Courtney Wachter, the director of group fitness at Universal Athletic Club, shares the positive impacts of partnering with FitnessOnDemand.
From less instructors to teach to less people attending in-person classes, many clubs have seen big changes to their group fitness classes since the COVID-19 pandemic.
Courtney Wachter, the director of group fitness at Universal Athletic Club, knew she needed to alter her group fitness schedule, but didn’t want to take away opportunities form members to move. Partnering with FitnessOnDemand (FOD) allowed her to get the best of both worlds.
“Even with a robust group fitness schedule like we had, it was just not feasible to have live classes available at all times of the day, especially at off-peak hours,” said Wachter. “With FOD, people can come in and take a class whenever it suits their schedule.”
Here, she shares the positive impacts of their partnership and why other facilities should also consider working with them.
How has FOD helped enhance your virtual fitness offerings?
FOD has given people the option to come into the club and workout how they want any time there is an open studio. Since COVID-19, people have valued that time even more so — whether it be because they are not quite ready to attend live classes or because their work schedule changed, and they now have the flexibility to come when it suits them best. Having the ability to schedule classes has been so helpful.
With a schedule that is not quite as full as it had been, scheduling specific virtual classes during times there previously was a live class still gives an option for those looking to workout, and the accountability of a guaranteed class taking place — even if it’s virtual.
Outside of Zumba and yoga, we offer Les Mills classes. It has been a great tool for members new to group fitness. If they are apprehensive about coming to a live class, it’s great to have the option for them to try it virtually to see what it is all about before taking that next step.
We tried livestreaming and on-demand through the club, but FOD was still by far the most popular choice when it came to virtual offerings. It has also been instrumental in times when there’s a last-minute instructor issue or bad weather pops up. Class never needs to be officially ‘cancelled’ because there is always a virtual option that can replace it. While nothing really can compare to the live class setting, having virtual classes beats the alternative of no class.
What do your members like about FOD?
They love that it’s there for them to use when it’s convenient and that they can do Les Mills classes on their own schedule and time. They also love some of the shorter options of classes — 15 to 30 minutes — so they can still squeeze their workout in on a busy day.
How would you describe FOD’s customer service?
They are helpful when any issue arises. When they don’t know the answer or have a solution, they get you connected with someone who does to try to solve it in a timely fashion.
Why should other club operators consider working with FOD?
FOD adds such great value to whatever offerings you already have for members. This is especially true now when there are so many other virtual and online options that people can choose to do outside of the club. Having the virtual offerings in-house for your members — both scheduled and not — gives them reason to continue to come into the club. There is more accountability in that, and it benefits everyone.
