Should clubs own their members’ data or allow them to bring their own devices into the gym?


certainly reduce cultural barriers to exercise and potentially engage the hard to reach inactive audience.


See also page 39 for further discussion on this topic.


KC: With the likes of Apple entering the fi tness tech market, and wearables getting smarter all the time, we’re set to see a massive growth in individuals tracking and monitoring their own health and fi tness. How will the gym sector be impacted by this?


DW: I believe operators need to own the data of their members. Many clubs have no choice but to allow members to BYOD – ‘bring your own device’ – but that data then sits in the silos of the users’ personal accounts, invisible to the facility unless it invests in an integrated solution. DV: The wearables sector has seen huge growth, with lots of diverse offerings all creating more awareness of physical activity levels and personal


January 2015 © Cybertrek 2015


health, which is a positive thing. We’re embracing this technology and infusing it into our brand, which we believe will increase our value proposition. Our device of choice at the moment is the Fitbit, which we’re trialling, and we’re also working on integrating Map My Fitness into our customer app. KC: As these wearables get smarter, is there still a role for the club? DV: You can’t beat social interaction at the club level. We don’t sell fi tness – we sell motivation. SL: We’re looking at the wider health agenda and public health’s constant need for data. These devices can be powerful tools to help us manage, monitor and track. Data is certainly key to cementing our relationships with GPs and the wider health community. KC: How close is wearable tech to really going mainstream, providing the sort of data that makes it an invaluable part of daily life? DW: The ability to measure and record complete types of health data – glucose levels, cholesterol, blood pressure and so on – is there in various formats, but it will be at least


fi ve to seven years before that data is captured in a device that’s a totally frictionless, palatable and commercial proposition for the consumer. KC: Is wearable tech something every health club must embrace? JG: We’re not yet rushing into the digital space just yet. When we do, we will be platform agnostic and let members choose their own wearable devices and apps. The real question for me is that, although people love measuring stuff and sharing it on social media, how can we help them use their data to improve their fi tness? I’m not sure we’ll ever get to take the expertise of the personal trainer out of the loop. That said, while we have 100 per cent


accurate data on usage of our gyms, we have a big gap in terms of knowing what individual members do when they’re working out. That blind spot reduces our ability to craft the most engaging proposition. In the future, the network-enabled gym will help us close that gap, and that’s a critical element of the tech roadmap for any fi tness businesses. But the technology isn’t quite where we need it to be yet. ●


Read Health Club Management online at healthclubmanagement.co.uk/digital 81


PHOTO: WWW.SHUTTERSTOCK.COM


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