The Club Insider Archives: April 2019

More Than 12,000 Convene in San Diego for IHRSA 2019
SAN DIEGO, CA - Health and fitness club industry professionals from nearly 80 countries convened in San Diego, California for IHRSA 2019, the International Health, Racquet & Sportsclub Association's 38th Annual International Convention & Trade Show, held March 13 - 16, 2019. IHRSA attendees experienced the cutting edge of fitness industry equipment and technology during the two-day Trade Show and early morning workouts, attended education sessions given by industry experts, worked out and power walked, networked and socialized. Read More

Augie's Quest to Cure ALS Celebrates Strong Night at 14th Annual 'BASH'
SAN DIEGO, CA - On the evening of March 15, Augie's Quest to Cure ALS held its 14th annual BASH, a celebration of research advancements for ALS, or Lou Gehrig's disease. Coinciding with the annual International Health, Racquet and Sportsclub Association's (IHRSA) International Tradeshow and Convention, the BASH represents an opportunity for the fitness industry to celebrate advancements in ALS research and reinforce the critical importance their generous giving offers to those affected by this disease. Because the health of our bodies is such a personal matter for the industry, thousands of fitness clubs across the country have contributed to the fight against ALS alongside Augie's Quest to date. Read More

IHRSA Applauds Reintroduction of PHIT Act into the 116th Congress
BOSTON, MA - IHRSA announced its support for the Personal Health Investment Today Act (PHIT), just newly introduced into the 116th Congress. The legislation champions Americans in their efforts to live healthier lifestyles by making it easier to cover exercise expenses with pre-tax dollars. IHRSA's pivotal role in promoting this bill is part of its broader leadership stance in advancing physically active lifestyles in the battle against chronic disease and out-of-control health care costs. Read More

Latest IHRSA Data:
Over 6 Billion Visits to 39,570 Health Clubs; And An Update on IHRSA's 2030 Initiative
BOSTON, MA - More than 71.5 million consumers utilized U.S. health clubs in 2018, a record-high since IHRSA began tracking health club utilization in 1987. The number of individual members totaled 62.5 million, up 2.6% from 60.9 million in 2017. In all, consumers frequented their health clubs for more than six billion visits in 2018. Read More

Exercise IS Medicine!
By: Mike Alpert

Mike AlpertEach year, we provide scholarships to 150 financially disadvantaged children for our summer camp programs. For my article this month, I want to share a letter that was written to my Childcare Director, Cathleen Garner, from a PE teacher at Alta Loma Junior High School... Read More

The Five Love Languages for Employees
By: Melissa Knowles

Melissa KnowlesYou've no doubt heard of the wildly popular self-help book, The Five Love Languages: How to Express Heartfelt Commitment to Your Mate, by Gary Chapman. It suggests that every person has a primary language that "speaks" more deeply to them than others in terms of communicating love. I won't weigh in on the validity of this theory as it pertains to personal or romantic relationships, but when it comes to how our employees receive "messages" that communicate their value or standing within your organization, there are definitely different primary languages. What works or is clear for one employee can be ineffective for another. In this article, we will take a look at the five love languages for employees. Surprisingly, apart from one of Chapman's original five, the languages are identical! Read More

Why We Do What We Do...
and Who Cares?
By: Bill McBride

Bill McBrideI have my own perspective on this wonderful industry of ours. I'm not a wealthy independent club operator who owns his own club and land and dominates the local market. I'm not a mega franchisor/franchisee. I'm not affiliated with a national or large regional chain of clubs. I've been involved in two large regional club companies (Sport&Health and Club One), I know and have consulted with some of the top independents in our space as well as two large franchisee groups. And, I'm close to some of the major leaders of many regional and national club companies, franchisors and franchisees. Now, I'm heavily involved in the management space of fitness facilities of a multitude of models: Corporate, Medical, Community, Commercial and Multi-Tenant. I also have some limited experience in one studio model. So, as I travel domestically and internationally, I'm always trying to learn about the various models, business practices and consumer consumption behaviors surrounding fitness delivery and what makes companies successful. I've drawn some perceptions along the way... Read More

