ENHANCED ENGAGEMENT

Client: Dolphin Centre
Supplier: Technogym

Run by Darlington Borough Council, the Dolphin Centre in Darlington, County Durham, UK, is a well-loved leisure centre that prides itself on family-friendly service and a welcoming atmosphere.

In February 2013, the centre invested in an extensive month-long modernisation project – its first full refit in 20 years. The makeover included a gym extension, with 75 new machines installed including over 20 VISIOWEB-enabled Technogym machines. These are supported by mywellness cloud business apps to support the centre’s member retention efforts. These apps include Challenge, a user-friendly tool that allows operators to create, promote and manage gym challenges online.

A key component of the centre’s new gym and membership package is the Get Results service, which gives customers access to regular one-to-one time with the gym team. The centre uses Challenge as a tool to support this service by encouraging instructors to recruit members in team challenges, building rapport, relationships and giving instructors a reason to maintain continuous interaction.

“The Challenge app is key to supporting retention, by encouraging ongoing interaction between instructors and customers. It’s also critical in keeping customers motivated and interested,” says Lisa Soderman, business development manager at the centre.

“Challenges allow our instructors to set targets that bring customers closer to their goals identified through the Get Results service. This is great to keep them coming back to us, but also a fantastic selling tool because customers gain confidence in us and share their positive experience with the gym and Get Results service to the outside world.”

A total of 280 people signed up to the first Challenge, with over 260 people continuing to participate in further Challenges.

To date, nearly 500 people have created mywellness cloud accounts, through which Challenge participants can track their progress – users and instructors can view their data, their position on the Challenge leaderboard and their overall activity levels online. This can be done through members’ personal mywellness cloud accounts on the VISIOWEB screens, at home via www.mywellness.com, or on the go through the mywellness iPhone and Android mobile apps.

Soderman continues: “Feedback on the equipment and technology has been excellent. Our customers have a real sense of pride in their new facility, evidenced by our highest ever membership sales following the refurbishment.”

To date, the Dolphin Centre has seen a 65 per cent increase in membership sales since the refit, and this year the club celebrated its highest ever sales performance for July.

For more information: www.technogym.com

The Dolphin Centre has had its first full refit in 20 years, which includes a gym extension

REWARDING EFFORT

Client: De Vere Village Urban Resorts
Supplier: MYZONE

De Vere operates 25 Village Urban Resorts, which each incorporate a Velocity Health & Fitness Club. With an average of 3,500 members per club, the group has some 86,000 members across the UK.

In January, following a successful trial at the group’s Farnborough club, the operator introduced MYZONE fitness technology into all 25 group cycling studios. A further trial to integrate the system into the gyms and other fitness spaces at Solihull, Bournemouth and Elstree proved a great success, and the roll-out of the system across the remaining estate has just been completed.

MYZONE is a heart rate tracking system that rewards effort in all physical activity, whether the user is exercising in or outside of the club, through MEPs (MYZONE Effort Points). It takes the guesswork out of exercise, says Chris Southall, leisure director at De Vere Village Urban Resorts: “When asking members if their last workout was effective, the answer is normally related to how they feel. MYZONE eliminates that subjectivity, providing scientific feedback around heart rate training zones and the MEPs achieved.

“It helps users track progress against goals, with the points system focusing them on the process and motivating them to achieve results and adhere to regular exercise. It’s been a phenomenal success across our sites, because it’s not about how long or how often members train, but how
much effort they put in.”

To use MYZONE, the member purchases a physical activity belt that streams live data when they’re exercising in the facility. It also features a memory chip that can store up to 16 hours of data when the user is exercising outside the club. The activity belt is synchronised with the user’s online personal profile, with exercise data – frequency of exercise, duration, MEPs, calorie expenditure and heart rate profiles – automatically and wirelessly uploaded to their profile when they come within range of the in-club MYZONE console.

There are also automatic uploads from integrated Body Composition Analysers in each Velocity Club to make it simple for users to monitor their health outcomes.

As well as motivating members, all this data helps instructors and PTs set targets and monitor performance, says Southall: “Our PTs can provide instant feedback after a session to show clients what they set out to do and what they achieved. The technology gives us more touchpoints with members and allows us to interact and engage with them on all levels.”

Each club runs MYZONE challenges, with results posted on a league table. The challenges are based on effort, so are suitable for all members regardless of their fitness. The group has just run its first national MYZONE challenge across all sites to see which club could generate the most MEPs over two days.

For more information: www.myzone.org

MYZONE provides scientific feedback around heart rate training zones

CREATING A BUZZ

Client: Buzz Gym
Supplier: Matrix

The founders of Buzz Gym in Reading, UK, approached Matrix Fitness Systems 12 months ago, seeking the supplier’s help in creating a powerful member experience at their new gym. The brief was to incorporate innovative design and products to create engaging workout experiences that met the needs of members with a wide variety of abilities.

Adam Stowell, founder of Buzz Gym, began his career as a personal trainer at the age of 16. He has since conducted over 5,000 personal training sessions and is an Advanced Exercise specialist, holding numerous qualifications in nutrition and fitness. He has advised for Woman and Home magazine and Metro, and features regularly on local radio stations.

With one award-winning gym already under his belt – Advance Gym, also in Reading, and also equipped by Matrix – Stowell once again turned to Matrix to develop his latest club.

The 100-station Buzz Gym is based around the low-cost model, but with a focus on providing each member with the opportunity for a unique experience.

Stowell’s vision was to create an innovative and visually impactful gym, ensuring members’ needs were met with a combination of creative floor layout and the latest top of the range equipment.

Alongside the cardio and resistance zones, the 910sq m (9,813sq ft) property features the area’s largest free weights zone in the basement of the club. There’s also a functional zone with the new Xcube training rig, cable machines, TRX frames and core free weight equipment such as medicine balls and kettlebells. Group Xcube classes are available.

Buzz Gym has also incorporated a range of plate-loaded equipment and heavier weights up to 60kg, ensuring all members – whether new to the gym or seasoned gym-goers – have access to all the equipment they might need for their workouts. All members are entitled to a custom-designed workout by the highly qualified staff in the club.

Design-wise, Buzz Gym has a warehouse look and feel, with crisp, bold colour designs along with bright ambient lighting. The gym holds regular Club Nights, with local DJs mixing up the sounds in the cardio zone. There’s also a juke box in the free weights area.

Adam Rogers, senior sales manager at Matrix Fitness, says: “Matrix prides itself on its creative and innovative approach to the delivery of fitness solutions – our people, products and solutions demonstrate this creativity and innovation. We ensure customers are seen as individuals, and work with them to create bespoke packages that will support their individual needs, helping to develop and grow their businesses.”

Stowell adds: “Our vision for Buzz Gym has always been to offer a unique, professional gym, and Matrix, with its exceptional creative design ideas, proved to be the perfect solution provider to help us achieve that vision.”

For information: www.matrixfitness.co.uk

Buzz Gym is a budget model that offers members top of the range equipment

Matrix’s design ideas helped achieve the best layout