CEC
ARTICLE
MAKE YOUR
CLASS A
When members aren’t buying in to a class, it’s time to
research, adjust and promote.
WORDS: CAT WOODS
The 30-second article
• The success of a class can be
dependent on several factors
including demographic, timeslot,
familiarity and venue
• The class must have clear fitness
objectives and be effective
• Research what does and doesn’t
work at other fitness facilities
• Educate your team about the class so
they can confidently promote it to
prospective participants
• Use online media and printed
materials to make sure every
member knows about the class.
22 | NETWORK SUMMER 2015
uild it and they will come’.
Except,
sometimes
they
don’t. You have a great class
on your timetable, but for some reason
members just aren’t getting on board.
Why?
The way in which a class on your
group exercise timetable is received will
depend on a few factors. Is it a new class
that most of your members are unlikely
to have heard of? Is it a class that has
been sailing along with consistent, but
not great, participation numbers in a
different timeslot? Is it a class that is
hugely popular at another studio or club,
but just isn’t gaining the traction you’d
hoped for in your facility?
What members want
Purpose and efficacy
Make sure your team know
your product
‘B
The most important thing is that the class
has an intention, and that the structure
and delivery of the class actually facilitate
the desired results. Whether the focus is
on strength, flexibility, endurance, agility
or balance, there is no use promoting
and spruiking a class if it doesn’t
noticeably improve participants’ fitness
and wellbeing. In a nutshell, if it doesn’t
deliver, it’s as good as dead anyway.
Compare and contrast
Your gym or studio doesn’t exist in a
vacuum. Pay attention to what does and
doesn’t work at other fitness facilities.
If the same class runs successfully at
other locations, go and participate in
it at a venue and time where it works.
This will allow you to observe whether
it’s the facility itself that is conducive to
success, whether the demographic is
entirely different and more responsive to
the class type, or whether the timetable
is designed to drive participants from the
previous class into the next.
Ask members for feedback, but also
have the confidence to introduce new
programs and classes that aren