Last week we touched on the importance of community and results to your club. Without community, you don’t have results. But, how do you build community within your facility?
Hopefully each day you’ll have a multitude of people enter your club. Some of those people will be interested in weight lifting, personal training, Group X, massage or racquet sports. With all the different interests, how do you build a unified community within your membership?
Many clubs throughout the U.S. have been striving for years to solve that exact problem. Late last year when we interviewed the Cincinnati Sports Club in Cincinnati, Ohio, we highlighted a community that had been established through evening activities.
The club would hold parties and events for members on weekday evenings and weekends. The day that we showed up for the photo shoot, they had just finished a weekend long health and wellness fair held at the facility.
The club had brought together healthcare leaders from throughout the community to discuss how people could take better care of themselves, as well as perform basic screenings on site.
The events held at the Cincinnati Sports Club have brought together members with several different interests. When this occurs, it allows bonds to be developed and pushes your members to learn from other members and try new areas of the club.
When members establish a community within your club, it will give them a greater reason to retain their membership and stay involved with recurring activities.
How can you create a community within your club? Do you have regular activities that bring your members together? Remember, health is important to your members and can build community, but the vast majority of communities are built around socializing and enjoyable events.
Tyler Montgomery is the editor of Club Solutions Magazine. Contact him at tyler@clubsolutionsmagazine.com.
