Five Days In Europe: The Fitness Industry Is Alive And Well Across The Globe

Yes that is me in a coffee shop in Amsterdam and no not one of THOSE Coffee Shops ;) . I love coffee and was in that business for six years running a chain of cafes and a full roasting operation. So heading to Amsterdam I always enjoy some great espresso, after all Amsterdam is where coffee was spread around the world from in the 17th and 18th centuries. But that's not why I went this time. It was for a more interesting reason.

When one of the biggest players in the global fitness business invites you to come along to Europe and lend a hand, well who's to say no ? Getting to meet executives from some of the leading clubs chains in the UK and EU in general as well as distributors for Star Trac in the EU, Middle East and Africa is a wonderful learning experience. The information gleaned tells you something about where the bricks and mortar fitness business is heading from a global perspective. That helps me keep a perspective on trends and enables us to serve our customers at Fitmarc, Integerus and Fitsomo even better. More than anything seeing the turnaround at Star Trac continue through the eyes of its owner, Michael Bruno, as I have over the past few years, continues to be a motivating experience. There is no one I've met or known, save a handful of people including my partner and friend Robert Dyer and my wife Maureen O'Rourke, who are as committed to success and the customer as Michael Bruno. That he invites me to contribute to his global business is an honor I relish.

What's On The Mind Of Club Owners and Operators

In the interest of confidentiality, I can't disclose who we met with exactly, but what I learned was that many clubs are focusing on i) elevating their group fitness and in particular indoor cycling studios and classes and ii) focusing on small group training. Sounds like the US a bit doesn't it ? There is also keen interest in alternative cardio, particularly around Star Trac's approaching launch of the Commercial Treadclimber, which is likely to be a significant home run for the Star Trac brand. As with most mature markets, the UK market is going through the bifurcation trend of consumers, with budget and niche studios taking larger share. This only serves to reemphasize the need for smart competitors to get very focused on their core business models.

In 2010 IHRSA's Alison O'Kane has this to say about the European market in the Reuter's article Tighter Belts Shape Health Club Industry:

"Clubs doing well in Europe and the United States are either high end or budget clubs, because people want to cut back while still keeping gym memberships," said IHRSA spokesperson Alison O'Kane. "It's squeezing the middle market a lot...."Europe and the United States are the most advanced markets, so the trends will start there," O'Kane said. "There are more clubs open in Europe but America has more club members on average."

According to the European Health and Fitness Associations Annual Report the EU marketplace generates 22 Million Euros in annual revenues with 40,000 public and private facilities that serve 44 million members. This is of comparable size to the US market. Despite recent economic struggles things are looking up. There is a lot we can learn by paying attention to the European marketplace.

What do you think about the health club industry in Europe ? Do you see a similar focus on group fitness and small group training in the states ? I think there are many similarities and some differences but I'd love to hear your point of view.

About the author:

Bryan O’Rourke is a health club industry expert, technologist, financier, shareholder and executive in several fitness companies. He works for Fitmarc, which delivers Les Mills programs to over 700 facilities in the US. He advises successful global brands, serves as a member of the GGFA Think Tank and serves as CEO of the Fitness Industry Technology Council. To learn more contact Bryan here today .

Trends Transforming The Health Club Industry #IHRSA2013

Macro trends are reinventing the health club industry. This is the subject of my presentation at IHRSA2013 this year. Its always exciting to attend and present at IHRSA. I am so very honored and thankful to the professionals with IHRSA for giving me the chance to contribute.

When I say that the health club industry is being transformed, what I mean is that the same trends which have impacted retail, restaurants, transportation, hospitality and others are having very similar impacts on the club business. First, demographics are shifting; aging boomers and rising millennials are combining to impact consumer tastes and needs. Second, technology is creating the ability to perform services and deliver goods in ways that were unavailable only a few years ago. Third, the world is shrinking and global ism is creating a new realm of competition and opportunity. The convergence of these forces is reshaping our businesses and will for years to come.

What is the end result ? Who knows exactly, but during my talk on Thursday March 21st from 1:30 - 3:00 I'll share what I see the future as being. Hopefully you can attend. If you can't I'll be sharing the content here and via my slideshare account.

