Independent Gyms Winter Conference 2024: 5 takeaways – & 1 powerful call for action

The Independent Gyms Winter Conference 2024, saw owners and managers of UK independent gyms gather for a day of networking and learning. Catch up on the 5 need-to-knows for independent gyms from the day.

The Independent Gyms Winter Conference once again returned to Cranmore Park, Solihull on 5 December 2024. And the final event of 2024 for independent gym owners and operators was bigger and better than ever.

This time it took place alongside the Retention Convention. And promised owners and operators:

As always it really delivered! The day was followed by the must-attend winter social taking place at Harry’s Bar.

Thanks to everyone who took time to chat with the Xplor Gym team during the day and into the evening! We’re consistently inspired by the passion and commitment gym owners put into innovating for their members.

There was lost going on at the Independent Gyms Winter Conference 2024. And of course we know for busy gym owners it’s not always possible to be there in person.

So, here are your 5 takeaways from this year’s conference. And a rallying call to action for our industry ahead of the new year.

Let’s get stuck in!

Takeaway #1: Look critically at your business – review, revise, be remarkable

The day kicked off with keynote – Your Club Needs Help And So Do You – from the ‘Health Club Doctor’, Jarrod Saracco.

With close to 30 years’ experience in the industry, Jarrod is known for his success, passion and determination. Having worked across the industry in the US and worldwide, both as an owner and operator, and as a supplier, Jarrod delivered plenty of real-world insights.

An industry legend, Jarrod has helped transform many businesses taking them from struggle to success – including the iconic World Gym. He shared his formula for success – review, revise, be remarkable – in a motivational opening keynote.

Review

As we head towards 2025, it’s time to look critically at your business. This is essential if you want to be successful. In sharing his success formula, Jarrod stressed the importance of reviewing your business.

He emphasised the need to be brutally honest and to avoid guesswork and assumptions. Ask your team. Ask your members. Get the help of your team and even an external consultant.

Start by looking at your core values and mission. Jarrod shared than many owners and operators skip this – and some don’t even have these articulated. But, these are the foundation of any successful gym business.

Your core values and mission are what makes your business what it is. They explain what you represent. Put them at the heart of your business, guiding you and your team.

Look at your brand and marketing – are you telling the right story, is it compelling? Know your audience and understand what they really want – are you delivering?

Revise

Once you’ve reviewed your business, it’s time to start making changes and revisions to your business.

Jarrod advised to start small and change one thing at a time rather than overhauling everything at once. That way, it’s not overwhelming. And you can really see what’s working. You can make small changes and still stay true to your legacy.

Change doesn’t have to be huge. It can be inexpensive. It can be internal change. What you do will depend on what you find when reviewing your business. Make the right changes for your business.

Be remarkable

Finally, Jarrod spoke to the need to ‘be remarkable’. This is all about leading the way – anticipate and set trends rather than following them. Be really good at what you do to become the obvious choice for gymgoers.

Jarrod shared many insights from his time as Chief Operating Officer at World Gym. The operator was struggling with an identity crisis coming out of COVID closures. People under 40 didn’t connect with the brand.

So, Jarrod and his team used the review, revise, be remarkable formula to turn the business around. They started by looking at the foundations of the business. Then made small changes across the business to strengthen the brand legacy. And reach new demographics with relevant, trend-setting workout experiences.

Takeaway #2: The value of pre-suasion

Adrian Marks, CEO & Founder of enjoy!, dominated the main stage in his 10x Your Gym Profits Without Spending A Penny More On Marketing session.

The customer acquisition expert shared the 3 steps to 10x the profitability of your gym business:

Adrian explained that when it comes to why people buy there are only two motivations:

Everything we ever do is driven by these two emotional psychological and physiological factors. You need to appeal to these emotional drivers to tap into the why of buying.

And when it comes to how people buy stuff, you need to take them through these phases:

Indifference > Awareness > Consideration > Preference > Intention > Action > Habit

Attention, pre-suasion, conversion, escalation

Adrian shared 4 frameworks you can use to grow your revenue:

It’s getting harder than ever to get attention. There’s a lot of content to compete with – not just your competitors – but social media, streaming services, online publishers, and more. And it’s more expensive too with ad costs on the likes of Facebook going up.

Use the 4Ms of direct response brand marketing to get attention. Know your market, have the right message, use the right media, and capture mindshare to get noticed. Then repeat frequently with consistency to keep attention.

Adrian explained that only 5% of people are ready to buy.

So, pre-suasion lets you capture and keep the attention of those who are not ready to buy. It can take as long as 2 years to convert a lead into a sale. And that makes nurturing leads valuable if you want to build a healthy pipeline.

Create an irresistible offer

Tip

The prices you can charge, and the number of sales you make, links directly to the size of the pain/problem you promise to remove. And the certainty and speed in which you can remove it.

Takeaway #3: Importance of a personalised approach in the first 90 days

The Playing For Keeps: The First 90 Days & Beyond panel explored the early days of a member’s journey with a club. Expertly hosted by Mel Spooner (CAWS), the panel featured Deena Gillan (3-1-5 Health Club), Chloe Kinch (Proinsight), and Dave Alstead (Xplor Gym).

Getting to know each other

Data from the Winning The War On Attrition Report shows that:

Inductions can be a powerful retention tool as part of a new member onboarding process. The panel discussed how in-person touchpoints are an essential way to build rapport right from the start of a member’s journey to keep them coming back for longer.

Deena spoke to the successful approach that popular Lancaster independent, 3-1-5 Health Club, takes.

