Tell us about your club
Genesis 24/7 Gym Ballarat has been operating for 21 years, under various club names. We currently have over 2,800 members, 60% of whom are females. We also have a strong market of 45+ year olds but 80% of our demographic are aged 25 years and over.
More than 60% of our members attend group fitness classes around our three GX studios, which includes Virtual classes.
How does group fitness perform in your club?
Exceptionally! Group fitness has been the bread and butter of our business for 21 years; it’s why we opened – it was never about the equipment or the gym component; it was always all about the group fitness programs! In fact, when we opened in 2003 we opened our group fitness room first in a church hall because we wanted to bring BODYJAM® to the market – that’s actually why we opened. Back in those days, our club was called ‘Body and Soul Health and Fitness Studio’. People thought we were crazy to use the word ‘studio’ and to open a small 400m2 facility!
We also have exceptional rockstars leading our community, which contributes enormously to our success.
How does group fitness contribute to your club’s overall success?
We created a niche, yet a demand at the same time. We knew working out in groups created ‘friendships’ (now known as ‘social interaction’). And we knew people in our community needed a non-intimidating place to go, and so we created this through group fitness.
Programs such as BODYJAM gave members the opportunity to party. BODYCOMBAT® was new to the market and that alone enticed people into the room – everyone wants to be a fighter! At this time, BODYPUMP® was huge (nationally), so it served as a drawcard on our timetable, bringing heavy foot traffic through the door, which then enabled us to upsell participants to try the newer programs such as BODYCOMBAT and BODYJAM.
Why is group fitness so successful in your club?
It’s most definitely a combination of knowing our demographic and understanding our business model. Our marketing portrays who we are and we select programs based on our clientele and not what the club down the road has to offer.
What Limited Edition Collection programs do you currently or plan to offer?
- LES MILLS STRENGTH DEVELOPMENT™
- LES MILLS FUNCTIONAL STRENGTH™
- LES MILLS SHAPES™
- LES MILLS PILATES™
In our club, LES MILLS SHAPES and LES MILLS STRENGTH DEVELOPMENT are prime examples of programming success. We knew we had to have intelligent programs, and we knew we could create new members with both, but at the same time we knew we could drive non-groupies from within our club into the classes.
Launching LES MILLS SPRINT™ was always going to be popular. When LES MILLS STRENGTH DEVELOPMENT was developed and on my radar, I could see that with the right messaging, I could drive my male SPRINT participants into LES MILLS STRENGTH DEVELOPMENT. To achieve this, I ensured the LES MILLS STRENGTH DEVELOPMENT program was driven by our SPRINT trainer – a leader who had a strong male following; it was a natural response that they would follow him there.
The success of LES MILLS SHAPES came from not only in-house but also from specific Facebook marketing, capturing non-members in particular age groups. We knew the Les Mills target market was a younger crowd; however, we could see the opportunity with the 35+ female market, so we targeted them via location data and we were successful.
What is it about these Limited Edition Collection programs that most appeals to you / the club?
- Affordability is a key factor. For us, the price of Limited Edition Collection programs is extremely efficient. The flexible approach it affords, along with marketing that can be created around your own community, makes Limited Edition Collection workouts a very attractive and affordable opportunity. For this reason, for smaller studios (and even sporting clubs and schools) Limited Edition programs should be a no-brainer.
- The Limited Edition offering is a breath of fresh air and the pre-choreography for this new era of group fitness Instructors is bliss! These workouts also create an easier approach to recruiting group fitness Instructors (e.g., conveniently online, quick to undertake).
- With Limited Edition Collection programs, the entire set of Releases is provided all in one go. This provides numerous benefits and advantages for our club, including:
- enabling us to create special events using the Releases, without having to wait until the next quarter
- allowing us to create a new launch immediately, without having to wait until the next quarter
- if we feel a program is getting tired (rarely happens), we can swap programs around and create challenges using multiple Les Mills programs at once. In saying that, we don’t do ‘Weight Loss’ challenges; instead, we prefer to focus on ‘Mental Health’, ‘Getting Toned’, ‘Getting Stronger’, ‘Heart Health’, or similar.
What Signature Les Mills programs do you offer?
We offer over 100 Les Mills programs per week, and we have a strong client base for our Virtual classes. The Signature programs we offer are:
- BODYPUMP® – Live classes
- LES MILLS SPRINT® – Live and Virtual classes
- THE TRIP® – Virtual classes
Do Les Mills programs help you attract and retain members?
Most definitely! Offering programs such as LES MILLS SPRINT and LES MILLS STRENGTH DEVELOPMENT has opened the doors to us working with sporting clubs, individuals with minimal coordination, yet at the same time they’ve awakened members who were perhaps just going through the motion of group fitness.
Clubs should always be open to moving and swapping programs as this keeps members interested and it keeps the Trainers/Instructors on their toes. No member or Instructor/Trainer wants to look at the same class on the timetable month in and month out. You don’t have to change your whole timetable, but you should, at least, add changes with each new season and Limited Edition workouts enable you to quickly and easily do this.
What do your members say about Les Mills programs?
How do you assess the success of your Les Mills programs?
The old fashion number count!
How do you promote your Les Mills programs?
We have a strong social media presence, hold special events, and send promotional emails.
What advice do you have for clubs who are considering introducing Limited Edition Collection programs?
Don’t think your business is too small to launch Les Mills workouts. You don’t need to be a big commercial gym; you can be a small studio and still be just as successful. The Limited Edition programs are affordable for all.
How does improving your overall GX attendance increase your membership profit and build a long-term sustainable business?
Without group workouts you will miss a large portion of the market. As mentioned, this club was originally opened purely to teach BODYJAM. The Les Mills training and programs gave me the ability to build and create a successful business, and I have shared the education, knowledge and experiences I’ve gained, globally. Without the opportunities from Les Mills, this would not have been achievable.
