course and inviting their friends to join in.

Today, more than ever, clubs are working hard

BY BARB GORMLEY

F

ifth Avenue Club in Calgary

rewards its referring mem- bers with prizes that vary throughout the year. The lat- est version of its program of-

fers a 60-minute massage with one of its two on-site massage therapists. Other Fifth Avenue programs are

more elaborate. In the past, a Poker Power game gave members five play- ing cards after they completed five workouts. After receiving their cards, the members could exchange a card for a new one every three workouts or swap cards with other mem- bers at any time. The pro- gram wrapped up after two months with a huge party featuring a “funny money“ casino with staff

members dealing the cards and

serving non-alcoholic drinks and fin- ger food. The grand prize winner was declared (he had five aces) and won a club jacket. Although the original concept

for the program was to encourage members to use the club regularly, it was also about integrating mem- bers into the club, says owner Darren Kanwischer. “We wanted to help them get involved in the club, make

32 Fitness Business Canada May/June 2009

member-to-member connections and have some fun,” he says. Helping mem- bers feel comfortable and welcome in the club is extremely important, says Kanwischer, and knowing people by name is one of the simplest ways to do this. It’s obviously working. According to Kanwischer, when members are asked why they like Fifth Avenue, a frequent response is “the staff mem- bers know me by name.”

M

any clubs hesitate to give away guest passes, but Larry Greene,

owner of La Sporthèque de Hull,

in Hull, Quebec, finds that they’re the most effective way to thank his members for their support and to at- tract new members. ”If a member says they have friends who want to try out the club, I almost never say no,” says Greene. “I know that any guest who visits our club will be treated well and will give us good word of mouth.” And it’s a gesture that members always ap- preciate, he adds. Greene has also given away thou-

sands of dollars in “Larry bucks” to members over the past years. Rather than a reward or thank-you gesture to members, Greene offers the pseudo $10 bills to members who, for example, have been frustrated by a late-arriving

lifeguard who has delayed the opening of the pool. Members can use the bills, emblazoned with the club’s name and logo, to purchase merchandise and food within the club. The club has had to recently re-

think its “Larry bucks” policy, and it is now is more discretionary in distrib- uting them. “We once had two situa- tions where group exercise instruc- tors missed their classes because of a car accident and a medical emergency. I ended up handing out over $450 in “Larry bucks” in 10 days!” says Greene. Today he still uses the club money to smooth over sticky situations, but not for situations that are beyond the club’s control.

A

t Fitness World, a 12-club chain with clubs in the Vancouver area

and Victoria, mem- ber rewards and giveaways are ongoing. Last year, the well-estab- lished com- pany – it was founded in 1959 – held a running shoe give- away, rewarding each member who referred a friend with a pair of New Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56