how fitness and the club environment are evolving.
Christopher Laurin: Our philosophy is, “If you build it, they won’t neces- sarily come.” Upgrading a space isn’t about shoving more or new equip- ment at members. Before you start any project you need the right input. We survey our members, consider com- plaints, stay on tops of trends and ask ourselves a lot of questions. For exam- ple, “Is the gym being fully utilized?” “Could it be multi-use versus specific?” “What can we do with an underuti- lized squash court?” After gathering all this information,
we come up with plan. Even for a small space you need a business plan. We also audit and score each of our
clubs from top to bottom every year with our company’s club audit instru- ment which measures a club’s effec- tiveness. The audit examines opera- tions, aesthetics, member complaints, programs and customer service. Then we create a game plan.
2. How do you proactively keep members happy during a reno?
MC: We’ve found that having mem- bers involved in the process helps en- sure they remain positive and happy. Because member input drives our capital spending projects, this lets us confidently say to the membership that these upgrades are a direct result of their feedback. We have also held member focus groups where we serve lunch or drinks and share renderings and plans. We also do some fun unan- nounced gifting to keep the energy level high and to let members know that we appreciate their patience as we upgrade. For example, on National Popcorn Day we gave out 200 bags of popcorn as members came into the club, we’ve given away T-shirts to group exercise participants and long time club members, and we have pro- vided food at the front desk. None of these cost a huge amount, but they show that we appreciate their patience without directly coming out and say- ing so. Before our last round of big upgrades, we also threw a huge bash in the club lounge with free food and drink, a DJ and a photo booth. About 250 members attended. We’re plan- ning a re-launch party in the fall. Having our club staff informed and
on board is also key to the success of any upgrade/renovation. If they’re
LOCKER AREA AFTER
LOCKER AREA BEFORE
LOCKER AREA BEFORE
Adelaide Club, Toronto
excited about it, they can help speak to members, answer questions and dif- fuse any potential negativity.
CL: We take a three pillar approach: 1) We communicate by website, weekly email blasts, town hall meetings, meet and greets, posters, etc. You can never over-communicate. 2) We keep the tone positive. Our
approach is, “Isn’t this great and won- derful that we are continually invest- ing in your club.”
3) We continue to manage retention
creatively. For our current renovation of four locker rooms at the 6,000-mem- ber Sylvan Adams YM-YWCA in Montreal (where our Club members and Executive members are sharing the same locker room for three months) we gave our Executive members a toi- letry bag with club-branded hairspray, deodorant, body wash, shampoo, etc. We also gave Club members a $25 gift card and Executive members a $75 gift card to use toward club services (such
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