OPEN ALL
HOURS:
SHOULD YOUR
CLUB GO 24/7?
An independent club owner reveals how she overcame her trepidation and transformed her facility
into a 24-hour operation – and why she hasn’t looked back.
WORDS: MEL TEMPEST
f you had asked me 12 months
ago if I would turn my club into a
24/7 operation I would have
replied with an outright ‘no’. The thought of
people being in a building that my husband
and I had put so much work into with nobody
overseeing them wasn’t even a thought. Why
would I want to risk it, wondering if somebody
was going to drop a weight on their head,
lock themself in the shower, or even suffer a
heart attack with nobody there to assist?
Plus, of course, the prospect of equipment
growing legs and walking out the door…
However, during my annual trip to FILEX last
year I caught up with a well-known independent
club owner at the Business Summit. The topic
of 24/7 opening hours arose and he said to
me: ‘I’m like you Mel – I like the old way, but it’s
the best thing I’ve ever done.’ That statement
prompted me to re-evaluate my fears, and
I soon came to the realisation that most of
my concerns could eventuate regardless of
whether we opened all hours or not.
I
After confirming that we were permitted
by the council to potentially open 24/7,
the next step was to test whether there
was a demand for all hours fitness, so we
conducted a quick survey via text message
to 1,000 members asking whether they
would use the club out of hours. The result
was definitive: 78 per cent of responders
replied yes and 22 per cent said no. So the
decision was made: our club was going 24/7.
We then announced on Facebook that
we were going 24/7 along with an expected
date. It was around this time that I filled
my husband in on what I was planning…!
His response: ‘So you want to get the club
renovated to 24/7 specs in the next six weeks
and launch two days before we go on holiday
to Thailand?’ Yes, I did. So, off we went.
The first security company recommended
to us told us they would be there with bells
on, but proceeded to muck us around for
three weeks before telling us that they couldn’t
deliver. Fortunately the next company we liaised
with proved more reliable and also quoted us a
figure close to what we had in mind, so that was
one item ticked off the to-do list.
The conversion
The next stage was going to be the real
challenge (and expense): the conversion. Oops,
there goes the backyard renovation again (this
club keeps getting in the way of my backyard
makeover – four years I’ve been waiting!)
Surprisingly, you can convert a club in only two
weeks. The open-plan nature of our facility meant
that we needed to enclose a few areas, but this
The 30-second article
• The prospect of opening 24/7 raises
concerns regarding safety and security
• Canvas members to gauge whether
they will use all-hours access
• You will need to consider security/
alarm systems, structural
conversions and staffing processes
• 24/7 access can be an optional extra for
members and work as a retention tool
• If applicable, check that your lease,
council and shopping centre allow
you to operate 24/7.
Shop area during conversion
NETWORK AUTUMN 2015 | 39