The Club Solutions Connect virtual event took place March 16-17, bringing together fitness leaders and experts to share best practices, network and learn from the best of the best.
In addition to a variety of educational webinars, keynotes and Live Q&As, the two-day event featured five roundtables surrounding the most trending topics in the industry, including outdoor fitness, virtual fitness, data-driven marketing, member engagement strategies and leadership learning lessons.
Following are 10 ideas gleaned from each of the roundtables released as part of the Club Solutions Connect event, straight from some of the best minds in the fitness industry.
- Your staff must be raving fans before your members can be raving fans. Employee loyalty is the No. 1 predictor and indicator of member loyalty.
- Member perception of what great customer service is, is changing all the time. Therefore, it’s important to build psychological safety so people feel comfortable sharing real thoughts/feelings. You can’t change things you don’t know.
- This holds true from a marketing perspective, as well. As marketers, it’s important to be nimble and keep a pulse on where each member segment is at, because circumstances and sentiments are constantly changing.
- Culture eats strategy for breakfast — you can’t underestimate organizational leadership. Lead by core values.
- When it comes to member communication, explain the why behind the what and make sure your employees can answer member questions.
- Outdoor fitness is serving its purpose and most club owners will continue to utilize it as much as is necessary. Effort has been rewarded in this process, meaning clubs and companies who have put in the work have found success.
- Along those lines, outdoors can’t be, “We’re only outside because we can’t be inside.” It has to be an experience in and of itself.
- Virtual fitness can be a fun realm to play in. Experiment and think outside the box.
- But when offering virtual, don’t change who you are as a brand. Highlight your best qualities. Do what you do well, just in a virtual setting.
- In addition, don’t feel pressure to compete with Peloton or Apple, for example. The most powerful thing is the connection your members have with your brand. Leverage the power of connection.
These are just 10 ideas of many that came out of the 2021 Club Solutions Connect. To access all content on-demand, visit peakemediaevents.com/csconnect.
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Rachel Zabonick-Chonko is the editor-in-chief of Club Solutions Magazine. She can be reached at rachel@peakemedia.com.
