everyone into outdoor exercisers. In addition, as MYZONE CEO Dave Wright points out, clubs still provide a good variety of equipment to help tackle boredom and boost motivation. However, operators do need to
do some repositioning. The experts concur that, unless health clubs become more open, get on-board with technology and accept that not all exercise will take place within their four walls, they risk becoming obsolete. Operators, take note. US consultant Bryan O’Rourke says
some clubs – those that have a great location, or offer a special experience – may not necessarily need to adapt. But he believes every other club will. However, he’s optimistic about the likely impact: “I think it’s positive. Many record companies bemoaned MP3s, but it led to the music industry tripling in size. The same thing will happen for health and fi tness.”
The opportunity The good news is that this technology offers as many opportunities as it does threats. Technology allows companies to have a relationship with people without even talking to them face-to-face – meaning an opportunity to engage with more people on a broader scale, and with it grow the market.
August 2014 © Cybertrek 2014
Women aged 25–54 are driving the demand for health and fi tness apps
“This disruptive technology not
only creates a new market, but has the potential to reach a new audience of like-minded people who love notifi cations and are in to the Quantifi ed Self,” says David Minton, director of The Leisure Database Company. He points out that the most important thing about this technology is that it makes fi tness fun – and this is good news for the industry. The new mycloudtag app certainly
picks up on this potential for fun, with an approach that brings gaming into fi tness – particularly appealing to the younger generation. Users have to complete challenges to move to the next level and unlock rewards. “I think the industry can turn these lemons into lemonade,” agrees Wright.
“It’s a massive opportunity for the industry to interpret data to help people achieve results.” Perhaps the biggest opportunity for
health clubs to use this technology and make an impact is by harnessing its power to motivate and change behaviour. For the fi rst time, this technology gives health clubs a 24/7 insight into members’ lives, which facilitates a more holistic approach to their health.
“We’re presented with a really exciting
opportunity to add enormous value, build loyalty, appeal to different clientele and help people achieve their goals and get value for money – all of which can bring more punters through your doors and retain them for longer,” says Paul Landau, CEO of Fitbug. There’s also the potential for the
industry to gather evidence-based results about the impact of exercise. “This could be a massive opportunity for the industry to gather data to prove the health benefi ts of exercise and show people’s progression over time,” says Ben Beevers, associate director of Everyone Active. “It could bring to light some very powerful information that could be used as an argument to prove the benefi ts the industry could bring to the NHS.”
The action So what’s the first step for clubs to take? Colin Neale, FitLinxx’s director of business development health and fitness, says clubs should take professional advice and come up with a technology strategy. “Make technology part of the programme delivery,” he explains.
“Don’t just sell devices – it needs to be baked into the offering.” Rather than simply thinking about
what kit to invest in, operators now need to be considering how they can
Read Health Club Management online at
healthclubmanagement.co.uk/digital 41
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