Q&A FBC
Tamera Rude
avoiding dips in check-ins. After all, Canadians try to squeeze every last drop from summer as soon as the weather turns nice. One great thing about business in
I
general is that every challenge comes with an opportunity to get creative. Our goal heading into summer 2018
was to maintain a high usage of our fit- ness services by new and current mem- bers. For the very first time, we took a ridiculous value proposition approach: three training sessions for $3.00. Oh, I almost forgot to mention that this offer came with no catches. The results were incredible. Our offer
reached unique portions of the market. People taking advantage of our offer were either looking to kickstart their fitness results for the summer, the ma- jority did not belong to a fitness facil- ity, and yet others wanted to experience working with a trainer for the first time at a very affordable price. This promotion is giving us a great
opportunity to service these new mem- bers and to earn the opportunity to be- come their fitness club of choice. This disruptive offer turned a potentially grueling season into one of our most successful.
Tamera Rude General Manager World Health North LP, Gateway Edmonton
12 Fitness Business Canada Summer 2018
t is no secret that summertime can pose challenges when it comes to generating new members and
O
UPFRONT» Q&A
What summer program is your most successful?
Matt Cassells
Adam Lloyd
W
ur most successful summer pro- gram is our summer student membership.
Being located in the heart of the fi-
nancial district in Toronto, there are numerous students who are hired at major banking, law and accounting firms for the summer months. The membership runs from May
until the end of August, and it lets stu- dents join the club at a reduced rate and on flexible terms. They are able to enjoy the same benefits as an annual member, with full access to group fit- ness classes, towel service, social events and all of our strength and cardio ar- eas. It provides a great opportunity to experience what club life is all about. The program has proven successful
on a number of fronts. For example, it helps backfill any shortfall in revenue during the summer months, which are typically quieter for new membership sales. It is also a terrific pipeline for fu- ture full-time members, since a num- ber of the students are hired back on a full-time basis from their employers once they graduate from school.
Matt Cassells The Adelaide Club general manager Toronto
ithout a doubt, our most suc- cessful summer program is our Elite Off-Season Hockey
Development Program. When defining ‘successful,’ a few
things come to mind. Of course busi- ness metrics, such as revenue versus costs and profit margins are important, but so are sustainability, ‘burn and churn’ rate, year-over-year effort-to-re- sult ratio, loyal versus repeat following, effectiveness and impact. This program ticks all of these box-
es. I have been running the program in multiple cities in southern Ontario for the past decade, and it continues to evolve each summer. On the numbers side, it generates
about 40 percent of our annual profit in over just three months. And this year, we’re adding an entire new side (on-ice instructional skates and evalu- ation-based services), that could poten- tially double our revenue without us- ing any facility space. But it’s our most successful program
for so many more reasons than just the revenue it generates. On the schedule side of things,
our program runs from June through August from 8:00am–12pm and 4:00– 5:30pm, when most typical members are at work or on holidays. So when we’re at our peak busy times in the gym, this program doesn’t interfere at all. So while most commercial gyms slow down in the summer, we dra- matically pick up! Our members love working out alongside up and coming elite athletes and professional athletes,
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