| IHRSA Report | Ask the Entrepreneurs
Getting to Know You
How does your club help members get acquainted with one another?
u JIM WORTHINGTON, Owner/President Newtown Athletic Club, Newtown, Pennsylvania
When someone joins,we immediately set them up on a fitness-evaluation/program and introduce them to key department directors. We host monthly member-appreciation events in various departments to familiarize members with our services. In the group-exercise area, we offer a series of specialty classes that include socializing and refreshments in our salon and spa. We’ve also instituted a semiprivate-training match-up service to find training partners for people—to encourage exercise adherence through the attainment of shared goals. Finally, several smaller “clubs within the club” have been created to address specialty interests, such as running, outdoor biking, belly dancing, and mixed martial arts.—|
u TRINA GRAY, Owner Bay Athletic Club, Alpena, Michigan
Accountability is key to our clients’ success. Members need a real connection, something that goes well beyond a welcome photo on a bulletin board or silly name games played in a class. Yes, we welcome new members on Facebook—that’s great exposure, but it’s not enough to produce an abiding impact. We connect them in meaningful ways by putting them together on teams in accountability programs, such as our Training Camp, Results Club, Thinner Winner, and Corporate Fit Challenge. A strong support system increases their chance of long-term success and, as a bonus, connects them with other members. How does that affect the bottom line? Membership numbers don’t drive a business as much as successful-member numbers.—|
u JOE MANNINO, General Manager Victory MMA and Fitness, San Diego, California
Our members interact in classes and in the café by our MMA (mixed martial arts) cage, where they can view sports and other programs on television. We utilize Facebook, Twitter, texting, and other electronic media to invite them to fun events, such as holiday celebrations, pool parties, and viewings of televised MMA events; key employees serve as guest bartenders, and we provide discounted/VIP entry for members. We attempt to keep people connected by encouraging them to check in at the club on Facebook, where they can post their pictures and information. We also try to persuade them to compete in tournaments and amateur MMA events, which, at the very least, leads members and their friends to attend and interact.—|
Editor’s note: If you’d like to be profiled in this column, please contact Kristen Walsh, IHRSA’s senior editor, at
kwalsh@ihrsa.org. 100 Club Business Internat ional | SEPTEMBER 2011 | www.
ihrsa.org
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