In April 2020, two-thirds of the world’s gyms went into temporary closure due to COVID-19.

Just like that, the ‘bricks and mortar’ model the industry had known for so long had gone, as operators who were quick to react pivoted their businesses to digital.

With lockdown measures in force, record numbers of people began working out at home and exercisers in their droves headed to online platforms and virtual devices.

This meant that if gyms weren’t offering a virtual, data-driven service, they were almost certainly losing members and missing the chance to attract new ones.

Out of the pandemic, new behaviours, trends, and expectations have emerged. In particular, people have become accustomed to communicating and exercising through virtual means.

For many, it’s become entrenched in their day-to-day lives. Therefore, to engage members in the COVID-19 era, operators must now offer both a physical and a virtual service - a ‘hybrid’ model guided by data.

But in order to connect the dots between home fitness and the gym experience to completely unite your fitness ecosystem in this new age, your virtual platform needs to be bespoke; something that fits your business, your brand, and your community.

Thankfully, this is nowhere near as difficult, time-consuming or expensive as people might first think.

Volution is helping guide operators through this transition and created a virtual engagement playbook which provides everything they need to know about virtual engagement, mastering the ‘hybrid’ model, and setting up their own virtual hub.

No longer is virtual engagement just a means of survival, but the very thing that will enable operators to stand out from the crowd and grow business, both now and in the future.

Whether operators are at the beginning of your virtual engagement journey, halfway down the road, or steaming ahead, Volution a great way to assess your current strategies and systems to spot any gaps and opportunities.

Click here to download the playbook