The Club Insider Archives: April 2016
IHRSA's 35 and Counting!
The VALUE of IHRSA...
By: Norm Cates
Norm CatesClub Insider is very pleased to acknowledge and help celebrate IHRSA's 35th Anniversary! After having seen IHRSA in action again March 21-24th in Orlando, Florida, this author came back to his keyboard all charged up... again! That charged up feeling has happened every year for the 35 years that our industry's best friend, Rick Caro, and I have been attending IHRSA's Annual Convention and Trade Show. And, during these past 35 years, Rick Caro has continued to shepherd our great Association along the way, while at the same time helping hundreds of clients through his New York City-based Management Vision, Inc. club consulting company. Rick's guidance and input to IHRSA has been huge in the overall success of the Association.
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Newtown Athletic Club and Jim Worthington Raise Over $200,000 for Augie's Quest
By: Justin Cates
Justin CatesAugie's Quest, an organization that's leading the search for the Cure for ALS, has become an immeasurable force for good within our industry and the greater society in which we operate. In the eleven years since its founding, the Augie's Quest cause has raised more than $45 million towards finding that cure. Many have said that it is Lou Gehrig's disease, but when it is rid from this Earth, it will be known as Augie's Cure. Augie has been our General for the fight, but within that title are the soldiers helping to fight that war. One of those soldiers is Jim Worthington, owner of the Newtown Athletic Club (NAC), in Newtown, Pennsylvania.
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30 Tips for a FUN and PROFITABLE Club Party
By: Karen Woodard-Chavez
Karen Woodard-ChavezMember parties can be very powerful, cost effective events and can provide a quick return on the investment component of your club's promotional mix and retention program if properly produced. Some clubs have GREAT results. But, many clubs have disappointing results.
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"Insider Speaks"
The Health Club Industry is a Mess!
By: Thomas Plummer
Thomas PlummerThe health club industry is a mess! And, if you aren't making money, then it is customary to blame someone else for your current lack of success. In the late 1940s, we blamed the first commercial guys for ruining the physical culture gyms. The first commercial guys blamed the first chains for ruining their businesses in the '60s. Those guys blamed the first Nautilus guys for ruining everything good about the gym business. Those guys then blamed the rise of the full service commercial gyms for ruining the Nautilus purity.
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10 Tax Time Tips for Your Fitness Business
By: Melissa Knowles
Melissa KnowlesTax day (April 18th this year) has come and gone... and now's a great time to start the prep work for filing your business taxes for next year. As with all other aspects of your business, organization, proper planning and consistency are hugely important in making tax season as painless as possible. Read the 10 Tips that follow to ensure that next year's filing is smooth sailing...
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ClubReady Acquires GymHQ
By: Norm Cates
Norm CatesClub Insider was introduced to Gym HQ, a company based in Peachtree Corners, Georgia on the Northside of Atlanta area when they contacted me via email. However, it wasn't until I received an emailed comment about Gym HQ from Gordon Johnson, a long-time industry friend, and Gold's Gym owner in the Douglasville, Georgia area, that I actually spoke with Melissa Knowles, CEO of Gym HQ. From that conversation with Melissa, I arranged a meeting with her and her partners at Gym HQ. Melissa, John Lewin, Jonathan Hill and I met at their office, and an hour and a half later, our meeting ended. By then, I'd discovered what I believed to be an excellent company that could really help you, our Club Insider readers.
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How to Best Use Space for a Great Design
By: Bruce Carter
Bruce CarterNo matter what the size of club we have dealt with over the years, whether it was 5,000 square feet or 200,000 square feet, there always seemed to be a need for more space. Therefore, getting the most successful use out of your available square footage is an optimal goal. However, it is common to try and "put four quarts into a 3-quart container." When this happens, the result is often an inefficient and non-functional operation.
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Programming For The "Fun Of It!"
Step 3 of 7 to Becoming a Programming Professional
By: Laurie Cingle
Laurie CingleA programming professional is a person who is an expert at the skills required to implement and fill programs. What does it take to become a programming professional in your facility? There are seven steps or skills: (1) Find program prospects, (2) Invite them to learn about and understand your program, (3) Present the program, (4) Follow up with program prospects, (5) Enroll them in the program, (6) Ensure success in the program and (7) Grow programs by promoting events and additional programs. Let's discuss Step #3, Present the Program to Prospects.
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Planet Fitness and Franchisees Pledge $1.3 Million to Anti-Bullying Initiative
NEWINGTON, N.H. - In a class of 20 kids in the United States, an average of at least four (22%) have experienced psychological or physical abuse by a peer at school. Across the country, a child is bullied approximately every 7 seconds. Similarly, nearly one out of four (24%) Boys & Girls Clubs of America (BGCA) teens aged 13+ admit they were bullied in the last year, according to newly-released data from Boys & Girls Clubs of America's 2015 National Youth Outcomes Initiative Report. These statistics are shocking and all-too-common; in fact, nearly 8 in 10 parents report that bullying is a top concern while raising their kids.
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World Gym to Open 200 Locations in Europe by 2020
LOS ANGELES, CA - World Gym International, the iconic global brand for bodybuilding and seriously fun fitness, announced ahead of the FIBO Global Fitness Fair that it is targeting to sign deals for 200 franchised World Gym locations across Europe by 2020.
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Motionsoft Hails the Arrival of Softer Software
ROCKVILLE, MD - In a continued effort to make its iconic software solution more user friendly, Motionsoft announced the release of the world's first soft technology software solution for the health and fitness industry, the SOFTER Soft Software line. SOFTER Soft Software or S-cube is the ultimate club management software companion for the modern front desk staffer.
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New Jersey Consumer Affairs Announces Actions Against 20 Health Clubs
NEWARK, N.J. - The New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs announced administrative actions against 20 health clubs and has assessed a total of $158,500 in civil penalties against the clubs for their alleged failure to comply with consumer protection laws.
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Can a Fitness Tracker Save a Life in the ER?
WASHINGTON - Emergency physicians used a patient's personal activity tracker and smartphone to identify the time his heart arrhythmia started, which allowed them to treat his new-onset atrial fibrillation with electrical cardioversion and discharge him home. The first case report using information in an activity tracker/smartphone system to assist in medical decision-making was reported online in Annals of Emergency Medicine.
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iGo Owner Dashboard Launched at IHRSA 2016
HOUSTON, TX - At IHRSA 2016 in Orlando, iGo Figure Fitness Club Management Software announced a new tool called the iGo Owner Dashboard to help franchisors and multiple club owners control how their fitness clubs are operated. With it, a franchisor/multi-club owner can easily access the data in all of their clubs, run comparative reports, identify underperforming clubs and much more.
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Sports & Fitness Insurance Celebrating 30 Years Insuring the Fitness Industry
MADISON, MS - With the formation of John F. Kennedy's President's Council on Physical Fitness in the 1960s, a new era in exercise science and technology began. America's early obsession with physical fitness had people jogging, bicycling, swimming and weight lifting. By the 1980s, the obsession was in full swing and Fitness had become an industry. But, even as health clubs continued to pop up across the country, traditional insurance providers viewed them as a highly speculative, niche market.
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IHRSA 2016 Slideshow
Check out photos from IHRSA 2016!
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Norm's Notes for April 2016
By: Norm Cates
Norm CatesHello Everybody! This is your Club Insider Publisher and Tribal Leader Since 1993 Checking In!
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