How Do We “Fit” In?
Leveraging a community fitness center in a competitive market
By Gina Catalano
Photos: Wheaton Park District / Lana Kozol
According to Forbes, there are six reasons why the fitness industry is booming. Health insurance costs, new demand for healthy foods, wearables such as Fitbit and Apple Watch, streaming exercise classes, outdoor obstacle races, and budget-friendly gyms all attribute to this acceleration. This “historic boom,” as Forbes refers to it, has a fitness center of some type (pop-up boutique, high value/low price, weight-loss clinic) on almost every corner. This changing market has left many park district fitness facilities and programs facing low enrollment and decreased revenues. How do our agencies continue to fulfill the mission as health and wellness recreational centers while sustaining a good business model? We must adapt, grow, and find a new place in this overcrowded market.
Competing With Your Neighbors
High-value, low-price (HVLP) health clubs, stereotypically, tend to look for quantity over quality, while boutique studios are thought to be small and specialized to suit patrons’ needs. However, these alternatives to private gyms and studios pride themselves on offering communities exactly what they need in a fitness center.
Boutique gym classes, such as Zumba, yoga, and cycling, can still be found in programs offered by HVLP gyms. In addition to specific programs, they offer a variety of equipment, group fitness classes, personal training, and extra amenities like pools, saunas, running/walking tracks, and towel service.
HVLP gyms not only advertise inexpensive memberships but have no initiation fees or hidden fees taken directly out of bank accounts or required when cancelling a membership. The business models used by low-cost, big box-type facilities work because their focus is on new members, not retaining old ones. These gyms bank on, once members join, customers losing motivation, not utilizing the facilities, and eventually forgetting to go altogether. They know many people will continue for months before realizing the fees are auto-deducted each month and probably another month before they have the time to fill out paperwork to cancel. Park districts and other municipal agencies cannot compete with this model, nor should they. We are operated and often funded in part by tax dollars. Members are not only tax-contributing residents, but the people are the backbone of our business models, missions, and purpose.
So Much To Offer
“Our number-one goal is to provide a fitness facility for their community, not to make as much money as possible,” Wheaton (Ill.) Park District’s Parks Plus Fitness Center Manager Michelle Artis says. “Park districts want to provide for the members in their communities and surrounding areas and look for what is best. Chain fitness centers are providing facilities for people to work out, but their main goal is profit and to make as much money as possible, then they move out and move on. It’s the same concept as a Walmart that provides low cost for products but rarely if ever give back to the communities in which they are in, hence, why people want you to promote small businesses over chains. Chains will put smaller businesses out of money and not contribute to the community they are in; they take more from the communities than they give. Park districts give more to their communities than they receive/take.”
Parks Plus Fitness Center serves the recreational, social, wellness, and fitness needs of both youth and adults. It has an extensive variety of strength and functional training equipment to meet the diverse needs of members. The cardio equipment includes a selection of treadmills, exercise bikes, recumbent bikes, and elliptical trainers. The center has a large selection of free-weight equipment for all strength-training needs. The full line of free weights includes something for the heavy lifter as well as for the strength exerciser, such as iron dumbbells, kettlebells, weight plates, weight bars, and medicine balls.
The newly redesigned, two-lane indoor running and walking track has a shock-absorbing rubber surface and banked turns to provide a safe running environment. Annual members may participate in Early Bird Swim at the building’s outdoor Rice Pool & Water Park from 7:00 to 7:45 a.m., weather permitting, during the season.
Locker rooms are located on the main level and available for overnight rentals. Whirlpools and saunas are located in both the men’s and women’s locker rooms for member use only. Cotton hand towels are distributed to each member for use in the fitness center. Body towels are also available for the showers, whirlpool, and sauna. Child care is available to patrons working out at the center, using the indoor track or participating in a Wheaton Park District program.
Parks Plus Fitness Center offers its members many years of customer service, focusing on friendly, courteous, professional management and staff members who provide high-quality service, a positive experience, and a helpful atmosphere. Staff members hold a master’s and/or bachelor’s degree in exercise physiology and/or physical education, and are certified by The American Council on Exercise or The National Strength and Conditioning Association. All personnel are also certified in CPR and AED training.
