How Does Your Club Measure Up?
After decades with no national measures of the club business in Canada, Fitness Business Canada and FitNet ENews are proud to announce a joint research and analysis program with IHRSA (International Health, Racquet and Sportsclub Association). The program will feature selected business parameter reports and analysis based on clubs and facilities participating.
IHRSA has been collecting data from health clubs for over 25 years. The format of data collection has evolved from a short paper survey to a long 15+ page survey and since 2001 has been available online and in an Excel format. However, even with so many different ways to participate, survey participation has plateaued. Since 2003, IHRSA has been reaching out to clubs and asking them what type of information they want to really know about. Their responses have indicated that the annual survey was too long and too time consuming. They agreed the data was valuable, but found it challenging to complete sections in which they did not have conclusive data or were not interested. Additionally, some clubs wanted IHRSA to ask even more in-depth questions about certain topics.
Based on the reality that the annual multiple page survey was not as effective as it could be, but recognizing the need to continue collecting the data and sharing information, IHRSA has decided to create shorter online-only topic based surveys. This new method will enable IHRSA to reach out to clubs on a more regular basis, provide them with an opportunity to share information and in return receive valuable industry information based on their facility type, size, and interest areas. These monthly surveys will make it possible to have the most current and accurate information possible in order to identify industry trends and make appropriate business alterations to maximize the business opportunities from these trends. One major benefit from this new survey method will allow for survey results to be available within a month of data collection and in some cases immediately available upon survey completion. This is a distinct change from past methods, when it typically took four to six months after the data was collected before results were released.
With the new survey partnership with Fitness Business Canada, industry data for Canada will now be compiled as a separate report and not blended in with regional areas of the U.S. At the same time, results from U.S. surveys and from other countries will be made available for Canadian participants. One of the best features of the new club business surveys will be the cost. There will be no fees for participants. The benefits are included in the annual subscription to Fitness Business Canada and FitNet enews.
The new industry data surveys will be specific to selected topics only and will be delivered monthly to FitNet participants starting this July. The measures include: Employee Compensation, Membership Tracking, Capital Expenditures, Key Financial Operating Benchmarks, Club Pricing, and Real Estate/Rent.
Each survey will be in the field for a month and clubs will be invited to participate on a monthly basis through FitNet emails and Fitness Business Canada magazine. There will be 15-20 questions per topic, with the exception of the Employee Compensation survey, which is a comprehensive survey with over 20 questions.
Sample questions from past surveys:
Membership Tracking
Number of memberships at start of year
Number of new memberships added during the year
Number of members that did not renew during the year
Total number of memberships at end of year
Approximately what percentage of the members at your club originated directly from corporate accounts?
What is the average percentage discount for corporate memberships?
What was the total number of guest visits at your club during ____?
Capital Expenditures:
What is the total dollar amount that your club reinvested in 2006 (Equipment, Computers, Office Equipment, Facility, Grounds)
Participating in the survey will be as easy as going to a club’s favorite website. Clubs will login to a secure website and provide basic club information, i.e. club address, club size (total square meters), total number of members, club email, etc. A club will be able to visit the website each month and participate in a new survey, while not having to put in basic club information each time. Once a survey is completed, the club will be able to view their submitted information as compared to the aggregated data from other participating clubs. Depending on the survey, the participating club will immediately be able to see the results or receive the results within a month after the survey has ended.
The surveys have been designed by experts in the field. All original contributor data is encrypted and goes directly to Industry Insights (www.industryinsights.com) corporation, a high end research firm that has specialized in data collection of this nature for nearly 27 years. Additional measures applying only to Canada will be gradually introduced following input from our readers. While registration for the program is through FitNet/IHRSA, no original information goes to IHRSA or Fitness Business Canada.
At last, health/fitness operators in Canada will have reliable data on key business parameters enabling them to compare their measures to other facilities in Canada as well as to the U.S. and before long to other countries around the world.
All FitNet subscribers will receive their invitation to participate. Please visit www.ihrsa.org/research to learn more. We encourage comment, questions or suggestions from our readers. Just email fbc@fitnet.ca or research@ihrsa.org .
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