local reservations and integrated book- ings. Its Events calendar has been turned into a standalone app, allowing groups of friends to book and buy ac- tivities together. Airbnb, whose community offers


highly-curated opportunities, is link- ing consumers to a world of fitness experiences. Even Yelp is accelerating adoption of local listings to include payments and bookings. It won’t be long before Amazon makes an an- nouncement in this area linked to Alexia searches. All of these companies, plus Apple,


have fitness teams analyzing the in- dustry and studying how they can dis- rupt it. Search and bookings is an obvi- ous target. Reserve with Google was live in LA.


IHRSA delegates could logon to expe- rience the granular search, from APIs of live timetables, linked to seamless integrated booking. Reserve puts the consumer at the centre of the search; AI (artificial intelligence) is constantly learning which types of classes and ac- tivities you like and delivers person- alized push notifications addressing your questions of which class, where and when. Those poised to take particular ad-


Consumers are in control, and brands need to stop interrupting with bad technology and trying to sell unwanted products and services. Instead they should start smart conversations and start listening.


search, which relies on live timetable APIs, is more transactional. Previously, booking buttons would link away to a third party provider, but now they are deeply integrated. Mindbody, Full Slate, Front Desk, Appointy are all cur- rently live on Reserve with Google, and ZingFit, MyTime and Genbook are coming soon. Only Mindbody was demonstrating this integration at IHRSA, but hopefully all will be there next year in San Diego. More competition is coming from Facebook which has recently added


vantage of this new era are the bou- tiques, fitness without boundaries or- ganizations, community activities and meet-ups. In the UK, public sector sites and trusts have been early adopters of live timetables and APIs concretely demonstrating the value of digital. For those of you still using PDFs


and, heaven forbid, PDFs on an app, help is at hand. UK start-up AiT (Active in Time) provides free software and APIs (for a small monthly charge) for all English-speaking countries want- ing to be part of the digital revolution. Over 500 sites in the UK and Ireland are live and pushing digital innova- tion. AiT lets you integrate your live timetables into these new search and booking services as they become avail- able in Canada. IHRSA keynote speaker Soraya


Darabi, a former Young Global Leader at the World Economic Forum, says we can’t create emotional attachment if we stand for nothing. Lyft drivers, for example stand for great service, good value and working for a compa- ny they admire. From Darabi’s expe- rience at her local gym in Brooklyn,


Historically prospectors in the Californian gold rush needed a shovel and a sieve. Today, influencers do the spade work for you. “Cycologists” create 45-minute experiences you want to pay $30 for and who ignite avid followers. I’m following Shannon at Aura on Third (www. auraworkout.com) and Nick at Cycle House on Melrose (cyclehousela. com). Who are you following?


she wonders if the fitness industry will ever develop the same emotional attachment. Brand futurist Martin Linstrom, an-


other IHRSA speaker, suggests listen- ing to the consumer by “living with the client” since many fitness sites have nothing more than a feedback form. Linstrom used Lowes Markets to show how small data, not big data, can help turn around a failing brand. The Lowes re-launch had some fun


elements, but IHRSA keynote speaker Jonny Earle, alias Jonny Cupcakes, was off the wall. He created a brand and inspired customer loyalty from shops that sell cupcakes, not T-shirts. (My favourite was the breakfast T-shirt, which you could purchase only from 7-11am.) The 21st annual IHRSA Financial


Panel, moderated by Rick Caro, em- phasized that detailed knowledge of the industry is limited even when big investments are made. l hope Rick will come to London in October for IHRSA Europe and put a panel of UK investors together who will have the most de- tailed data on the industry. LeisureDB will be presenting its data analysis platform and the historical trends from its annual State of the UK Fitness Industry Report and live monitor- ing the industry from its Social Media Fitness Index. FBC


David Minton is director of the Leisure Database Company in London England. Contact him at www.leisuredb.com.


May/June 2017 Fitness Business Canada 31


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