This local park district fitness center spends as much time giving back to the community as possible. Through charitable and special events, these cross-promotional opportunities spread awareness of the fitness center, get the community together to better their fitness, and raise money for great causes. Every year, Parks Plus Fitness Center works with other Wheaton Park District staff members to conduct four races in what is called the Race Wheaton package: Fun Run in Color in April, Cosley Zoo Run for the Animals in June, Light the Torch 5K Night Run in September, and Lions Club Reindeer Run in December. Each race raises awareness of various charitable causes, from the park district’s own foundations for the DuPage County Historical Museum, Cosley Zoo, and Sensory Garden Playground, to outside organizations such as FT Cares Foundation, Western DuPage Special Recreation Association, and Special Spaces.
Finding A Foothold
It all sounds lovely, but being good stewards of the community comes at a price, and charging $10 per month is not going to keep the lights on and pay the bills. Parks Plus Fitness Center a few years ago tried to figure out how it could maintain its integrity as an affordable community center. When a low-cost, big-box fitness center opened its doors a block away, many longtime members let their membership lapse. The center’s team has worked hard to develop the brand and marketing efforts to maintain the business operation and differentiate itself from the competition.
Pay Attention To Your Brand
In addition to offering a range of programming and equipment to suit everyone’s needs, smaller actions can be taken when promoting a community fitness center. From the logo and tagline to the facility’s colors, the smallest parts of a fitness center can make or break keeping continuous customers. Over the last few years, Parks Plus Fitness Center has made a conscious effort to rebrand in order to stay trending with the current market. The tagline was changed to “Get the results you want!” and the logo was updated to a simpler, cleaner look. The colors became more modern and aesthetically pleasing—both in person and on its newly updated website. With each marketing material that goes out to the public, the new branding makes it easily identifiable and is consistent from month to month.
Include Internal And External Promotions
External promotions still work well with direct mailing pieces and have a chance to reach a different audience through various social media platforms. Parks Plus Fitness Center’s “Beat the Heat” promotion takes the expected high temperature of the day (i.e., 98 degrees Fahrenheit) and takes that amount off a paid-in-full annual fitness membership or a group fitness class pass (i.e., $98). The program Silver Sneakers works with insurance companies to assist with membership payments. “Couch to 5K” is a self-trained program that prepares runners for a race and gives them a discount on registration. These promotions are specifically targeted to annual incomes, ages, and number of people per household within a three-mile radius. Knowing the demographics of the fitness center’s audience is the biggest strength in successful promotions.
Internal promotions are just as important to retain membership. Insurance-based programs allow the fitness center to be paid per visit, so twice a year the center offers a six-week challenge to encourage visits from these pass holders. Members receive an entry into a prize drawing for every visit. During these challenge times, check-ins at the center increase close to 100 percent. In addition, twice a year the center offers Community Appreciation Day that features giveaways and the ability to take classes and use childcare, which is not included in all membership types. Every March, the center hosts “Miles for March” to encourage members to keep track of their miles. Each mile is an entry to win prizes, such as a Fitbit, gift certificates, or club apparel. At Christmas, the “Fitmas” Sale offers a variety of ways for members to earn chances to win 12 days of prizes.
“It’s these small promotions that offer us the ability to give back to our members and set us apart from the competition,” says Artis. “In this competitive environment, we have to focus not only on finding new members, but giving our current members a reason to stay.”
Leveraging the competitive market of fitness centers requires attention to detail that pleases the community and proves that it made the right decision in choosing a park district’s facility over a boutique fitness studio. Keeping the community’s wants and needs alongside the current trends will provide the most successful outcome.
Resources
Midgley, Ben. “The Six Reasons The Fitness Industry Is Booming.” Forbes, 26 Sept. 2018,
https://www.forbes.com/sites/benmidgley/2018/09/26/the-six-reasons-the-fitness-industry-is-booming/#de80507506db.
Gina Catalano is a Marketing & Communications Assistant for Wheaton Park District in Wheaton, Ill. Reach her at gcatalano@wheatonparks.org.