Every month, Club Solutions sits down with an industry expert to share in their wealth of knowledge. In the December issue, we sat down with Meredith DeAngelis, the chief marketing officer at Village Health Clubs & Spas.
1. How did you get started in the fitness industry?
When I started working in the fitness industry, I was able to combine my passion with my career. I am very competitive, and I love running and cycling. When the opportunity came to use my marketing skills to promote high-end health clubs, I knew this was going to be the perfect industry for me.
2. What’s been a key to your organization’s success? What are you most proud of?
Staying focused on what we do best. Our business model is based on creating relationships with members through human connections. OK, social events with wine help. But we create an environment where our members consider the club their second home and never want to leave. I’m most proud of being part of the culture at the Village. We treat members and staff like family, and I have developed many wonderful friendships.
3. What has been one of the biggest accomplishments of your career?
Building a Customer Relationship Management System. The national program was successful in delivering personalized advertising based on usage data and predictability modeling to increase customer retention and revenue.
I have spent a lot of my career producing expensive TV ads. When I started working in the fitness industry, I learned how to stretch my budget. I was able to produce inspiring videos for 1% of the production budget I was used to. I had to get creative and that is what made the videos so amazing. I had members tell their story as to what the Village means to them. The honesty, simplicity and beautiful setting made these videos my career favorites. It wasn’t one of my biggest accomplishments, but it certainly is one of my most meaningful accomplishments.
4. What has been one of the biggest challenges you have faced in your career? And how did you overcome it?
Keeping a business open during a pandemic. I had to think on my feet, doing more and working with less. It changed the entire dynamic of marketing a club with no members. Overnight I went from the CMO to the social media specialist, news personality, government relations, safety expert and more.
5. What is one lesson you have learned that other fitness professionals can learn from?
Live what you sell. I learn so much by taking classes with members as they tell you everything. It is like a mini focus group, and it helps me stay in shape.
6. Tell us one fact about yourself others may not know.
I came in second place for the State Championships in road cycling. It was a photo finish and I lost by a quarter of an inch.
To learn more about Meredith DeAngelis, connect with her on LinkedIn.
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Rachel Zabonick-Chonko is the editor-in-chief of Club Solutions Magazine. She can be reached at rachel@peakemedia.com.
