“Two years ago we did a huge expansion to our club,” explains Kate Thomas, Club Manager. We went from one studio taking all the classes to having three studios! We decided Virtual would be an asset to our club for various reasons, the biggest being the challenge of running classes during holiday periods when instructors want a break. We also thought it would be a great way to trial different programs in the club as well as different time slots for classes.”
“Virtual was NOT to replace our instructors, but to expand our timetable and give more options for our members.”
“Virtual was NOT to replace our instructors, but to expand our timetable and give more options for our members. We had mixed reactions from both staff and members. I did a lot of training with staff on how to respond to members and to let instructors know that it wasn't to replace them but to give them opportunities to have time off and not worry about covers if they couldn't get someone, or if they woke up sick to know we had a back-up plan. Now, two years down the track and everyone loves it! The staff love that they aren't letting their members down if they can't teach a class, and the members can start their Christmas Day with a group fitness class if they want to!”
“We can actually offer 100+ classes a week, even when we’re unstaffed. We always try and fill a class with an instructor, but in the event we can't or if it’s last minute (maybe traffic issues) we can schedule a Virtual class so members aren't left with nothing to do and they don't miss out on their favourite classes.”
“We get so many requests for Virtual. It allows us to trial different timeslots for our classes too, which increases attendance. We always let our members know that Virtual classes have less participants so are a great way to get a feel for the programs without the fear of being overwhelmed by a full class!”
“For us, the biggest win in terms of LES MILLS Virtual is the increase in our overall participation in group fitness and the fact that members can try classes before engaging with instructors.”
