The constantly increasing demand and reliance on data has affected every industry, including our own. Today, when you walk through a health club and study what you see, it seems that the generation of reports, stats, and metrics is a secondary business—subordinate only to the provision of health and fitness services. This profound paradigm shift…
Despite what the Instagram models and stock image sites would have you believe, working out is not just a young person’s game. More and more adults are continuing to see the benefits of an active lifestyle as they age. Some older adults are even realizing it’s never too late to start their active journey. Joining…
The health club industry in the Asia-Pacific region is robust—with room for growth—according to IHRSA’s recently released Asia-Pacific Health Club Report (Second Edition), which observed 14 markets. Since the report is full of in-depth analysis and statistics, industry stakeholders and enthusiasts can take away at least five key insights into the Asia-Pacific region. A women’s…
HIPAA (the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996) is United States legislation that outlines data privacy and security regulations for safeguarding medical information. When President Bill Clinton signed the act into law in 1996, it had three predominant goals—one of which was to standardize regulation of electronic data transmission while protecting the security…
Today, when it comes to fitness, there are few activities that are gender-specific. Women may tend somewhat toward cardio, and men may incline slightly in the direction of strength, but there’s little bias. Personal training, group exercise, high-intensity interval training (HIIT), and even the most intense CrossFit workouts—men and women are fairly evenly represented. When…
These days, a frequent topic of discussion is the use of public bathrooms and locker rooms by transgender individuals. While some proclaim that it’s about time that they be granted this right, others are adamant that it shouldn’t be allowed. For the general public, this may be just another debate about societal norms, albeit an…
This article appeared in the print edition of Club Business International in April 2018. Technology has dramatically changed the way that health clubs conduct business. It streamlines operations, optimizes members’ workouts, and has had an impact on virtually every aspect, and every area, of a club. And rapidly emerging technologies—think virtual reality (VR), artificial intelligence…
With the new European Data Protection Regulation going into effect on May 25, businesses are working feverishly to understand what is required to be in compliance. Containing 99 articles, the comprehensive regulation “was designed to harmonize data privacy laws across Europe, to protect and empower all EU citizens’ data privacy, and to reshape the way organizations across…
You’ve worked hard to build a friendly community environment inside your club, but what about the local community that your club services? If the task of community outreach seems daunting, and you are you asking yourself, “Where do I even start?” The answer is … here! We know running a successful gym can be all-consuming….
There’s an almost limitless number of things standing in the way of effective workplace communication. We all know people who type away on their phones during meetings, or those whose attention spans are so short they never quite read to the end of an email. And there’s more than modern-day distractions to contend with in…
Personal training is typically the top profit center among most health clubs. According to IHRSA’s Profiles of Success, leading club companies report that a median of 8.4% of total revenue is derived from personal training. And, based on data from leading clubs, only membership sales account for a greater share of total revenue than personal…
We go through a lot of trouble to protect our property. Home security systems are big business. You may even have one yourself. Research firm MarketsandMarkets estimates that Americans spent over $34 billion on safeguarding their property in 2017. That staggering statistic makes more sense when you consider the range of home security products and…