Re-opening Reality Check - How many members are coming back?

I'm an optimist, but also a realist. There's a lot of talk about 80-90% of members returning to health clubs when we re-open, but this is mindless optimism.

The video below explains how it's more likely to be 20% in the first month, and for the member engagement campaigns we've sent, and conversations with partners in other countries, this is a much more realistic estimate.

Health, Not Fitness

Now the UK fitness industry finally has a date that we can come out of lockdown, it’s a good time to reflect on the past few weeks, months, and even years. 

There’s been a lot of rhetoric, debate, and disbelief that it’s taken so long for the UK government to allow gyms to re-open (in England, at least). Particularly when pubs opened before gyms. As the fitness industry, we see ourselves as part of the solution, but it shows that we are in our own bubble. 

If we’re talking about fitness, people have managed without gyms and leisure centres over the last few months. There are many other ways of keeping fit, as many fitness enthusiasts and newcomers have found. [There are other ways of enjoying a pint or glass of wine, but let’s leave that for now]. Gym memberships only cater for 15% of the population, and unless we change our message, mission, or purpose, this is unlikely to change.

Inductions – This time it IS about health and safety (and retention) - Gym Owner Monthly Article

It will soon be time to welcome many of your members back to your club. This presents you with a huge opportunity to make a fresh start with all members, regardless of their experience or expectations. First impressions matter, and this time around they matter more than ever.

Inductions are a cornerstone of good member retention that I often talk and write about. Articles in GOM Feb20 and Oct19 both reference onboarding and inductions, but not as mandatory health and safety appointments. As we re-open, we can use the health and safety argument to ensure all members get this key interaction. To be clear, this is not a 45-minute one-on-one appointment, more of a fast-start speech that you deliver to all members.

Why is the induction more important than ever?