TRENDS GETTING ENGAGED
HARNESSING TECHNOLOGY TO MOTIVATE MEMBERS
A
udiovisual (AV) technology was one of the main areas of innovation being showcased at the UK’s health and fi t-
ness event – Leisure Industry Week 2010. For a number of years now, fi tness equip-
ment manufacturers have designed interactive elements into their products – integrated screens on which virtual reality race-tracks and scenery unfold as a person runs, cycles or rows, providing distraction and motiva- tion throughout the workout. T e fi tness industry is increasingly seeing
advanced coaching options incorporated within soſt ware too – a halfway house towards personal training designed to make the gym
experience more engaging and help ensure more people achieve their fi tness goals. US- based fi tness equipment company Star Trac has released Star Trac Coach (above), which features an expert trainer off ering personalised advice and words of encouragement during treadmill workouts. Other recent innovations include body scans that project the exerciser
TWO-WAY DIALOGUE THE CUSTOMER IS KING
B
usinesses across the health and fi t- ness sector will continue to develop new and innovative ways of incor-
porating social media into their marketing and communications strategies. T us far, it seems many have considered a mere presence in these public fora to be suffi cient, fairly pas- sively gathering armies of followers and posting up news in a one-way informa- tion fl ow. Going forward, more interaction will be necessary. Even encouraging dialogue rather than mon-
Operators may want to be proactive in managing what’s said about them online
102 spa business handbook 2011
ologue should not be seen as an end in itself – the virtual world should be used as a step- ping stone to physical presence at a health club. Twitter, for example, could be used to gather people to go out for a run, or for a group ses- sion in the gym. Meanwhile new innovations such as foursquare could encourage attendance
onto the screen alongside a virtual personal trainer who off ers advice on technique. We can expect further developments such as these to continue to push the boundaries of in-club entertainment and motivation. Savvy fitness operators and health club
owners will also harness the potential of the wide array of gadgets on the market – from pedometers to phone apps – both to enhance the in-club experience and to extend their reach beyond the four walls of the club, see- ing this technology not as competition but rather as a way to build deeper relationships with their members. Could spas make use of sophisticated AV
technology or gadgets to help motivate those working out? T e equipment may certainly help spas with smaller budgets for fi tness staff to add a ‘personal training’ touch.
by creating a loyalty system, rewarding those with the highest ‘check-in’ levels. Clubs – or spas with a fi tness element – may
also want to be more proactive in managing what’s said about them online. It’s not possible to entirely control this – although monitoring and reacting should be seen as a vital aspect of management – but in New Zealand, for example, health club operator Les Mills invites prolifi c bloggers into its fi tness clubs, giving them a taster of what’s on off er in the hope that this will generate highly credible word- of-mouth endorsements online. Data will also need to be gathered from
social media channels and, crucially, analysed and used to inform business decisions. But all of this is highly time-consuming,
and companies will need to fi nd the resources to properly manage it; left unsupervised, social media can easily spiral out of control and become not simply a wasted resource but, rather, a dangerous liability.
www.spahandbook.com
PHOTO:
ISTOCK.COM/©JACOB WACKERHAUSEN
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