The Perfect Health Club

In an infinite universe, where everything's possible, there's a gym somewhere that has reached its member capacity. All the equipment is being utilised all the time, and the layout is such that members can switch between exercises with minimum waiting and fuss. The only time that new members can join is when existing members move out of the area (which they rarely do, as the club is so good), or die (which they hardly ever do, as they're all so fit!)

Of course, there are plans to expand

Do gym members need rewards?

We've been interested by the furore created by news that Tesco plan to use face-scan technology to target ads at petrol stations. The tech is not new, and the concept does not bother us; after all, you’ll see much more targeted ads on your web-browser every time you look.

Nevertheless, this started us thinking about loyalty and customer rewards in other industries. What rewards do you enjoy? What is it about the service, experience, or product you receive from your favourite brand that makes you want to shout about it from the rooftops, or just tell all your friends?

How often should you encourage your members to visit?

The results of last month’s newsletter survey are now in. We asked our readers about members’ weekly visit patterns:

1. How often you think members should visit to have the best chance of sticking around?
2. How often does the average member visit the gym?

The results are interesting; there are a lot of reports that say members who visit 2-3 times a week stay for longer, and that’s what the majority of our newsletter readers think. However, there’s also a group who believe that once a week is enough, and a handful of people who think that 4-7 times a week is best for member retention.

Sport the difference, and motivating exercise programmes

What’s the difference between the sports in column A and those in column B?

A	B
Football	Athletics
Rugby	Cycling
Basketball	Rowing
Hockey	Swimming

Take a few minutes to think about it while we tell you how we think most exercise programmes in most gyms could be improved.

LIW 2013 review - payasUgym, GYMetrix & Joggle

Leisure Industry Week 2013 brought the usual busy build-up, particularly as it coincided with the launch of our book Stick Around, and we had back-to-back meetings for a couple of days in Birmingham.

There were some big changes – a new location in the NEC in hall 4, which was a little cosier that the usual large space of Hall 18. This seemed to create more of a buzz, and the exhibition floor felt busier than the last few years,

Stick Around

The health-club member retention battle continues, but there is a light in the darkness... I'm really pleased to announce that my new book, Stick Around is available to buy from ggfit.com. It brings together everything that I've learnt and shared with all the clubs I've worked with over the last 5 years. 

The book sets out the three cornerstones of good member retention: people, communication and systems. It has proven techniques to increase and improve member interaction within your club. You will find out how to communicate better with members outside your club. It also describes how to build a retention system, as well as how to best use more complex retention and exercise management systems.


The first half of the book runs through the member journey from start to finish. Each stage is accompanied by easy to understand diagrams and flowcharts, as well as real-life examples and case-studies to illustrate the key points. Part two explains the people, communication and system processes in more detail.

Summaries and checklists for each chapter, along with message, survey and report examples provide an invaluable resource

Maintaining Motivation - Health Club Management

Kath Hudson • Journalist • Health Club Management Sept 2013

EVERYONE'S TALKING ABOUT... Maintaining motivation
Are clubs supporting their members in maintaining good habits, leaving them to motivate themselves — or worse, actually causing them to break good habits?

The health and fitness industry is based on the premise of improving people's health, but how well is the sector doing in supporting good habits and motivation levels? Are we doing all we can, or are we unwittingly causing members to break good habits?
A quick brainstorm in the office showed that everyone had an experience of how their club, or former club, had lost members as a result of not supporting their habits

Recession, Recovery and Retention - time to refocus!

Times are still tough in the leisure industry. Sales are always hard through the summer, but many clubs have struggled to hit targets in the current financial climate, and the recent glorious weather hasn’t helped either.
On the plus side, it’s great to see more focus on member retention in the industry as a whole; from clubs implementing or discussing retention strategies, to news articles and features in the industry press throughout 2013.

Some green shoots, yesterday (by Jeff Derbys on Flickr)

Shocking figures - beyond the 12 percent

We should be shocked by the numbers quoted by Mintel’s Michael Oliver in this month’s Talkback feature in Health Club Management.

The headline that grabbed our attention was that 24% of respondents are lapsed club members, and only 16% have a current membership. This is based on 2,000 internet users aged 16+. Now while 16% penetration is better than the oft quoted 12%, the fact that there are 1.5 times as many ex-members would be alarming in any other industry – some would probably pack-up and go home!

ABSENT & EX-MEMBER JOURNEY - Health Club Management Article July 2013

Ignore absent members at your peril, and use your ex-member database as a prospect list and a resource for feedback, says Guy Griffiths, in the third and final part of his series on retention and the member journey

Absent and ex-members are two under-utilised segments in many clubs’ databases. Not only can they provide critical business information on how you could adapt or improve retention, these member groups can also be a great source of sales.

Fear is the main reason that these members are not contacted. Club operators worry about awakening dormant members, and are also concerned that they will receive negative feedback from people who have left. But sticking your head in the sand is a much riskier alternative; if all your dormant members cancelled tomorrow, your business would be in serious trouble, and if you don’t know why people are leaving, how can you expect to make them stick around?