The opening panel debate at the Independent Gyms conference is designed to get delegates thinking, asking questions, and networking through the day. There is a wealth of information from all the talks at the conference, but all delegates (clubs and suppliers) get heaps of value from hearing what other gym owners are doing, and there are always great questions and engagement from the opening session.
Three gym owners joined host Guy Griffiths to talk about one of the hot topics that is talked about in the Independent Gyms forums every week, namely 24/7 opening and unmanned gyms.
The shift to unmanned or 24/7 opening is driven by competition with local budget clubs who offer extended opening hours, but also changing work habits, and the stress of running a club. It was also interesting to hear the panellists views around staffing, community, and growth. We discussed the concerns and realisations that they had before and after making the change.
Rich Harvey - The Hurt Locker, Bridport
“Not just a Gym, It’s a Community”, The Hurt Locker is a Hybrid gym offering a focus on functional and strength, PT and classes. It opened in May 2021 and went unmanned from November 2022. Rich went unmanned to reduce stress and get some personal and family time back as he was regularly working a 90 hour week.Clare Bayley – The Loft, Evesham
Formerly a women’s only “Health Hub” since 2015, Clare rebranded to The Loft on November 2021, becoming a mixed, private, friendly facility. Members get gym plans, nutrition advice and PT. Switching to 24/7 and unmanned means the club can operate with 3 key staff, including Clare, while retaining a community feel.
John Grindrod – FTC Gym, Ipswich
An “Affordable, Service Driven Fitness Community” FTC Gym opened in March 2018, and John was against unmanned or 24/7 clubs for a long time. Post Covid (and after Glenda Rivoallan’s keynote on Stress and Resilience at the 2022 Independent Gym’s Conference) FTC became 24/7 and unmanned in August 2022, to reduce the headaches caused by staff sickness.
You can watch the full session on YouTube here (link coming soon). Here are some of the key questions and takeaways…
- It takes away a barrier. When asked do you open 24/7 (because your competition do), the answer is now “Yes”. No-one said they were losing sales before, but this sales objection no-longer applies, which makes sales easier.
- Members love it, they have the option to visit when they want, knowing when the gym is manned or unmanned. There is more of a sense of community as members are looking out for each other when staff are not there.
- Staff like it. It gives them more freedom – they still welcome members, but it gives them more scope to interact with people, deliver PT outside normal hours (if they want). FTC Gym have more staff socials and personal development opportunities, without having to leave someone behind to man the gym.
- More community. Mentioned above, but there was a lot of talk and questions about community, working harder on this through social media, and staying connected to members who visit outside regular hours. All three panellists discussed how changing hours had boosted the community feel in their gym.
- Increasing EDI (equality, diversity, inclusivity). One over the access ‘hurdle’ of having wheelchair accessible gates, John at FTC noted that offering more hours helped some people to visit at better times, e.g. neurodiverse members can choose to workout at quieter times.
- Think about safety and contingency. What might prevent people accessing the club; power cuts, internet outages, etc. or prevent people leaving; is there a door override, and what happens when people press the panic button?
- Know how to personally switch-off. With video cameras, you can be ‘in’ your club 24/7. But disengaging from the business is really important. Think about, or even plan how you can take a holiday, abroad, and how the business will continue to operate without you. This was probably a key reason for all these gym owners to make the change, and a key benefit to all of their health!
The next Independent Gym Owner’s Conference is on Thursday 30th November in Solihull. Find out more and get your tickets here.
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