This Month in Club Insider: December 2013
"2013 In Review"
Here we are again! It's the end of another year. I hope it was a great one for you, both personally and professionally. At Club Insider, it was another exciting year, as we completed our 20th year of service to this great industry. We also set some plans in motion that will continue to make Club Insider your go-to industry resource; now, and in the years to come. Read More...
Our Country Needs to Promote Fitness, Not Tax It!
We tax tobacco, alcohol and gasoline. I get it. Hey, I understand taxes, and I'm happy to pay them for the greater good. Those first three make sense to me, but gym memberships? Is there a worse message to send to our country than any disincentive at all to being physically fit? Read More...
The Death of the Big Box Business Model
It's as if 1995 never left us in the fitness industry. Walk into almost any big box mainstream player, especially the chains, and it is as if time is standing still. The machines might be newer, the colors a little different and the hairstyles have changed, but the basic business model dating back to the 1950s is still alive and well. Read More...
If It Looks, Smells and Quacks Like A Duck... Well, You Know The Rest: The Anatomy of an Effective Small Group Demo in the Non-Studio Space
Let's face it... Small Group Training (SGT) has taken our industry by storm. Everywhere you turn, more and more owners are racing to get on the SGT bandwagon. Unfortunately, the majority of operators are simply adopting the "build it and they will come" mindset. As a result, many are struggling to sell (SGT), especially in the more traditional or mainstream fitness facilities. Read More...
How to Design Spa-Like Locker Rooms For Less
People come to health clubs for many reasons. One reason often overlooked is that it can be an escape from a person's normal day-to-day life. Studies show that lockers rooms are one of the most important areas that people respond to in a club, good or bad. Whether designing a new club or renovating an existing club, providing a beautiful upscale spa-like locker room can be a strong marketing asset to any club. Read More...
Two More Ways to Make a Million Dollars in 2014
A New Jersey club owner found her facility increasingly surrounded by $10 gyms (If this hasn't happened in your area, rest assured, it soon will). She knew she had to differentiate her club if she wanted her business to survive. She discovered a business system for making more money with weight loss, never dreaming that it would transform her entire business. Read More...
Let's Make a Marketing Resolution!
Soon, it will be a New Year, and as tradition dictates, it's time to make a resolution to get better at something. I say, let's make a marketing resolution! Why not? Let's all agree to work from a marketing plan in 2014. Growing a successful business requires continuous marketing, and continuous marketing can only be successful when there is a plan in place that dictates the what, when and how of it all. Read More...
Programming For The "Fun Of It!" - The Perfect Program
Bundling exercise, weight management and health/wellness education creates the perfect lifestyle program. People will pay for a program that can guarantee results (for those who follow all the components). Here's my "perfect program"... Read More...
Club Industry Magazine Moves Exclusively Online in 2014
OVERLAND PARK, KS - With the goal of creating a deeper, more immediate connection between its audience and vendors, as well as enabling more interactive capability with Club Industry content, Penton's Club Industry, has announced plans to move to an exclusively online content model beginning in 2014. Read More...
Gold's Gym's Skip Johnson Has New Book Released On Amazon.com
DOUGLASVILLE, GA - We've all felt grateful for something in our lives. But, what about feeling in some way grateful for everything that happens to us, whether good, bad, tragically unexpected or carefully planned? Read More...
ACE Hires Respected Physician
SAN DIEGO, CA - American Council on Exercise (ACE) has named Natalie Digate Muth, MD, MPH, RD, FAAP, to the position of Healthcare Solutions Director. Dr. Muth will bolster ACE efforts to help make health coaches, personal trainers, group fitness instructors and advanced health and fitness specialists play a more central role in a healthcare system that is increasingly focused on cost-effective primary prevention. Dr. Muth joins ACE as a full-time, senior-level employee following years of service to the organization as a consultant and subject matter expert. Read More...
Gyms Can Attract New One-Day Customers and Long-term Members With the GymPoints App
DENVER, CO - GymPoints LLC, a Denver start up, announces the launch of its website, GymPoints.com, and mobile app, connecting gyms with consumers by selling one-day, or one class, gym access on their mobile device. GymPoints attracts paying one-day users who are also valuable potential members. The simple-to-use GymPoints platform breaks down the barriers that prevent many Americans from going to the gym by offering convenient, hassle-free access on their mobile devices. Read More...
Norm's Notes
Hello Everybody! This is your Club Insider Publisher and Tribal Leader since 1993 checking in! Read More...