Sales and reception team members are targeted on having 65% of new members attend an induction or welcome session of some type. This incentivises team members to sell the value of this session. That the operator then uses to make new members feel welcomed.

3-1-5 pairs each new member with an instructor who is similar to themselves for a chat or consultation that builds familiarity and sets them up for success. The sessions are similar but tailored to the member needs and preferences for maximum success.

Beyond 1-2-1 inductions

The panel recognised that for many operators, it’s not always practical to offer this type of induction. And getting people to attend an induction can be an uphill battle. So, it’s worth exploring alternatives that add the opportunity to engage with a new member.

For example, group sessions for new joiners and even classes give the opportunity to form a relationship in a less resource heavy way. And with less pressure on members to attend a 1-to-1 appointment.

Chloe shared that when clubs are mystery shopped, even saying hi and bye when members visit can have a big impact on how likely a member is to come back.

Health screening

Tip

Deena shared that some new members aren’t ready for a full health screening. However, they’ve proved really useful for the corporate market as a tool for measuring the health of employees.

Personalisation at scale

The Gym Membership Sales Report found that of new members starting their first Direct Debit membership, almost 1 in 10 left within 90 days of starting.

Given that not everyone will have an induction, and that this is often a one-off session, a digital onboarding journey of some type is essential.

Dave explained how you can use your gym management software to build a personalised journey. One that’s based on what you know about each member from the joining process and any induction that’s taken place.

Create a personalised journey tailored to member goals, preferences, and milestones achieved. Look at metrics like visit frequency and app usage to gauge what’s working. Adjust regularly and test the entire journey.

Deena emphasised the importance of having something in place to step in when a member stops attending.

3-1-5 Health Club have found that a friendly check-in call works best as a starting point, followed up with a 12-week series of email, text and phone touchpoints. Refer-a-friend and guest pass offers can be an incentive to get non-users back in.

Takeaway #4: Power of habit drives attendance

During the Building Healthy Habits – The 5 Key Drivers Of Gym Attendance session, Carl McCartney shared insights from newly published Les Mills research.

Conducted with Iowa State University, it looked at 350 new Les Mills+ members who were new to exercise (working out less than the recommended 150 minutes a week previously).

The study explored at the importance of goal setting, preparation, motivation, and instigation in establishing the habit of attending exercise sessions on a regular basis.

Carl shared top takeaways for gyms looking to set new members up for success during onboarding:

Takeaway #5: Tap into group fitness as an independent gym to drive growth

Aaron Johnson, Director of NR Health & Fitness Club, and KJ Dixon, Performance Manager at 3-1-5 Health Club, were amongst the panellists for the Harnessing The Power Of Group Fitness: Insights From Independent Gym Owners session.

Bringing loads of real-life examples from independent gyms across the UK, the panel shared how group fitness can be a powerful way to increase retention and drive growth.

Classes build community

The panel discussed how classes can play a massive role in building the kind of community that keeps members coming back.

Members who take part in classes are more likely to get involved in clubs in other ways. For example, taking part in a fitness challenge.

As a large club with 1,000s of members, 3-1-5 Health Clubs recognise the importance of group fitness in building micro communities in the club. KJ explained that they see smaller communities form around specific classes.

The operator has added facilities like a lounge and recovery/wellness space to provide areas for socialising post-class. They also do things like organising mini Christmas parties for classes. And find that some groups even organise outings.

Add new classes to engage members & grow revenue

Introducing new classes can offer the opportunity for growth.

KJ highlighted the importance of reviewing your performance data and doing your research before choosing classes. Make sure you invest your focus in the right areas for your business rather than jumping on trends.

Virtual, on-demand classes have been a hot topic in recent years. The operators on the panel have tried them with mixed success.

Generally, they work well as a way to cater to people who want to come in and do a class, but can’t make it to live classes. So, having these available is valuable, but scheduling them can be a barrier to usage.

Look beyond simply adding a new class to your schedule and see if you can offer something more specialist and high value. 3-1-5 Health Club has launched a couple of boutique studios offering HIIT and Reformer Pilates classes.

These have been added to a premium membership with a limited number of classes included. Members can buy class packs to top up and attend more. These popular classes are not available locally at other competitors, helping the club stand out and bring in additional revenue.

Finding the right instructors is key – but really tough!

It’ll be unsurprising to most operators to hear that instructors can make or break the success of any class – new or well established. The panel gave these tips for finding rockstar instructors:

KJ from 3-1-5 Health Club shared their winning formula for finding the right instructors. Key to success is first seeing how they interact in a class setting, then how they take a class, and then interviewing them.

And when it comes to onboarding, all staff at 3-1-5 Health Club get to know the whole business – working on reception, going to classes, etc. So, they really know what the club has to offer and can provide the best experience for members.

Call for action: Stronger together

In the closing keynote for the day, industry stalwart, David Stalker, had a rallying call for independent owners and operators, as well as the wider industry. A call to action to come together to secure a stronger future for all.

Having grown up in Kenya with a passion for conservation, David looked to the survival techniques of the natural world for ways to do this:

Bring on the Independent Gyms Conference 2025!

Those are our top 5 takeaways from the Independent Gyms Winter Conference 2024. Do you have any you’d add? Let us know!

The drive and passion of independent gym owners always leaves us inspired and fired up ready to do better. We can’t wait for the Independent Gyms Conference 2025.

Join the most ambitious independent gym owners and operators around. See Xplor Gym management software in action – book a demo today.