At the 2023 Club Solutions Leadership Summit, top minds of the industry came together to learn about some of the most pressing topics of the industry, explore the beautiful Terranea Resort and Catalina Island, but most importantly, connect with like-minded peers.
“Think back to the most important experiences of your life, the highest highs, the greatest victories, the most daunting obstacles overcome. How many happened to you alone? I bet there are very few. When you understand that being connected to others is one of life’s greatest joys, you realize that life’s best comes when you initiate and invest in solid relationships.”
This quote by John C. Maxwell perfectly sums up why the Club Solutions Leadership Summit exists — connection.
The Club Solutions Leadership Summit is committed to connecting industry leaders with one another and delivering an incredible experience. Being part of the Club Solutions Leadership Summit is like having some of the best performers of our industry working for you.
“The Summit is a great opportunity to interact with and gain insights from some of the best minds in the health club industry,” said Mike Rucker, the chief digital officer for Active Wellness and Summit attendee. “The sessions were intimate, interactive and rich with actionable strategies covering a wide range of topics, from marketing, operational excellence, member retention, etc. Additionally, the environment of the Summit created the space for us to unify as a cohort and authentically share both the successes and challenges in our industry, which I found inspirational and deeply informative.”
This year’s Summit took place May 24-26 at the five-star Terranea Resort in Rancho Palos Verdes, California. It brought together 35 attendees and 13 sponsors with the goal of helping everyone leave educated and inspired after discussing some of the most relevant topics the industry is facing.
Roundtable topics included:
- Leadership and Culture Change
- Driving Profit and Increasing ROI
- Marketing for a Competitive Advantage
- And a panel discussion on Building the Right Tech Stack, sponsored by Vi Labs.
Each roundtable, moderated and led by Blair McHaney, the CEO of MXMetrics, encouraged attendees to dig deep to determine areas where their clubs and the industry could have the most impact.
“For me the greatest value I gained from attending the Summit was deepening and building relationships,” said Amanda Carlson-Phillips, the chief performance innovation officer for EXOS and Summit attendee. “The top takeaway was even though we’re all running different businesses, we’re all in the industry of helping humans become a better version of themselves. When one of us wins, we all win. The opportunity to rise above business objectives and think through human objectives will create a lasting impact.”
Some of the big ideas from the roundtables included:
- Navigating hiring and culture challenge with the Gen Z population starts by first looking at yourself as an operator. “I was impressed the majority of the attendees — when taking a deep dive into the leadership challenges with Gen Z roundtable — came to the conclusion the key was to take a look at ourselves first,” said Scott Draper, the founder and owner of Club Northwest and Summit attendee.
- Branding is much more than a logo, a brand promise or a tag line. It’s a gut feeling about a product, service or company. Effectively, it’s your reputation. “We’re going to revisit our core values, company mission and purpose to determine how we can better weave each into our external and internal marketing efforts to attract new members, and to better retain our current members,” said Robert Creech, the owner of DeSoto Athletic Club and Summit attendee. “One of my takeaways from the Summit was members want to believe in the club they belong to. And if so, the lifetime value of that member increases exponentially.”
These are just two of the many takeaways from the event. In addition to the panel and roundtable discussions, attendees listened to sponsor seminars about upcoming products and services. But the event wasn’t all work and no play. Sponsors and attendees paired up for an ice sculpting competition, enjoyed a Sip and Chill event by the pool thanks to Human Touch, and experienced Catalina Island’s Descanso Beach Club, jeep tours of the island, delicious food and more.
This one-of-a-kind event wouldn’t be possible without the help of our sponsors. Thank you premier sponsor ROR Partners; our diamond sponsors Gympass, Les Mills, Matrix Fitness, seca TRU and Vi Labs; and our platinum sponsors Club Automation, CryoBuilt, FitnessOnDemand, Human Touch, Instinctive Insights, Myzone and Technogym.
Interested in attending the 2024 Club Solutions Leadership Summit? The event next year will take place May 8-10 at The Broadmoor in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
New attendee spots will open up July 1. Email rachel@peakemedia.com for additional details to attend, and rico@peakemedia.com for additional details on sponsorship opportunities.
