MyWellness Challenge - June - Team MOVE Challenge

This June, it's time for another team challenge, so get your instructors into teams and let's see who can collect the most MOVEs!...

Can you be on the winning team this June. Select your instructor(s), join the challenge on their team, and then add your MOVEs to their total. The winning instructor(s) gets a bonus, and there are spot prizes for the best individual movers.

Type:  MOVEs
Won by:  Whoever totals the highest number of MOVEs
Start Date:  1 June
Duration:  14 days
Prizes:  With prizes (Winning Instructor, and top 5 Movers win prizes)

The Retention Convention – Key points from the day

Another big thank you to Paul Bedford for bringing everyone together for the Retention Convention last week. It was great to see so many attendees in Birmingham, and to have the event live streamed to hundreds more delegates around the world. We’ll update a link here for attendees to review the presentations once they’re published. 

The flow of the 4 presentations worked really well (almost like we planned it!) Robin Gargrave did a super job introducing the speakers and directing the Q&A panel. Here are our key takeaways from the other speakers:

The Retention Convention – Running an Ethical Health Club

An overview of our presentation at the Retention Convention on 14 May 2014…

Ethics are important in any business, it is one of the things that made me switch from the banking industry to health and fitness… from helping banks to make more money to helping members to become fitter and healthier.

However, in 2008, there were several things that I questioned about the ethics of the fitness industry, which are now changing for the better…

MyWellness Challenge - May - A Class Act

We're going to get your members competitive in fitness classes this May following the simple, all inclusive running challenge last month. 

Whoever attends the most fitness classes this month wins the prize (or you could randomly select the prize winner from the top 10 at the end of the challenge)...

Who can attend the most classes in our May Class Act challenge. Don't forget to log your class attendance in club, on the MyWellness app on your smart phone or via your MyWellness cloud account online. 

Type:  Classes Completed
Won by:  Whoever attends the most classes
Start Date:  4 May
Duration:  26 days
Prizes:  Without

Do messages make people cancel?

The straight answer (to a straight question) is “Yes”. 

Some absent members will cancel their membership after receiving an encouraging message by SMS, email or letter. However, many more members will return after the message, which will outweigh the leavers.

Let's Move For A Better World 2015

Congratulations to every member and club that took part in Technogym's Let's Move For A Better World campaign over the last 3 weeks. 

How do messages help to retain members?

So we discussed how messages alone don’t retain members (you ideally need staff too), but the process of sending and monitoring messages sent can have a positive effect on a club, and help to support the ethos of the club.

Staff understanding of the communications journey(s), and how they fit into the club’s philosophy is key to success.

MyWellness Challenge - April - Marathon/Mini Marathon

After the hype of LetsMoveForABetterWorld, keep your members motivated this April with a simple 26 miles in 26 days challenge. If you think that might be a bit much for some members, then add a mini marathon, where they have to complete 13 miles in 26 days...

n.b. here are two (2) concurrent challenges... some members will join both, that's fine.

Can you run 26.2 miles (42km) / 13.1 miles (21km) in 26 days? Log your treadmill running with your Wellness Key, or MyWellness app, or track your outdoor runs with a connected app.

Type:  Distance Run (2 challenges)
Won by:  Everyone who runs 42km / 21km
Start Date:  1 April
Duration:  26 days
Prizes:  Without

Who you gonna call?

We’re really pleased that several of our Stick Around Service clubs are taking it to the next level and calling either new and/or absent members.

Messages are good at retaining members, but as we've explained here before, a phone call can have a much better effect. Lack of resource is often given as a reason not to make the calls, but here’s three ways of making the most of limited staff time and helping your members stay active:

Calling new members

Ideally, you want to call ALL new members to see how they’re getting on, but if you only

You cannot retain members by messages alone…

…but the messages can help!

OK, some low-cost gyms do rely heavily on email and sms messages as part of their member retention strategy. But to have a really positive effect, the retention messages have to be reinforced.

Here are some ways that you can use member communications to improve all-round customer service at your club:

Encouraging members to interact with staff

All messages should have a call to action, and most of those calls should be to talk to a