DIFFERENTIATE OR DIE
A CASE STUDY OF AQUA INNOVATION
By sharing the cost and risk of investing in new equipment between clubs, you
can diversify your aqua offering and add new revenue streams, says swim school
operator Julie Stevens.
qua fitness should no longer be
seen as the ‘poor cousin’ to land-
based group fitness classes,
whether it be in the swim school or fitness
facility environment. Increasing numbers of
men and women are taking to the water,
either in addition to their existing fitness
routines, or as the core component of their
physical activity.
If you instruct aqua exercise, or you
manage a facility that offers aqua classes,
you’ll be only too aware of the many
challenges unique to this branch of fitness.
From acoustic issues to water temperature,
there’s always something to keep us on our
toes! Another challenge is that of justifying
the expense of buying bigger ticket
equipment for classes that make only a
small footprint on the facility’s group fitness
timetable.
We see gyms investing in state-of-the-art
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equipment on a regular basis, obviously in
an effort to encourage, increase and retain
membership. But rarely do we see $50,000
of aqua fitness equipment rolled out.
In January 2017 at four established
indoor swimming schools in Adelaide we
did just that. Why? Because I believed that,
like any business, we needed to diversify,
and that an opportunity existed to offer
additional income-generating services that
would support the future success of the
current business.
I came to this realisation after having
purchased 11 Acquapole Boxing sets in
late 2016 and seeing this create enough
interest to generate a return on investment
of 120%. This prompted me to be a little
more adventurous and really ‘put my money
where my mouth was’. I met with a group
of excited and motivated aqua fitness
instructors employed at our facilities and