This Month in Club Insider: April 2014
Norm Cates Visual Fitness Planner's 4th Annual IHRSA Seminar Loaded With Gold Nuggets!
Over the course of 21 years of publishing Club Insider, we've published very few cover stories about non-club owner/operators. However, this cover story is very special because we're showcasing the knowledge and experience that five of the top health and fitness club owner/operators in the world shared with our industry at the 2014 IHRSA Trade Show and Convention in San Diego. The panel was hosted by Visual Fitness Planner (VFP) and moderated by Daron Allen, CEO of VFP. I chose to produce this cover story because, after attending the Seminar entitled, 90 Minutes with the Most Connected Club Owners in the World, I was sure this information would help many in our great industry understand why panelist Maria Parella-Turco said to all who were listening that, "I think that the birth of the boutique studios is the best thing to happen to us." Read More...
Bill McBride Bill McBride, Departing IHRSA Chairman of the Board, On IHRSA San Diego and Active Sports Clubs
Wow, what a convention and tradeshow! I've probably been to 20 or so IHRSA conferences and trade shows in my career (thus far). This year's event seemed to be the best I've ever experienced. Granted, there is some bias here for me. This was my last IHRSA conference as an IHRSA Board Member. After having the privilege of serving as a Board Member, Committee Chair, Chairman and Ex-Officio over five wonderful years, I'm more attached emotionally and purposefully to this industry and Association than ever before, especially cognizant of the important public policy work and industry community/family. Read More...
Jason Reinhardt Experience-Based Selling, Not Price-Based
In our industry, we have one chance to capture a member. Yes, of course people will circle around, price shop and eventually pick a place. I want to focus on the majority and not the minority. I believe most people who have connected with a person at your facility will buy a membership on their first visit. On the flip side, I believe that a person will not buy on his first visit if taken from the front desk, quickly shown around and then shown a pricing special. Read More...
Nancy Trent Become a Media Darling in the Fitness Center World
Everyone wants advice on fitness. They want to know the best workout for their body type, where to work out, how to improve their timing, their abs, their recovery and the list goes on. Consumers' demands for information are infinite, and the media cannot keep up. They need and rely on the assistance of "those in the know" to keep them up to speed on the fitness industry. Read More...
Deneen Laprade What Has Your Website Done For You Lately?
Websites are high-functioning, integrated marketing tools that should be working for you 24/7. I believe all the marketing you do for your club or studio, whether in print or digital, should begin and end with your website. The main objectives of your website are to capture prospect contact information and drive traffic to your physical location. Achieving maximum lead generation requires that specific elements be in place to inform, inspire, capture contact data and compel prospects to want to know more. Read More...
Robin Schuette Take Charge: Physician Referrals and Self-Referrals
You've heard this before: Ask your doctor about... Usually that phrase is followed by the name of a new drug promoted by a pharmaceutical manufacturer. These ads are effective, no doubt because of how much big pharma spends on marketing. Read More...
Laurie Cingle Programming For The "Fun Of It!" - Outdoor Programs For Spring
Spring is here! Members are itching to get outside after a long winter. Keep them connected to your facility by taking your programs outside. Read More...
Greg Rowe Was One Wonderful Guy!
LAS VEGAS, NV - Greg Rowe was a wonderful guy! The highly successful veteran of the health and fitness club industry, died from Leukemia on March 25, 2014. Greg is survived by his loving wife of 17 years, Jill (they were together for 8 years before getting married), and their four beautiful daughters, Kayla, Summer, Jade and Jacqueline. He was predeceased by his Mother, Marie and his brother, Joseph Rowe, III. Greg graduated from Dearborn High School in 1975 and earned his Bachelor of Business Administration from the University of San Diego in 1979. He was instrumental in saving lives through fitness and he pursued his club businesses with a burning passion for excellence. Read More...
Larry Scott Passes Away At 75
LOS ANGELES, CA - Larry Scott wasn't exactly a 98-pound weakling --he weighed in at 120-- but his life changed forever after he ran across a stack of bodybuilding magazines in an Idaho city dump. Read More...
IHRSA Releases Impressive New Health and Fitness Club Industry Numbers!
BOSTON, MA - More than 62.1 million Americans utilized a health club in 2013 for more than five billion visits, making 2013 the first year that total health clubs visits surpassed the five billion mark. Read More...
IHRSA 2014 Showcases Fitness Innovation and Leadership
BOSTON, MA - IHRSA 2014, the International Health Racquet and Sportsclub Association's 33rd Annual International Convention and Trade Show, and the largest U.S.-based gathering of health club operators, suppliers, and fitness industry professionals, showcased the newest and most innovative equipment, programs, technology and exercise trends. Attending IHRSA 2014 were over 11,000 industry professionals, including over 7,000 convention and trade show attendees from over 80 countries. The high-energy event, held in San Diego, California, March 12-15th, celebrated industry success, product and service innovation and the industry's commitment to increase global physical activity levels. Read More...
Corporate Fitness Works Acquires L&T Health And Fitness
ST. PETERSBURG, FL - Corporate Fitness Works (CFW), a leading provider of health and fitness management and consulting services, announced that it has acquired L&T Health and Fitness (L&T), whose clients include Fortune 100 corporations, multicultural organizations, financial institutions, the U.S. military, federal and state governments, universities, hospitals, non-profit organizations, residential communities and property management companies. Read More...
Norm Cates Norm's Notes
Hello Everybody! This is your Club Insider Publisher and Tribal Leader Since 1993 checking in! I don't know about you, but I'm mighty Happy that Spring has Sprung! HAPPY SPRING, everybody! Read More...