Facilities: Page 558

Rim Sports Complex Aims to Develop 'The Complete Athlete'

HAMPTON -- Athletes of all ages will have a new place to shoot some hoops and strengthen and condition their bodies with the opening of the new $2.5 million Rim Sports Complex and Athletic Performance Center of Exeter Hospital.

Sponsored

How Britten Brought Coca-Cola's FIFA World Cup Hospitality Suites to Life With Power Planners

Britten Inc.

Britten partnered with Power Planners to fabricate and install premium Coca-Cola hospitality environments across multiple tournament locations, creating cohesive spaces designed to elevate every guest experience.

How Britten Brought Coca-Cola's FIFA World Cup Hospitality Suites to Life With Power Planners

Stadium & Arena

UNH to Broaden Stadium Use with $1.5M Lights Installation

Adding lights: $1.5 million in upgrades to Cowell Stadium will mean broader use, including high school championship games.

Is it Time for Independent Health Clubs to Ditch Membership Sales?

Ask any independent health club owner what business they are in and you are bound to get answers ranging from fitness to wellness to community building. But the business gyms have always been in is the membership business. Any banker or venture capital firm will tell you that's what a club is.Sure, within the four walls of the facility there is fitness, wellness, community and more, but unless people walk through that door there is no business. That's why it may be time for club owners to re-think the business they are in. While people have long been conditioned to sign a contract for one, two or even three years to cut their monthly rates or get a “break” on enrollment fees, that mindset has been eroding. Health clubs, cell phone providers and even cable companies are changing their models to attract commitment-phobes and stay ahead of growing competition. And you have enough competition as it is. Throw in the proliferation of boot camps, yoga studios and CrossFit locations that are popping up on every corner and traditional club owners are feeling the squeeze to bring in more exercisers and compete for limited dollars.While some health clubs have had great success with no-commitment memberships, they run into a problem of high attrition rates - some reaching into the 90 percent range. Throw in the added marketing costs of of attaining new club goers and it can be expensive. However, that doesn't mean it's not a way to go – or the only way. While offering shorter or no commitment memberships, selling class cards to compete with yoga studios, or even offering non-member rates for boot camps and other functional circuit training classes may make it harder to project long-term revenues, it could bring in additional funds you're currently missing out on. And with correct pricing, it will still make a membership commitment attractive to those not adverse to contracts.But, while this can bring in additional revenues, it does mean that management needs to step up their game to keep these short-timers happy and heading back time and again. This means that all of the little things that might annoy a member who is locked-in will send that commitment-phobe heading to the competition like Julia Roberts in Runaway Bride. Maybe it's an exercise class that always starts 10-minutes late. It could be that the locker room is in a bit of disarray. Or worst of all, it is that the customer service team is not doing their part to make everyone that walks through the door feel welcome, informed and happy to be there –basically making going to the gym a “want to” rather than a “have to.” While the membership model may never truly disappear, independent health club owners have the opportunity to work in new revenues models to turn other fitness facility ex-members into their exercisers and boost the bottom line at the same time.

Shorter or no-commitment memberships could be a way to boost revenue and lure customers away from local competitors.

Aquatic Facility Provides New Opportunities for Small Town

In a community-wide effort to provide the benefits of a swimming and aquatic competition venue for local residents, the city of Polson, Mont. opened its newly completed aquatics center.

photo of Mission Valley Aquatics Center project

Stadium & Arena

Never Forget: Tributes Continue 12 Years After 9/11

It was a beautiful, clear day and the school bus was running unusually late. That's when a neighborhood friend's mother drove by, offered us a ride to school and told us calmly that a plane had flown into the World Trade Center.

The World Trade Center Memorial attracts more than 9,000 visitors per day.

Stadium & Arena

Fan Falls to His Death at Candlestick Park

Amid the excitement of San Francisco's win over the Green Bay Packers at Candlestick Park Sunday, there was tragedy.@AthleticBiz This makes you think...Are sport facilities really being planned for game day/safety? Seen too many articles like this lately.