About the author:

Bryan O’Rourke is a health club industry expert, technologist, financier, shareholder and executive in several fitness companies. He works for Fitmarc, which delivers Les Mills programs to over 700 facilities in the US. He advises successful global brands, serves as a member of the GGFA Think Tank and serves as CEO of the Fitness Industry Technology Council. To learn more contact Bryan here today .

IHRSA 2013 Attracting, Selling and Retaining The Connected Health Club Consumer

There are many views one can take on business in general. I like Drucker's saying "Business has only two basic functions-marketing and innovation". Today Drucker's thinking must be put in the context of the connected consumer, because marketing has fundamentally changed so much since Drucker's time. Nowhere is that more true than in the Health Club Industry. There is a new digital landscape that is a big part of consumers lives and practices. When contemplating how to attract, sell and retain members, digital engagement must be part of the equation. 

That's why I am looking forward to being on a panel with a group of well respected health club industry leaders during #IHRSA2013. Bill McBride, Patch Evans, and Blair McHaney are all very forward thinking, smart and accomplished. Discussing how to attract, sell and retain members in today's changing world, where there are often more questions than answers, will be very refreshing with this group. I hope you will try and attend on Tuesday March 19th between 2:00 - 3:30 . In my view, what marketing, selling and retaining health club members was in the past isn't going to work very well anymore because the consumer has changed. We've got to try some new things.

You might find interesting the recent Hangout with Brian Solis in advance of his upcoming book What's the Future Of Business . During this talk Brian explores the new paradigm of digital engagement. Here's a quote: " The Live web is the future: it's bigger than social media...."You have to be present on every front, every day."  -@briansolis . Check out the entire hangout below to learn more.

What do you think about attracting, selling and retaining health club members ? I'd love your point of view. Hope to see you at #IHRSA2013 .

About the author:

Bryan O’Rourke is a health club industry expert, technologist, financier, shareholder and executive in several fitness companies. He works for Fitmarc, which delivers Les Mills programs to over 700 facilities in the US. He advises successful global brands, serves as a member of the GGFA Think Tank and serves as CEO of the Fitness Industry Technology Council. To learn more contact Bryan here today .

Why Quality Group Fitness Programming Is So Important To Facilities In 2013

Well its 2013, and the rush for health club memberships is on (see Regulars Bemoan Influx Of New Members) as people embrace their new years resolutions to keep fit and be healthy. With annual membership attrition rates exceeding 40% for most fitness facility operators, however, the question I have is, "what do you do when the membership rush is over?".

With any business, keeping a close eye on industry trends is a good idea to be competitive in the long term. IHRSA's recent 2012 Health Club Consumer Report provides some interesting information on key trends. I suggest you get your hands on a copy.

Most notable in the report are the fitness classes and group fitness trends . Did you know the most affluent health club members are those that participate in group fitness classes ? From 2009 - 2011, growth in fitness programs set to music soared over 15% and mind body and yoga classes grew 17%. There are a number of other interesting trends, including the growth of small group training formats.

With the market increasingly going through a "consumer hour glass" or "bifurcation" trend, if you are not either a low cost or key club competitor, offering very compelling group programming that addresses overall trends is very important to your success as a health club or as any fitness facility.

If you'd like to learn more about how you can enhance your group program offerings at your facility please let me know. We'd be happy to help. Keep an eye out for my upcoming report on Group Trends as well to learn more.

What do you think about these group fitness trends and the 2012 IHRSA Report ? Let me know your thoughts and happy new year !

About the author:

Bryan O’Rourke is a health club industry expert, technologist, financier, shareholder and executive in several fitness companies. He works for Fitmarc, which delivers Les Mills programs to over 700 facilities in the US. He advises successful global brands, serves as a member of the GGFA Think Tank and serves as CEO of the Fitness Industry Technology Council. To learn more contact Bryan here today .

Marketing Success - Innovations, Trends And Tips For Your Fitness Business To Succeed In 2013 And Beyond

Are you preparing for the future of connecting with customers ? Follow some of these 8 ideas to take advantage of important marketing trends and strategies for 2013 and beyond. Please tell me what you think.

1. Integrate Your Message And The News

Figuring out ways to inject your brand into breaking news that generates media coverage, builds more awareness and creates credibility is a great strategy. Acting fast to develop a connection between a hot story and your brand is key. Using Google alerts or other monitoring tools to stay on top of the latest trending information is a good idea.

