| Letters | > JUNE 2011
CLUB BUSINESS INTERNATIONAL
34 Maestro Michael Bruno 43 Intel’s High-Tech Gym 48 Celebrating IHRSA30 55 The Assessment Edge 67 F.I.T. Extra: Strength
Fitness Springs Forward ®
Impact Public
High- Service
FIFTH AVENUE CLUB IS HELPING CHILDREN IN ETHIOPIA
I think it’s wonderful that my employer, Spring Fitness, is offering free memberships to all active-duty U.S. military personnel, as well as veterans. I’m very fortunate to work for a company that’s given so much to our community! Plus: I love being able to give back to our military for everything they do for our country. Great article! (See “Doing the Right Thing,” June CBI, pg. 38.) —| Megan Robertson | Manager | Spring Fitness | Spring, TX
High Marks for IHRSA
> Many thanks for the IHRSA European Market Report. IHRSA is constantly trying to help us by identifying ideas and opportunities than can benefit our business. —|
Stephan Pfitzenmeier |Manager | Fitnesspark Pfitzenmeier Schwetzingen, Germany
IHRSA Advantages
> We’ve received many benefits by virtue of being a member of IHRSA. Specifically, the market data and recruitment information it’s provided were invaluable when we were opening our direct offices in Germany and, more recently, in Spain and Italy. The support and networking opportunities that IHRSA provides has allowed Escape to continue to build on the success of its unique functional-training zone concept, and to assist more fitness firms and entrepreneurs throughout Europe. —|
Matthew Januszek | Customer Solutions Director | Escape Fitness Peterborough, Cambridgeshire | England
Prevention the New Priority
> As a recent PricewaterhouseCoopers report on prevention clearly pointed out: prevention pays for everyone. One euro
invested in stop-smoking programs produced a return of m1.0-m2.80 and, with respect to physical activity and obesity, ofm0.3-m1.3 for every euro spent. According to the WHO (World Health Organization), 80% of the principal causes of death are lifestyle-related, of which 50% can be prevented. Our industry needs to focus on delivering solutions and
treating the “problems” of anyone who steps into one of our facilities. Unless we want to remain a leisure-focused industry, we have to work to provide an integrated approach. This means specific targets, an easy entrance assessment, and measuring
4 Club Business Internat ional | SEPTEMBER 2011 | www.
ihrsa.org
parameters that really help the client. High blood pressure or body fat are just symptoms, but what are the underlying causes? Furthermore, we have to educate our clients, providing them
with insights on physical activity, nutrition, relaxation, and behavioral change; motivate and monitor them for the whole year; and, at the end, measure them and evaluate the whole process. We have to offer solutions for all lifestyle “problems,” wrapped up in fun programs, and we have to produce results. Doing so will attract more than the average 10%-15% of the population that’s currently attending our facilities, and will increase retention to 85%-90%—which is normal for third- space communities, such as tennis, golf, and football clubs. —|
Jan de Jong | CEO | Vital Balance Group | Kapelle, The Netherlands Make Industry Growth Real!
> This year, a new Portuguese tax regime has changed the face of fitness, and, thus, a new set of challenges confronts gyms. Continuing to do what we’ve done in the past to achieve the
same results is the biggest mistake we can make. It’s clear that providing good facilities and good service is no longer good enough. We also need to be intensely client-centric, and, above all, create value for our businesses, our customers, and our communities. Our industry is being called upon to satisfy the needs of new populations with different ambitions. The European health and fitness sector has just set a goal of
doubling the number of club members. In Portugal, AGAP (IHRSA’s Portuguese trade-association partner), along with a variety of other industry players, now share an enormous respon- sibility: that of finding ways to achieve this objective, and, thereby, achieve significant market penetration and increased retention. We’re counting on IHRSA’s expertise and connections to
make it happen—to make it real! —| Armando Moreira | Board Secretary | AGAP | Sintra, Portugal
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