Face-to-Face Networking Is Still Best for Club Owners

There was a time when face-to-face networking was really the only way to do it. Trade shows, conferences and local organizations provided valuable information and a chance to learn what other club owners were doing to improve their business. But in the internet age ripe with blogs, webinars, and even virtual trade shows, many club owners have chosen to forgo the costs and time needed to get together with their peers and learn how to do business better. But, is that really the best way for an independent club operator to really stay on top of the trends?“With all the free information available on the internet, many club owners just don't see the time and expense of attending shows and meetings as a value proposition, says Michael Scott Scudder, Founder and CEO of Fitness Business Council. "While there is great benefit from well-run and credible online sources, it just may not be enough. With nine percent of clubs controlling 40 percent of the memberships — and research shows this trend will grow as we see continued consolidation — independent club owners need to expand beyond the web as the only way to stay ahead of the game.” That said, many organizations are still providing viable ways for club owners to not only meet and exchange ideas, but also get real life critiques on how they run their business and can do a better job down the road. “Meeting three times a year with non-competitive clubs in a 100-percent straightforward and honest way that will share ideas and hold you accountable can really help a club owner improve operations,” says, Will Phillips, Founder and President of REX, a company that specializes in forming and facilitating executive roundtables for the fitness industry. “Often, be it online or in educational or networking situations, people will share 95 percent of their story. It is that extra 5 percent that comes out in the right environment that makes the difference.”Even local association groups such as MACMA are reinvigorating their face-to-face networking opportunities even as they offer more online methods of education. “While we provide webinars and online resources There is such value for our members in face-to-face meetings where they can really hammer through details and learn from experts and each others” says Kerry Campbell MACMA's executive director. “Club owners are looking for help with sales, marketing, competition and more. It helps having a local, regional group they can go to and learn from each others' experiences.” But, face-to-face meetings, especially ones that are open and honest, the ones that will be most effective, take a special kind of mentality from independent club owners and managers. “When you get ideas from your peers, and then they follow-up in three months to see if you've adapted and improved your business, there is a level of accountability; there is also a level of support,” adds Phillips. “There are about 10 percent of club owners that would not want to be in that position; another 30 percent that feel that way, but probably can do it and benefit. About 40 t0 50 percent say 'bring it on'.” Matt Harrington, president of Boston-based Gymit and a member of one of the groups through Rex Roundtables, agrees. “The ability to talk openly and honestly about your business with another fitness professional is a benefit that can not be measured," says Harrington."It is very rewarding to know that others are having the same troubles that you are having, and even more rewarding to know that you can help the other members succeed by sharing your own successes. [But] the club owner needs to be comfortable being be fully transparent in all parts of their business and life. They also need to be certain that the can make the time commitment to the group, outside of the meetings you need to be available to the other members of your group via email and phone.”While online learning and education is cost-effective and worthwhile if absorbed and put to good use, the need for face-to-face networking and education may bring a bigger ROI for independent club owners.Editor's Note: The iClubs Conference is designed specifically for independent club owners to learn, network, and improve their clubs. Join us in San Diego November 20-22.

Webinars and websites are great, but nothing beats face-to-face networking. (Photo from 2012 iClubs Conference.)

Stadium & Arena

Fryer Oil at Autzen Stadium Converted to Biofuel

HS Officials Stumped by Athletic Field Flooding

Southmoreland School District officials are trying to figure out why water is pouring onto Russ Grimm Field, causing sports officials to scramble for new locations for home games.

Stadium & Arena

K-State's $90M Football Stadium Addition Debuts Tonight

[email protected] - A change in leadership came to Kansas State University in February 2009 when Kirk Schulz was hired as president. Three months later, Schulz selected John Currie as director of athletics.

Rec Centers Strive to Keep Up with Demand for Fitness

Thanks to changing demographics, city-run fitness centers are drawing more people. Some even rival private gyms.From weightlifting to Zumba, more Minnetonka residents are taking their workouts to one central place: the city's fitness center.

Turf Installation Mishaps Create Headaches for Two High Schools

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AB Show 2026 in Orlando

AB Show is a solution-focused event for athletics, fitness, recreation and military professionals.

Nov. 17-19, 2026