Some smart health clubs are hoping on stories about fitness trends, community news and reaching out to media, incorporating the stories into their blog content and social media feeds and this helps greatly in raising their profiles and credibility.

2. Use “Old School” Approaches Appropriately

Social media is a dominant area of marketing and many brands undervalue old tactics like direct mail . Some companies, however, are using more traditional forms of marketing to further reach prospects that have engaged with a brand online in a very focused manner. The key isn’t to limit the amount of online marketing. Consider enhancing the frequency and impact of your message with traditional methods for targeted prospects.

3. Work With Suppliers, Customers And Strategic Partners

Doing more with less is a big opportunity so working with your customers, suppliers and other strategic relationships to generate content is a good way of taking marketing to another level. Producing video interviews of clients talking about their specific challenges and opportunities is great content. For clubs, generating a video of a member who achieved great fitness results and how they did it is great content. In the realm of programming, partnering with group fitness program offerings like Les Mills enables a treasure trove of content for club marketing. There are many examples and we’ll see this trend continue to grow.

4. Mobile Mobile Mobile

The era of innovations integrating social media, local targeting and mobile devices is upon us. Do you recall this scene from Minority Report ? Look for more innovations around the “SoLoMo” trend, and watch more B2C companies try to capitalize on it. Mobile is moving really really fast and the opportunities are huge.

Foursquare, a SoLoMo application, is a great example of what is to come. Foursquare tells mobile users of nearby companies and available deals. When users input personal preferences or an app recognizes patterns when they are near a business that fits their profile, it will push out a notification for a coupon, discount code, special of the day or sale. This is the fourth of five eras of the social web that I wrote about in 2011 . More than Foursquare, things like making sure your web site is mobile friendly, are really important. There is going to be a constant evolution of what mobile really is including mobile commerce. What is mobile is the consumer. Learn more here .

5. Video Video Video

There will be a steady increase in the number of people viewing video content on computers, tablets and mobile devices in 2013 as compared to TV sets . More and more brands are planning to use the medium to communicate complex ideas and solutions in a visually appealing manner. Expect more video content from brands to communicate information. This is a big part of the “inbound marketing” trend that you can learn more about here .

6. Create A Content Lexicon

A lexicon is a vocabulary specific to an area of knowledge or activity. Content has been increasingly important for awhile. How that content is positioned in light of a specific area or market is going to be more important than ever . It will be the context in which content is delivered that will make it more or less relevant. In an environment that requires more targeted messaging the requirements of a Content Lexicon is obvious.

Developing content tailored for a targeted audience is fundamental. For example, if you sell fitness equipment, don’t talk about your equipment features, address issues in various vertical markets like YMCA’s, Parks and Recreation Centers, Micro Gyms, and others, that have unique demands and needs. Address their problems, their industry, their company and how you will benefit their business. Keep this in mind when creating all of your content including articles, videos, presentations and webinars.

7. Offer Calls To Action

Even when content is created with context in mind, it needs this important part of the equation to convert prospective buyers into leads: a call to action. Businesses are increasingly grasping the benefits of adding calls to action in their materials and all of their content. This important piece connects content to action, and gets information from prospects enabling them to be targeted more effectively in the future.


8. Don’t Plan To Be Right; Plan To Learn

What is irrefutable is how fast things are changing. Building out marketing programs from start to finish without any flexibility to make changes in the middle is something that isn’t wise to do.

When developing and managing marketing programs, organizations need to try different approaches, measure results, and make adjustments. Agility in marketing provides greater control and insight if executed in this manner. An important underlying principal is to keep cost low as new endeavors are being undertaken. Check out this recent post on new smarter ways to plan for more examples.

Conclusion

Did you find these 8 marketing strategies helpful ? How is your business planning to market in 2013 and beyond ? If you like this content please subscribe to my web site or connect with me via social media. If you’d like help with marketing your brand feel free to contact me here today.

About the author:

Bryan O’Rourke is a health club industry expert, technologist, financier, shareholder and executive in several fitness companies. He works for Fitmarc, which delivers Les Mills programs to over 700 facilities in the US. He advises successful global brands, serves as a member of the GGFA Think Tank and serves as CEO of the Fitness Industry Technology Council. To learn more contact Bryan here today .