What Employers Need to Know About Background Checks
By: Paul R. Bedard, Esquire

Paul R. Bedard, EsquireA company is only as good as the people it employs. Character and integrity should rank highly among the list of personal attributes that employers seek when selecting employees. To quote the great Warren Buffet, "Somebody once said that in looking for people to hire, you look for three qualities: integrity, intelligence and energy. And, if you don't have the first, the other two will kill you." One of the ways employers work to ensure that employees of integrity are joining their ranks is by reviewing the backgrounds of their prospective hires. This might include a person's education, work history, credit history, social media presence and criminal record. However, federal laws and varying state and local laws protecting applicants and employees from discrimination must be adhered to. Read More

Are You Still Playing Monkey in the Middle?
Why It's Happening in Your Market and What You Can Do About It!
By: Ron Alterio

Ron AlterioRemember the game Monkey in the Middle? A few kids, one ball and a whole lot of frustration for the one in the middle. Fast forward to today's hyper-competitive fitness markets, and everywhere you turn, it seems there is another Boutique Studio opening to your left and a High-Volume, Low-Price (HV/LP) model opening to your right. Instead of you just trying to win a simple game with friends, now it's your business that's caught right in the middle of a genuine fight for survival. Rather than jumping, reaching or pivoting to try and catch a simple ball, you are now forced to do everything in your power to prevent your members from jumping right over your head and right into the hands of your competitors. Read More

Mindshift
By: Michael Gelfgot

Michael GelfgotWe all know that a profitable personal training department is the linchpin to long-term success of your business. And, we all know how critical it is to our business to help members stay motivated and see results. I believe we all recognize that, without a booming personal training business, it's going to be really tough to compete in this highly competitive market. If we are all on the same page with the above statements, then why is it that our personal training department is reactive VS proactive? Read More

Are You on The Path To Be a Master or Disaster?
By: Karen Woodard-Chavez

Karen Woodard-ChavezThis article is designed for absolutely every person in your organization in the spirit of being better human beings and becoming better for their own future, which also means being better for your organization's present and future. With these factors in mind, I hope you share this article with them. Suggestions on how to do so will be offered at the end of the article. We all know people who create an impact because they master every little thing and every big thing they do... personally, professionally, productively... life in general. We also know people who are the opposite... they seem to be a disaster with everything they do. Nothing ever seems to come to fruition for them, and there are a lot of excuses along the way. What is the difference between a Master and Disaster? Read More

ClubReady Adopts a Progressive Structure to Meet Needs of the Fitness Industry
With rapid growth over the last 10 years, the fitness industry shows no signs of slowing down. As fitness studios work to meet the experience demands of their members, these same studios are raising the bar of service expectations with their partners. To succeed as a SaaS company in the fitness industry, organizations must emphasize the "service" component of software-as-a-service. ClubReady has kept pace with the industry and seen tremendous growth over the last few years, supporting some of the most important brands in the industry. To meet the service needs and expectations of the fitness business of the future, ClubReady is adopting a new service-oriented structure. Read More

IHRSA 2019 Slideshow
Check out photos from IHRSA 2019! Read More

Norm's Notes for April 2019
By: Norm Cates

Norm CatesHello Everybody! This is your Club Insider Publisher and Tribal Leader checking in on this beautiful Spring Day here in Atlanta, Georgia! Folks, I welcome you to read these Norm's Notes and all the terrific articles provided this month by our great Club Insider Contributing Author Team (See Directory on This Page). This is our 304th monthly edition of Club Insider, and in case you didn't know, we have over 10,000 pages in our Club Insider Archive Library dating back to November of 1993. If you subscribe for one year for just $89, you get 12 printed editions, PLUS you get Online Access to all 304 monthly editions and the aforementioned 10,000+ page Archive Library! Read More

Back to 2019